CHASING PAPER
CHASING PAPER
DRAFT AN OFFER
WHO
PROPERTY
BUYERS
THE OFFER
TIMING
WHAT STAYS
VENDORS

WHOSE OFFER

Who you are and who signs for your broker. Everything after this is about the file.
Pick your name
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You
Your name
DRE
Email
Cell
Your brokerage
Brokerage
Brokerage DRE
Broker of record
Who signs for your broker
Their email
Where broker paperwork goes
Does your broker review before anything goes out for signature?
Yes
No
Not sure
Another agent on this file
Agent 2
DRE
Email
Cell
Agent 3
DRE
Email
Cell
Agent 4
DRE
Email
Cell
Agent 5
DRE
Email
Cell
+ ADD ANOTHER AGENT
Start by dropping in whatever you already have
The seller names, the APN, the year built and the listing agent all come off the MLS sheet and Realist, so anything you attach here is something you do not have to type further down. Fill in what you already know anyway, it saves a lookup.
Did you attach the MLS sheet and Realist?
Yes, read it off those
No, I will type it
Is this an offer on your own listing?
Yes, I have both sides
No, someone else has the listing
A double end means the agency disclosure has to be signed by everybody and there is no cooperating broker to send anything to.
Is the buyer representation agreement signed?
Yes, it is signed
No, draft it with the offer
Since August 2024 you cannot show or write without one. If it is signed, send it over. If it is not, answer the block below and it gets written alongside the offer.
2A   THE REPRESENTATION PERIOD
Beginning, the first showing
Ending at 11:59pm on
It starts the day you first showed them, not today, and it cannot carry the same date the contract does. California caps the term at three months, so the ending date fills itself in from the beginning date and you can shorten it.
2A(2)   Exclusive or not?
Exclusive
Non exclusive
The form is non exclusive unless exclusive is both ticked and initialled, so exclusive means an extra set of initials to collect.
2B(1)   What kind of property are they looking for?
Single family, including condos and manufactured
Multi family, 2 to 4 units
Multi family, 5 or more
Commercial
Industrial
Vacant land
Tenancy in common
Single family is ticked by default since that is most of them. Tick every kind they might write on, not just this one, or the agreement will not cover the next property they like.
2B(2)   Where are they looking?
Counties covered
Cities, if you want to narrow it
Specific address or addresses only
Wider is safer. If it only covers one county and they fall for something one town over, you are not covered on it.
2E   What the buyer owes you
Percent of price
Or a flat fee
Continuation period
Whatever the seller ends up paying is credited against this, it does not stack on top, and you cannot collect more than the number written here. The continuation period is how long after the agreement ends you still get paid on a property you showed them.

THE PROPERTY

What they are writing on.
Is it on the market?
Yes, it is listed
No, off market
Property address
MLS number
APN
County
The address is what names the folder and what this file gets called from here on.
What kind of property is it?
Single family
Condo
Townhome
PUD
2 to 4 units
Manufactured
Land
Year built
Year built is what decides whether the federal lead based paint disclosure has to go in. Anything before 1978 gets it.
Is there an HOA?
Yes
No
Do not know yet
THE ASSOCIATION
HOA name
Dues
Who is on title
Seller 1
Seller 2
Seller 3
Seller 4
Seller 5
+ ADD ANOTHER SELLER
Is the seller an entity?
Yes, a trust, an LLC or an estate
No, people
Cannot tell from the record
A trust or an entity on the other side changes who signs and what has to come back with the acceptance, so it is worth catching before the offer goes out rather than after.
Off the MLS sheet or the tax record. If you cannot find it, say so in the notes at the end and it gets pulled from the prelim.
The listing agent
Name
DRE
Email
Cell
Brokerage
Brokerage DRE
This is who the offer gets delivered to, so it has to be right.

THE BUYERS

Who is buying and how they are taking it.
The buyers
Buyer 1
Email
Phone
Buyer 2
Email
Phone
Buyer 3
Email
Phone
Buyer 4
Email
Phone
Buyer 5
Email
Phone
+ ADD ANOTHER BUYER
Spelled the way they want it to read on the deed. Changing it later costs an amendment.
How are they taking title?
Individuals
A trust
An entity
Decide before closing
THE TRUST OR ENTITY
Full name of the trust or entity
Who signs for it
Their title
Vesting can be left to change before closing, the names cannot.
Is this their primary residence, a second home, or an investment?
Primary residence
Second home
Investment
This prints on the offer and it also changes what their lender will do.
Do they have to sell something first?
Yes
No
THE PROPERTY THEY ARE SELLING
Address
Where is it at
This pulls the COP addendum and a lot of sellers will not take it, so it is worth knowing up front.

THE OFFER

The numbers. This is the part that gets negotiated.
Offer price
Escrow days
Close of escrow
Offer expires
Escrow days is the normal way to write it, and the actual date gets counted from acceptance once they sign. Only put a date in the second box if your buyer needs to close on a particular day, and then it goes in as a hard date instead of a count.
The deposit
A dollar amount
A percentage
How much
Due within
How are they paying?
All cash
Financed
THE FINANCING
What kind of loan?
Conventional
FHA
VA
Jumbo
Something else
What is it
The down payment
A dollar amount
A percentage
How much down
Loan amount
Their lender
Company
Loan officer
Email
Cell
Are you asking for a credit?
Yes
No
THE CREDIT
Amount
What it is for
Your compensation
Asking the seller for
What you are asking the seller to pay. If it comes back lower than the representation agreement, the new escrow form is where you say whether you are dropping to match or the buyer covers the difference.

CONTINGENCIES

How long they get, and what they are giving up.
Contingency periods
Investigation
Appraisal
Loan
Any of them waived up front?
Investigation waived
Appraisal waived
Loan waived
Leave them blank and 17 days is assumed, which is what the current RPA defaults to. Waiving is a real risk and it is worth saying out loud to your buyer before you send it.
When do they get the keys?
At close of escrow
A set number of days after
Seller rents back
THE RENT BACK
How many days
Charging them
Under 30 days is the SIP form, 30 or more is a residential lease after sale.

WHAT STAYS

Everything ticked here is written into the offer as included.
Tick everything that stays with the property
Refrigerator
Washer
Dryer
Stove or range
Built in oven
Microwave
Dishwasher
TV mounts
The TVs themselves
Window coverings
Light fixtures
Ceiling fans
Shed or storage
Pool and spa equipment
Solar
EV charger
Security cameras and doorbell
Furniture
Anything left unticked is not written in as included. If it matters to your buyer, tick it, and if it is not on this list put it in the box below.
Anything else included
Anything specifically excluded
Excluded means you are putting the seller on notice that it goes with them. Say it here and it gets written in rather than argued about at the walkthrough.

VENDORS AND FEES

Who you are asking for, and who you are asking to pay.
Escrow
Company
Escrow officer
Who pays the escrow fee
Escrow fee is the one line where each side paying their own is normal.
Title
Company
Title officer
Who pays the owner's policy
Natural hazard disclosure
Company
Who pays
Do you want the environmental report with it?
Yes
No
The environmental add on covers contamination, old wells, oil fields and airport noise. It costs a little more and it earns its keep on anything near industrial land or a flight path.
Is it in a wildfire zone?
Yes
No
A wildfire zone pulls the defensible space and home hardening disclosures, and it changes what their insurance will cost.
Home warranty?
Yes, ask for one
No
THE WARRANTY
Company and plan
Up to
Who pays
Anything that has to be covered
Pool and spa, high end or built in appliances, a well, a second kitchen and roof coverage are all add ons rather than base plan. Saying so here is what decides which plan gets written in and what it costs.
Anything else that has to be in it
Special terms or instructions
Write it the way you would say it. It gets turned into contract language on this end.
Who is paying the TC fee?
The agent
The buyer
Is a referral fee due?
Yes
No
THE REFERRAL
Referral source
Who the fee goes to
Fee

ON IT

Here is what is happening while you close this tab.
STATUS
Starting...
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
A folder gets built under drafts and shared to your email.
Everything you just answered lands in a doc inside it.
Pilar writes the offer and sends it back to you for your buyer to sign.
Nothing goes to the listing agent from this end. You send it.