Purchase and Sale Agreement

Have you ever been frustrated by the lack of electronic signatures when you’ve been buying or selling real estate in the Seattle area? Many of my hi-tech clients have been surprised and bemused by this over the years.  Considering we live in the land of hi-tech with Microsoft, Amazon and many other hi-tech companies, our NWMLS (Northwest Multiple Listing Service)  and the real estate industry in general have been behind the curve on this issue.

This may change as the NAR, The National Realtors Association, is investing in DocuSign, the company that develops software for electronic signatures.

From Dale Stinton of NAR:

Our capital investment and guidance will serve as a catalyst for this company to become the standard and meet the market demand for legally binding electronic signatures that help REALTORS close more deals at a faster rate, and offer the convenience and flexibility buyers require,” he said.

Market demand?  Definitely, it’s an understatement and has been a long time coming. Since one of the untold rules of real estate is someone, the Realtor, the buyer or the seller are out of town when an offer needs to be presented and negotiated.  Electronic signatures should make life a whole lot easier.  I think of the times I’ve had clients on opposite sides of the globe in places such as Taiwan, India, and Sweden or clients who are at out of town conventions or meetings.

Having been in the business of helping people buy and sell homes for a long time, I’ve traveled from offers having to be signed with original signatures in person or via snail mail to the giant leap made with faxed signatures.  It would be terrific to make another leap forward to meet the needs of our clients who are busy and on the move.

What do you think?  Have you ever been in a difficult situation with getting an offer signed and delivered?