All posts by Robert Bevans

Payment at Closing–A suggested “Ounce of Prevention” for Buyer’s Agents

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Buyer’s agency is a relatively recent phenomena in Massachusetts. While it has been my practice to pay the Buyer’s Agent directly at closing, I am informed by Buyer’s Agent clients and friends, that this is not always what transpires. Many times, the Buyer’s Agent must wait for the Listing Agent to “process” the final closing transaction, and then make remittance to the Buyer’s Agent some time in the future. I am aware of one situation where the check delivered two weeks after the closing was returned because of insufficient funds in the Listing Agent’s checking account.

The Buyer’s Agent works for the Buyer, even though payment of the Buyer’s Agency fee is geneerally made by the Seller.There follow several suggestions for Buyer’s Agents which can mitigate the delay, and other problems, associated with the current normal practices:

                 1. Manage the Deposit at the time of Offer. If the amount of Deposit can be limited to no more than the fee which is due to the Listing Agent, the ability of the closing agent to make direct payment to the Buyer’s Agent is greatly enhanced. If the Seller insists on a greater Deposit, have the Deposit split in such a way that no more than the amount to which the Listing Broker is entitled is placed in escrow with the Listing Agent. The remainder of the Deposit may then be placed in escrow with the Buyer’s Agent to insure prompt payment after closing.

                 2. Have the Deposit placed in the Escrow Account of the Seller’s Attorney. Insisting on this condition will take the power away from the Listing Agent to sit on the Deposit. Because having a check drawn on an Escrow Account of an attorney returned for non-payment is an ethical violation which will subject the attorney to disciplinary action by the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, the safety and security of the Deposit is greatly enhanced. The Seller’s attorney may either hand over the Deposit to the closing agent at closing, or make direct payment to the Listing Agent and the Buyer’s Agent at the closing. The treatment of the Deposit should be carefully spelled out in the Offer, and then reinforced in the Purchase and Sale Agreement for the transaction, See Paragraph 3 below.

                3. Take Extra Care to Make Sure that the documentation for the transaction provides for payment at closing. As a Buyer’s Agent, you have an obligation to review the Offer and the Purchase and Sale Agreement and Rider(s) thereto, on behalf of the Buyer. Make sure a provision is included in both documents that specifically directs the closing agent to make payment of the fee due to the Buyer’s Agent,directly to the Buyer’s Agent ,at the closing. If the Seller has executed a document with these instructions, the closing agent has no choice but to adhere to the specific provisions of the Purchase and Sale Agreement.

You, as a Buyer’s Agent, have worked hard on your customer’s behalf to earn your commission. The steps set forth above should assist you not only in obtaining your commission, but. just as importantly, obtaining your commission at the same time as the Listing Agent obtains his or hers. It is time to make the playing field level for Buyer’s Agent and adoption of the measures set forth above should be  step in the right direction. See my blog: www.realtorsresourcblog.com for more suggestions and comments.

Disposition of Offer Deposit–Ending Buyer and Seller Disputes over Small Amounts of Money

Litigation/Disputes, Uncategorized, , ,

I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of comments I received relative to the disposition of Purchase and Sale deposits, and the problems that many of you have experienced because of the uncertainty in what to do about the “Offer Deposit” so-called, normally $500 or $1,000, which is delivered to bind the Offer. See my post on Purchase and Sale Deposits in www.realtorsresourceblog.com

In point of fact, the Seller changes his position once an Offer is accepted. In most cases, marketing efforts are sharply curtailed, and even if they continue, they are presented on a “back-up” basis which does not engender a lot of enthusiasm from prospective purchasers. So, there is a “price” involved in the Seller’s accepting an Offer, and that needs to be somehow recognized.

For the Buyer, the accepted Offer is an opportunity to “get serious” about the property. The Buyer pays for an inspection, and often has his attorney look over the Condominium Documents and Condominium Information, if this transaction involves the purchase of a Condominium Unit. Well drafted Offers (future blogs will consider the status of Offers in Massachusetts) will give the Buyer many “outs” if the transaction does not go forward.

What seems to be the problem is what you, as the realtor holding the Offer Deposit, must do with same if for some reason the deal does not go to signed Purchase and Sale Agreement status. The normal approach would be for the deposit to be returned,in full, to the Buyer if the Buyer decides not to proceed. Most realtors will require both the Seller and the Buyer to “sign off” on such return.

Most realtors I have dealt with will NOT return the deposit unless and until a piece of paper, authorizing the Release of the Offer Deposit, with signatures of both Seller and Buyer, is obtained. If it is not obtained, for whatever reason, the Offer Deposit goes into some form of purgatory in the realtor’s fiduciary account, never to see the light of day for either the Seller or the Buyer.

Suppose the deal doesn’t go because the Buyer just “walks away” and cannot be located. Suppose the deal doesn’t go because the Seller is not comfortable with the Buyer’s reasons for not going forward, and, in effect wants to punish the Buyer for acting irreponsibly or arbitrarily. Haven’t we seen this happen in our practices?

I have a suggested solution, which I would appreciate your feedback on. In my opinion, my approach champions some much needed reform in this area.

My suggestion is two-pronged:

            1. No Request from the Buyer.If the Buyer does no request  the Offer Deposit back, in or within thirty (30) days of the date of the Offer, the Offer Deposit, in full, shall be delivered to the Seller.

            2. Request from the Buyer for Return of Offer Deposit. If the Buyer requests the Offer Deposit back within said thirty (30) days, Eighty (80%) per cent of the Offer Deposit is returned, no questions asked. The remaining Twenty (20%) is delivered to the Seller to defray Seller’s costs for participating in the inspoection and delivering Condominium materials, if a Condominium Unit is the subjectof the sale.

This set of provisions would be an inetgral part of the Offer to Purchase, thus agreed upon in advance. The 80/20 split of the Offer Deposit is mechanical, but it ends disputes. Having the Buyer bear some responsibility for the work involved in getting to a signed Offer limits “tire kickers” who sign offers like eating popcorn. Serious Buyers may think twice before leaving $200 or $100 on the table. The transaction can “move on” without the weight of what to do with the Offer Deposit. Neither the Seller or Buyer can dispute the dispostion of the Offer Deposit. it is agreed upon beforehand, and is based on reason.

I would be interested if my readers think a system like this could work. It would end endless headaches for our profession, and the need to go to Small Claims Court or other litigation for a relatively small amount of money.

The Greater Boston Real Estate Offer Form and Purchase and Sale Form have not been amended for almost twenty years. Future posts will explore this situation and suggest some other needed revisions. I truly believe that the proposed “automatic” Offer Deposit solution makes sense and should be included in a new Offer Form. Get me your responses to this idea through blog comments or emails to etopkins@topbev.com. I promise to respond and keep this matter alive.

When is an Offer to Purchase a P&S? The answer, Almost Always!

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Many people that deal with real estate on a daily basis do not realize the ramifications of a signed Offer to Purchase Real Estate (the “Offer”). If the Offer meets the requirements of the Statute of Frauds, the parties intend to be bound and the other essential contract terms are present, presto, you have a Purchase and Sale Agreement or an enforceable contract to purchase real estate (“P&S”).

1 The Requirements of the Statute of Frauds:

A contract for the sale of land must be in writing and signed by the parties or an authorized agent of the parties. The parties would be the buyer and seller. Make sure the record owner of the property is signing the Offer. The property must be described so that it can be identified.

Compliance with the Statute of Frauds does not necessarily require a purchase price, a time to complete the transfer or the quality of title that has to be conveyed Inflatable Arches.

2. Intention to be Bound:

It is not sufficient to make the offer contingent upon the execution of a P&S. If the parties do not want to have the Offer become a P&S, they must include language that is similar to “this offer is intended only as a memorandum of the anticipated agreement and the parties do not intend to be bound but its terms.” The inclusion of this language may not be enough for a court to find that the Offer was a P&S but it gives you a much stronger argument.

3. Essential Contract Terms

The parties are indentified, purchase price, title condition and a closing date. In certain cases even these terms have been determined to be non-essential. Most of the Standard Offers used contain all of the essential terms and a binding agreement will be found. So if you are completing an Offer to Purchase assume it can be determined to be a P&S. If you assume this you must make sure that all of the anticipated terms of the transaction are included.

Your continued conduct and actions will also determine your ability to enforce the contract. If you do not comply with all of the terms of the offer your ability to enforce the Offer as a P&S will be significantly negatively impacted.

So before you execute that Offer make sure you have met with and discussed it with an attorney that will be representing your interests as a buyer or seller, we recommend that you contact us Topkins and Bevans.