July 8th, 2023 8:20 AM by Judy Chapman
If you are among the generation known as Baby Boomers, or older, or if you watch old movies, you are familiar with the concept of doing business on a hand shake. When a man (or woman) would give their word and that was that!! Do you call those "the Good Ole Days?" There are still plenty of us who would be willing to do business in this fashion, but there are others in our society who just don't play by those rules. Therefore we find ourselves in need of putting Everything in Writing. Paperwork! Paperwork! Paperwork!
In Real Estate, this is the reason we have so many forms. And it seems every year the forms get longer and longer!! Changes on the forms do occur every year and become effective July 1. The astute Realtor will educate themselves on the forms changes early in the year in order to better represent their buyer or seller clients. Appleseed Realty will be taking training this week to become updated on all for changes for the upcoming year.
So we talked about "Everything in Writing." Did you know a verbal contract is only as good as the paper it is written on? Did you get that? You don't have a contract until you have it in writing, signed by both parties, and conveyed to all parties (in this case conveyance can be to the buyer or sellers agent). At this point in time, you have a true contract between the parties. You, as a consumer, may not know that. You, as a consumer, might think (if you are representing yourself), that if you have a verbal contract, made on a hand shake, you have something binding with the other party. If you are a buyer, then "Buyer Beware!" Another buyer could come along and offer more for the property, and the only hand shake you see is the seller waving good bye to you, because he just got a better deal! What can you do about this? Nothing! You do not have a written contract because you were not working with a qualified and knowledgeable Realtor who was protecting your rights.
So now you know! You need a written contract! How are you going to get your hands on a written contract for the two parties to sign? Who has access to such documents? The qualified Realtor!!! Who will guide you thru them and thru the process? The qualified Realtor!!! I enjoy the funny commercials being presented by NAR to try to convince home buyers and sellers that they would benefit from using a Realtor. I appreciate the commercials that say, that is who we R, Realtors because we give back to the community. But at the end of the day, the reason you, as a home buyer or seller, need the services of a qualified Realtor is to help and guide you thru the process, making you aware of your rights, protecting you, representing you, finding qualified resources for you, using our expertise to put you in the best position possible. Representing you, our Client, to the best of our ability. That is why Home Buyers and Sellers need to be working with a Realtor! Call Judy (Appleseed) Chapman at 704-219-3160