Buying any piece of real estate property whether it be a home, condominium or building requires a written agreement. This is known as the real estate purchase agreement or a sales contract. It is called for in the U.S. Statute of Frauds that all financial transactions involving real estate be put in writing to be enforceable.

A purchase agreement is entered into by two parties – the buyer and the seller. Being the principals in the transaction, both of their names and signatures should appear on the document.

Other important details that need to be specified in the contract include the following:

• Legal description and address of the property. This should state the physical condition of the home and its specific location.

• The purchase price the buyer is offering.

• The amount of down payment also referred to as earnest money or deposit and who will keep it during the transaction. Usually, a lawyer acts as the escrow agent. A condition may be included as well stipulating the return of the deposit if the sale does not push through due to the buyer’s failure to secure a loan.

• The time frame needed to respond to the offer such as 24 hours or 48 hours. The buyer may specify this to keep the seller from accepting additional bids from other buyers.

• The party in charge to keep the deposit and to close the transaction. The closing may be handled by either the attorney or the real estate agent whichever may be agreed upon by the two parties.

• Items included or excluded in the sale. These refer to the appliances and furniture that the buyer may want to keep or discard in the property concerned such as carpeting and lighting fixtures.

• Home warranty. This guarantees the buyer that the seller will provide a clear title to the property at the time of closing. The document may either be an abstract of title, certificate of title or a title insurance policy.

• The party to pay for the closing costs. Many sellers shoulder the closing costs as an incentive to buyers. Depending on both parties, though, the costs can also be split.

• Clause for inspection and appraisal. Buyers normally ask for a home inspection to ensure that the property they are buying is in good condition. The inspection also aims to find out defects and the presence of pests, if any. The appraisal, meanwhile, is meant to determine the actual market value of the residential property.

• Mortgage contingency. This may be specified by the buyer as a guarantee that the buyer obtains a mortgage loan before closing. This may also release the buyer from the offer in the event he or she fails to get a loan.

The real estate purchase agreement is initiated by the buyer. However, it’s not all the time that the seller accepts the offer in its totality right away. What usually happens is that a seller will respond by submitting a counter offer that proposes some changes to the buyer’s conditions. Negotiations will begin only after the buyer and seller agree to the contract’s terms and conditions.