Venice FSBO - Going it alone

Going it alone as a for sale by owner, or FSBO, is difficult. This will not be breaking news on the Real Estate Reports, or at the next meeting of the Venice Area Board of Realtors.

The FSBO has to deal with issues that can be handled, and some that cannot. It's a little more complicated than just making sure you have a sign, a balloon, a cookie and a candle. You must find a buyer, write a real estate contract, and close the transaction.

Let's take writing your contract. What will you do here? A contract is a legal document. I am not an attorney. However, contracts are essentially agreements between two parties, put in writing. This is the same for anywhere in the country. Contracts are an area of law studied by attorneys in law school and tested on the Florida Bar Exam. There are legal issues that make a contract valid, void, or voidable. There are items which need to be included in the contract to make it an agreement, a legally binding agreement, a valid real estate contract in Sarasota County.

Real Estate contracts can be found at Staples, Office Depot, and possibly your neighborhood Venice stationery store. They can also be found at Real Estate Attorneys and, of course, the local Venice Realtor you may be trying to avoid.

The documents at the stores come with blanks to fill in, and are generic for every state. They come with the fear that not everything is covered. And, you will not be surprised that, when putting together a generic real estate contract for every state in the United States, not every issue relevant to Florida real estate contracts is considered. You could very well be vulnerable, and at risk with your buyer down the road with a lawsuit for something that was not done right or omitted. This could happen even with the best intentions.

On the other hand, the contracts available at the Realtors office and the Real Estate Attorney's office done come with fear. They come with something else. A qualified professional who knows how to complete them.