What documents do I need to sell my house without an agent?
In a rush? Get your free home sale docs!
Purchase And Sale Agreement
Regardless of whether you sell your house with or without an agent (For Sale By Owner), the most important document you need is a Purchase And Sale Agreement. Commonly referred to as the "PSA" and "Contract Of Sale", this form is the legally binding agreement signed by both the Seller and the Buyer, that details the terms upon which real property (i.e. your house and the land it sits on) will be conveyed from you to the Buyer.
In most cases, the Buyer will submit their offer to you formally as a Purchase and Sale Agreement, and it will contain the following terms:
- Purchase Price: the amount the Buyer will pay to the Seller
- Earnest Money Deposit: the amount of money the Buyer will place in an escrow account as a good faith gesture once the Seller accepts the agreement. If the Buyer fails to perform their responsibilities in the agreement, the Seller will receive the Earnest Money ("EMD") as damages. This amount is typically 1% - 2.5% of the purchase price of the home but can be higher in a hot housing market.
- Acceptable financing: the types of financing the Buyer can use (i.e. cash, conventional financing, FHA financing, VA financing, seller financing)
- Close by date: the date by or before which settlement will occur
- Inspection window/Study period: for how long will the Buyer have the right to inspect the property?
- Contingencies: what would allow the Buyer or Seller to cancel the agreement and have their Earnest Money Deposit refunded? Common contingencies include inspection results, financing falling through, and buyer's home sale falling through.
- Closing costs: how will items such as documentary stamps, recordation taxes, State and local transfer taxes be allocated to the Buyer and Seller?
Read: Pro Tips To Get Your Offer Accepted
In traditional real estate transactions, this document is signed by the Buyer and then provided to the Seller or Seller's Agent by the Buyer or Buyer's Agent as their formal offer. If the Seller accepts the terms in the agreement, they sign. Once the agreement is signed by the seller ("acceptance"), the contract is considered executed and the responsibilities detailed in the agreement for each Party must be met.
Property Disclosure or Disclaimer Statements
Certain states require the Seller to provide property disclosure or disclaimer statements to the buyer before the buyer formally submits their offer. This requirement is commonly waived if the buyer does not intend to live in the property.
Disclosure of Information on Lead-Based Paint and/or Lead-Based Paint Hazards
To cover your bases, you should complete the EPA's Disclosure of Information on Lead-Based Paint and/or Lead-Based Paint Hazards form.
Want home sale documents sent directly to your inbox?
Fill out the form below and we'll send you our standard home sale documents specific to your state.
Selling your house For Sale By Owner is easy with OfferMarket
When you sell your house For Sale By Owner with OfferMarket, we manage everything for you. That includes buyer verification, tour requests, documents and closing coordination.
Done properly, real estate auctions can be a great way for sellers to make buyers compete while prov...
It's tempting to spend a lot of money on your house before you sell. This is not necessary the best ...
Are small houses hard to sell? Not necessarily, it depends on a few factors. There's more to learn a...
Should I sell my house? Thousands of homeowners are asking this important question. Learn our insigh...
Wondering who pays for staging a house? It depends. Some agents will pay for a portion of staging co...
We take listing verification seriously to ensure trust, safety and authenticity of all listings on o...
Is the buyer required to share the home inspection report with the seller? If you are requesting a r...
Yes, you can sell your rental property with tenants and with OfferMarket it's easy!...
In off-market For Sale By Owner (FSBO) and wholesale real estate transactions, it is standard for th...
When a rental property is sold, the buyer assumes the lease from the previous owner and is required ...
In nearly all cases, when you sell your home, the title company, title attorney or real estate attor...
In order to sell your house quickly, it is important to understand and avoid the things that prevent...
Traditional real estate transactions involving brokers and agents can be extremely expensive. There'...
Empty, vacant, houses tend to sell faster for one simple reason. There's more to learn at OfferMarke...
These are the obvious and not-so-obvious things that make a house harder to sell. There's more to le...
Most pre-sale repairs and renovations deliver negative return on investment. These are the things yo...
These are the things to fix in order to sell your house fast for the best price. There's more to lea...
The first thing to do when selling a house is to collect information and not rush to make important ...
The most common reason a property fails to sell is unreasonable asking price by the seller. We added...
Here's how to your house fast for a good price (optimal net proceeds). There's more to learn at Offe...
There are many things that bring down property value. These things fall into two categories: propert...
What documents do I need to sell my house without an agent? We'll answer this question and provide y...
Everything to know about the draw request process for OfferMarket Capital construction loans...
It is absolutely possible to sell your house remotely without an agent. You can also empower buyers ...
When is the best time to buy a house? Learn our insights and save money when you buy your next house...
Real estate agents can post free for sale listings on OfferMarket. The best real estate agents use O...
Buyer agents that understand off-market, wholesale and FSBO listings add more value for their client...
OfferMarket is a real estate marketplace that saves money for sellers and buyers. Learn how OfferMar...
Reach more buyers, get more offers, sell faster, avoid failure with Listing Boost. When you boost yo...
