If you decide to go for option 1 and sell property with an Estate Agent then here is what to expect them to do for their fee!

Actively advertise your property - in their windows, via Internet and local advertising. Talk to prospective purchasers about your property and subsequently arrange viewings. Give you regular (usually weekly) updates about the general interest in your property, how many viewings have been arranged, what the 'feedback' from the viewers has been and what type of marketing they will be doing the following week. Take colour photographs of your property, both internally and externally. Give advice about the price of your property and any potential price adjustments - with evidence to back up their advice! If an offer has been made then they should write to both parties within 24 hours.

Once they have found that all-important buyer, they should then do the following:

Once a sale has been verbally agreed, it needs to be confirmed in writing. The agents will produce a Memorandum Of sale. This includes all the important information needed to proceed with the sale. It should have the following:

The full name/s of the Vendor (You!) and the Purchaser/s and their contact details including address. The full name of both parties' solicitors, including full address, telephone & fax numbers and full name of the person dealing. What the purchasers' position is - either In Rented, SSTC (Sold Subject to contract) or Cash Buyer. The purchase price (written in figures and words) and anything that has been included in the sale - i.e. washing machine, curtains etc.

The Memorandum of Sale is then sent out to all parties (Vendor, Purchasers and both Solicitors) by the Estate Agent.

Once Solicitors have been instructed the Estate Agents will monitor the progression of the sale, liaising closely with the Solicitors, Mortgage Company/Financial Advisors and of course the Vendor and Purchaser. This is where the use of an Estate Agent is quite valuable as they have the experience of dealing with these professionals on a daily basis and are knowledgeable in the type of questions to ask so that they can ascertain how the sale is progressing. They are also able to act as an intermediary between Vendor & Purchaser, therefore relieving any unnecessary tension between the two parties. House moving is notoriously a stressful time, so things can get a little tense at times!! The Estate Agent should be used to this and by monitoring things closely (know as 'Chain Chasing' or 'Sales Progression') will be able to alleviate any anxieties.

Once you have exchanged contracts then you are almost there! On exchange of Contracts you will have agreed a mutual completion date. On completion day your Solicitor will notify your Estate Agents when the funds have arrived so that they are able to release the keys to your purchasers.

The downsides to having an Estate Agent are that you will have to pay them a fee for their services (ranging from 1-2%) and also that you are fairly reliant on them to give you regular (and accurate!!) updates on how things are progressing with your sale.

Your second option is to manage the whole thing yourself using sell your property online with FSBO (For Sale by Owner!) sites.

If you choose this option, you need to remember that you will have to do all the liaising yourself (including any awkward situations!). You are perfectly entitled to do so and of course you will not have any Agents fees to pay.

The actual marketing of your property is solely down to you:

You can erect a private sale board at your property. Place an advert in the local paper (although this is quite costly for an individual, whereas this is included in you estate agents fees). Advertise on the internet (but once again quite costly and maybe not in the right area that would give you the best coverage for your property). You could however use an FSBO website, who will charge you a one off fee to advertise your property with photos and full details supplied by yourself. They will also give you a For Sale board to erect at your property. You would need to consider how people would contact you - i.e. a mobile telephone number; FSBO sites will also give you a secure telephone number. You would also need to think about how and when you would show people your property. If you work, you may need to either take some time off (if convenient) to show people around or restrict viewings to evenings and weekends. However, an Agent would be able to accompany people to your property (a good safety aspect for you) or they could have a key to your property so that they could show people around during the day. Both of these would mean that you would not lose that potential purchaser due to inflexibility. Once you have agreed a price with your purchaser and instructed Solicitors you would then need to 'Chain Chase' - please see above for what that entails!!

However, you should bear in mind that you aren't able to make direct contact with certain people in your chain (i.e. the Solicitors beyond yours and your Purchasers). You may even find that your Purchasers Solicitors are reluctant to talk to you too! This is where an Agent is quite valuable!

In conclusion,

I would say that FSBO sites obviously have their benefits, in that you are in control and your costs are fairly minimal. However, the benefits of using an Estate Agent are quite significant. They can market your property in many different formats, therefore reaching a wider section of potential purchasers. They also have the experience and knowledge to monitor the progression of your sale.

Personally I do not feel that it would be a good idea to use both options, as I know that some estate agents will view this as a multiple agency type arrangement! They would not like the idea of using both as there could be a dispute on who introduced the purchaser to the property - a potential minefield - obviously if it was the Vendor then they would not earn the commission!

At the end of the day it is your property, so go with whichever option suits your own personal circumstance and preferences.

Allison Thorpe writing of EstateAgencyFeesDirect.com is an Property Agent with over 15 years experience in the sector. Allison offers impartial advice on choosing estate agents, surveyors and use of internet property services online.

We are all aware of the current downturn of the real estate market. However, the rental market, being a substantial part of the real estate market in the United States, still presents a great value for real estate investors. That being said, being a landlord of rental properties is a difficult job, so when it comes to your form lease agreements, why not make it easier on yourself, and utilize a trusted source, especially since this is the one form that you will be dealing with most often?

Landlords now have the ability to write their lease agreements through websites using easy to follow tools and wizards that guide them through the writing process. Landlords benefit from using such a website to create their lease agreements because these websites are generally user-friendly, cost effective, and The benefit of utilizing an online method to create a rental contract is that it is easy, opportune. Many sites also provide the correct legal terminology, which is difficult to do when you are writing a lease on your own.

While there are a myriad of sites on the web, it is most important to find a site that has extensive features, including ease of use, customer support, accessibility, and accuracy. You want to find a site that dissects the lease agreement into easy to understand concepts, and provides landlords with additional forms for any situation, issue or need.

Furthermore, each state has their own state specific regulations, and it therefore becomes necessary to find accurate, state specific lease agreements for your rental property. Landlords looking to purchase a lease agreement form online should look for one that specifically illustrates critical items in order to avoid any misunderstandings with their rental occupants. Since regulations are different in each state, your lease agreement must contain the correct legal terms for your rental property location. The website you are using to create your lease agreement should provide this imperative information.

One of the necessary features to look for is a state-assist feature, which details regulations for the specific state in which your rental property is located. The result is a lease agreement that safeguards both the tenant and the landlord because the agreement created is thorough, and legally in order for its specific location.

A good website should as well have a feature such as a lease wizard, which guides its patrons through their lease agreement writing. The wizard will make sure that the landlord enters the correct information in the correct spots, and provides detailed explanations of each step. Additionally, the site you use should have a live chat feature, which would provides customer support on-demand to answer any questions encountered along the lease agreement writing process.

Another added feature to look for is that patrons are able to save and store their lease agreements. They should then able to return to the website to make any changes that they might find necessary. With all of these amazing features, you will also want to make sure that the website you use remains cost effective, even reasonably priced.

Landlords cannot avoid all issues, as that is the nature of the real estate investment business. There will always be repairs to be made, difficult tenants, and broken lease agreements. However, your ability to write a solid, and legally sound agreement with the ease of online use will allow you great peace of mind, and a degree of legal safeguard that is unsurpassed.

After going around the city, inspecting home after home after home, you finally come across a house that not only meet your stringent domestic requirements, but also resembles the house of your dreams. You’re on seventh heaven as it is, then you find out that it’s also within your budget!

When you’ve fallen in love with a specific property and would want to make it your own, you don’t just tell the owner that you’re taking it the way you’d tell a salesperson that you’re buying a pair of shoes. Though you can do that, it just seems somewhat impolite. If you’re really dead serious about purchasing a piece of property, inform the property owners (or their real estate agent) immediately. Then, formalize your intention by making an offer to purchase and present this to them for their evaluation.

The “Offer to Purchase Real Estate” is one of the most important documents in any real estate transaction. This document will contain all the pertinent details concerning the sale. Normally, in addition to the address and technical specifications of the property, and the names of the purchaser and the owner, an offer to purchase would include information such as the price you are willing to pay for the property, the deposit you are prepared to give, how the balance will be paid, schedule of payment, and inspections that you would want to conduct. You are free to include other data which would be of interest to the owners.

Since the contents of an Offer to Purchase Real Estate are very sensitive, you should really discuss the details with your banker, your lawyer and your family. You have to ensure that all the information that you will plug in is correct and that you can abide by the conditions you yourself will set. The Offer to Purchase, if accepted by the owner, will be the basis of further negotiations and the foundation of the actual purchase. It’s a serious document that deserves serious consideration.

You have the option of having professionals (real estate agents or lawyers) prepare the Offer to Purchase Real Estate document for you, but this may take time, and several meetings. If you want to cut the process short, you can make a draft copy of the Offer to Purchase and when you’re reasonably satisfied with the contents, that’s when you schedule a meeting with these individuals. If you’re keen to do this, you can simply download a generic Offer to Purchase Real Estate form from the internet and use this as a footprint.

Downloadable real estate forms, though these follow a standard format, can still be modified to suit your requirements. Despite being easily obtainable through the internet, these are still considered legal documents, and they will be honoured and recognized by local, state and federal offices. What’s good about real estate forms found on the internet is that these real estate websites give you, the user, the option to download just the form you need, or the whole bulk. You can also download the forms on Word, PDF or text format.

So what are you waiting for? Get on the internet and download the Offer to Purchase Real Estate Form. The quicker you complete all the requirements, the sooner you can move into the home of your dreams.

This is article is brought to you by Gloria Smith at LegalHomeForms.com. Created by a former, licensed Real Estate Agent, LegalHomeForms.com was designed to offer instant access to the most sought after type of real estate forms. For the cost of what others charge for one real estate contract, you can have instant access to over 60 downloadable real estate forms. You can find the Offer To Purchase Real Estate form at: http://www.legalhomeforms.com/offer-to-purchase-real-estate-form.htm

While there are certainly times when circumstances are such that you need to hire an attorney, many legal matters are routine. It's enormously frustrating to feel as though you have go to the expense and hassle of hiring a lawyer for a simple legal issue. Although attorneys would have you believe that every legal maneuver requires their assistance, the reality is that you often don't need a lawyer - you just need the proper legal forms.


If you were to attempt to draft your own legal forms, you'd immediately run into a roadblock. If you haven't been to law school, you'll have no way of knowing what constitutes acceptable or unacceptable legal language. And goodness knows, "legalese" is a language unto itself! Luckily, the Internet offers abundant opportunities for bypassing the expense of hiring an attorney by providing you with resources you need to do it yourself. After all, if you can download legal forms for routine matters, you can save both time and money, while ensuring that you have covered your bases in the eyes of the law.


US legal forms are fairly standardized, so there's no reason not to take advantage of online legal forms. The truth is, attorneys use template legal forms themselves. When you download legal forms, you're essentially just cutting out the middleman.


So, what kinds of legal forms might help you out? You can easily use a legal form to set up a power of attorney, for example, and not have to hire a lawyer. Likewise, you can use online legal forms to deal with a variety of personal matters, such as creating your Last Will and Testament, creating a Living Will, utilizing the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act, selling your motor vehicle, entering into a construction contract, or signing an affidavit.


Online legal forms are also helpful for matters involving real estate and property. You can obtain a lease, a rental application form, a rent receipt, a promissory note, a mortgage assumption agreement, a contract for the sale and purchase of property, an agreement for permission to sublet, and many more.


Likewise, if you are a business owner, you can save a tremendous amount of money in legal fees by utilizing business legal forms. Online forms include templates for automobile rental agreements, articles of incorporation, bylaws, assignment of stock certificates, shareholders agreements, buy-sell agreements, and subscription agreements. You can even find employment agreements and business consultant agreements.


While online legal forms can't take care of every single legal matter, they can certainly handle those that are routine. In addition to being inexpensive, online legal forms give you the flexibility you need to instantly obtain the legal form you require.