Most homeowners hire Realtors to help them sell their properties, but it isn't a requirement. If you object to paying a commission, and already have a buyer ready to sign a contract on your house, you can handle the transaction yourself if you choose. Filling out Missouri real estate contract forms for sale by owner homeowners recommend must be done carefully and with some thought.
Contracts are legal documents that can have consequences when they aren't filled out properly or have vital information left out of them. You can start by filling out the basic information. As the property owner, the name you put on the agreement must be your legal name, or the name of the entity selling. You will need the legal description of your property and the date of your agreement.
There should be a description of all payment terms. You certainly have to put the purchase price in the agreement. You also need to have the amount of earnest money put down and who is holding the earnest money. You need to determine who is going to pay the property taxes. It is customary for a seller to pay through the date of closing. After that the taxes are the responsibility of the buyer.
As the seller, it is your responsibility to disclose any defect regarding the property that you know of. There are states where sellers are required to search for any possible defects and disclose them. You need to find out what the law is in the state where your property is located. Water damage is the most common defect.
All the contingencies affecting the transaction should be outlined. The home inspection is one example. Most agreements allow the buyer a specified amount of time to have the property inspected and raise any objections. If there are issues, and an agreement cannot be reached about solving them, the buyer has the right to back out of the deal. A buyer's ability to get financing is another important contingency.
A house built before 1978 must have a lead based paint disclosure form attached to the contract. This gives the buyer a time frame to inspect the property or waive any inspection. The buyer has to disclose any homeowner's association fees and how much they are. If something like a golf membership is being transferred from the seller to the buyer, that must be disclosed.
The purchase agreement must have a closing date and information about who is paying the closing costs. Thirty to sixty days is a normal time frame to close a residential property. If you have agreed to pay some of the closing costs, that information must be outlined in your document.
If you already have a buyer lined up when you get ready to sell your house, you can bypass paying a Realtor a commission. All the contract forms you need are available online. It's a wise idea to spend a little to have an experienced real estate attorney look them over though.
Contracts are legal documents that can have consequences when they aren't filled out properly or have vital information left out of them. You can start by filling out the basic information. As the property owner, the name you put on the agreement must be your legal name, or the name of the entity selling. You will need the legal description of your property and the date of your agreement.
There should be a description of all payment terms. You certainly have to put the purchase price in the agreement. You also need to have the amount of earnest money put down and who is holding the earnest money. You need to determine who is going to pay the property taxes. It is customary for a seller to pay through the date of closing. After that the taxes are the responsibility of the buyer.
As the seller, it is your responsibility to disclose any defect regarding the property that you know of. There are states where sellers are required to search for any possible defects and disclose them. You need to find out what the law is in the state where your property is located. Water damage is the most common defect.
All the contingencies affecting the transaction should be outlined. The home inspection is one example. Most agreements allow the buyer a specified amount of time to have the property inspected and raise any objections. If there are issues, and an agreement cannot be reached about solving them, the buyer has the right to back out of the deal. A buyer's ability to get financing is another important contingency.
A house built before 1978 must have a lead based paint disclosure form attached to the contract. This gives the buyer a time frame to inspect the property or waive any inspection. The buyer has to disclose any homeowner's association fees and how much they are. If something like a golf membership is being transferred from the seller to the buyer, that must be disclosed.
The purchase agreement must have a closing date and information about who is paying the closing costs. Thirty to sixty days is a normal time frame to close a residential property. If you have agreed to pay some of the closing costs, that information must be outlined in your document.
If you already have a buyer lined up when you get ready to sell your house, you can bypass paying a Realtor a commission. All the contract forms you need are available online. It's a wise idea to spend a little to have an experienced real estate attorney look them over though.
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Missouri real estate contract forms for sale by owner can easily be obtained from this website realestatepaperwork.com. Alternatively, you can log on to the main page here at http://www.realestatepaperwork.com/forms.