I would just like to know what a middle-of-the-road real estate attorney might charge for handling a defaulted on contract. Been in court forever

Unfortunately, given the amount, it is a Supreme Court matter.  I would charge hourly and the cost turns on the work required.

Cases like yours are difficult for an attorney to figure out what to charge, because the reality is that it may take a similar amount of time to sue on a breach of a $35,000 contract and a $350,000 contract. That being said, for a simple breach of real estate contract case where your maximum payback is $35,000, you should NOT be over-paying. Look at it this way. If the lawyer was working on contingency, the lawyer would get about a third, maximum, of whatever you get- while deferring his/her fee and taking all the risk. Since YOU are taking all the risk, do NOT pay more than one third. If you already have, tell your attorney to stop work and find another attorney. Many attorneys get away with charging their clients more than a case is worth because the client signed a retainer agreement with an hourly rate, and the client is too intimidated to object. Don't be one of them- but don't let your attorney do dozens of hours of work without objecting until after it's already done. Have another attorney review your legal bills and retainer agreement immediately, and get money back for you if you've been overcharged.