Hage v. Westgate Square Commercial

598 S.W.2d 709, 1980 Tex. App. LEXIS 3356
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 24, 1980
Docket6066
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 598 S.W.2d 709 (Hage v. Westgate Square Commercial) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hage v. Westgate Square Commercial, 598 S.W.2d 709, 1980 Tex. App. LEXIS 3356 (Tex. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

HALL, Justice.

This is a suit by the vendor for specific performance of a contract for the sale of land. Judgment was rendered in the vendor’s favor, and the vendee appealed. We affirm.

Appellee Westgate Square Commercial is a joint venture formed by Richard Nichols and Equity Investors, Inc., to acquire and develop 10.47 acres of unimproved land located near the intersection of Lamar Boulevard and Ben White Boulevard in the City of Austin, Texas. On February 25, 1977, Westgate and appellant M. K. Hage, Jr., executed an earnest money contract under which Westgate agreed to sell and Hage agreed to buy 6.96 acres of the 10.47 acres for the total price of $500,243.00. The 6.96 acres were specifically described in the contract. An earnest money deposit of $25,-000.00, which was a part of the purchase price, was made by Hage. The contract expressly provided that time was of the essence, that it was to be closed within 30 days from the date of execution, and that Westgate would convey good and marketable title to the 6.96 acres by general warranty deed.

The contract was never closed by the parties. In June, 1977, Hage informed Westgate that he did not intend to honor the contract. On August 2, 1977, Westgate filed this suit for specific performance. Westgate also sought other relief which we shall notice later. Hage’s answer included a general denial and also special pleas setting up defenses based upon the statute of frauds, the fact that the contract was not closed within the 30 days provided therefore, and the asserted inability of Westgate to convey marketable title to the land because of a right-of-way easement and an unreleased lien and restrictions on the property which allegedly prohibited the parties’ contemplated use of the property by him. Westgate’s response to Hage’s answer included allegations that Hage waived the closing provision because he requested and agreed to extensions, and that Hage was *711 estopped from now asserting any objections to the title because none were raised by him prior to his alleged abandonment of the contract.

The case was tried to the court without a jury. Judgment was rendered decreeing specific performance of the contract. Hage brought this appeal.

In view of the contractual provision that “time is of the essence,” Hage contends that the court erred in failing to hold that the contract is unenforceable since it was not performed within 30 days after execution, the time provided for closing. We overrule this contention.

Hage’s primary purpose in buying the 6.96 acres was to build a high-rise medical facility. This facility would occupy approximately five acres. Hage intended to hold the other two acres for future speculation. He was interested also in purchasing other property in the area of the 6.96 acres which was not owned by Westgate. There is evidence that beginning in mid-March, 1977, Westgate made numerous attempts to get Hage to establish a closing date. Although Westgate did not unilaterally establish a date for closing prior to March 27, 1977, there is ample evidence that it attempted to close within the 30-day period and that the closing date was extended beyond that time, and many times thereafter until June, 1977, mostly at Hage’s request and for his benefit. In fact, Hage testified that all extensions were either requested by him or agreed to by him. His main reason for the delay was that he felt that the closing of this sale would affect the values of the other land in the area he desired to purchase. Another reason given was that in order to acquire funding for this closing he needed time to close a deal on another medical facility.

Even where time is of the essence by express stipulation in the contract, the stipulated time limit may be extended by the parties’ waiver of strict compliance. Puckett v. Hoover, 146 Tex. 1, 202 S.W.2d 209, 212 (1947); Smith v. Hues, 540 S.W.2d 485, 488 (Tex.Civ.App. — Houston [14th Dist.] 1976, writ ref’d n. r. e.). The waiver “not only may be shown by parol, but may be made to appear from the circumstances or course of dealing.” Puckett v. Hoover, supra. The parties may also orally agree to extend the time for performance set forth in the written contract, provided the oral agreement is made before the written contract has expired. Dracopouias v. Rachal, (Tex.1967) 411 S.W.2d 719, 721.

In our case, the trial court did not file findings of fact and conclusions of law, and none were requested by the parties. Therefore, we must presume that all necessary fact findings were impliedly made by the court in support of the judgment. Renfro Drug Co. v. Lewis, 149 Tex. 507, 235 S.W.2d 609, 613 (1950); Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company v. Jefferson Construction Company, (Tex.1978) 565 S.W.2d 916, 918. The evidence supports implied findings (1) that the time for closing the contract was extended by the parties’ oral agreements which began within the 30-day closing period and extended into June, 1977, and (2) that Hage waived strict compliance with the stipulated time for closing.

The rule is well established that a contract to convey land does not satisfy the requirement of the statute of frauds (V.T. C.A., Bus. & C. § 26.01) that it be “in writing,” and the contract is therefore unenforceable, unless it contains a description of the land “so definite and certain upon the face of the instrument itself, or in some other writing referred to, that the land can be identified with reasonable certainty.” Matney v. Odom, 147 Tex. 26, 210 S.W.2d 980, 982 (1948). Hage contends that the contract in question fails to meet the land-description requirement of the statute of frauds, because of this provision for payment of the consideration:

“The total sales price is $500,243.00, payable as follows: $50,000.00 cash, of which Buyer agrees to forthwith deposit, with Seller, the sum of $25,000.00 as Earnest Money to bind this sale, and the balance to be evidenced by the execution and delivery by Buyer of Buyer’s two promissory notes as follows:
*712 (1) one promissory note in the principal sum of $356,000.00 secured by a Vendor’s Lien and Deed of Trust covering approximately 4.96 acres of 6.96-acre tract, dated as of the date of closing and payable to the order of Seller, bearing interest at the rate of 10% per annum, interest payable monthly as it accrues, and due on or before 180 days from date thereof.
(2) one promissory note in the principal sum of $94,243.00 secured by a Vendor’s Lien and Deed of Trust covering approximately 2 acres of the 6.96-acre tract, dated as of the date of closing and payable to the order of Seller, bearing interest at 10% per annum, interest payable monthly as it accrues, and due and payable on or before 12 mos. from date thereof.

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598 S.W.2d 709, 1980 Tex. App. LEXIS 3356, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hage-v-westgate-square-commercial-texapp-1980.