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If money is changing hands-such as when real estate is being sold-deeds will usually list a nominal amount of consideration (e.g., $10.00) or list the actual purchase price of the property. But to avoid title issues, it is still good practice for the deed to recite at least a nominal amount of consideration (usually $10.00), even if no money changes hands. Because a deed is not a contract, many state laws do not require a deed to recite a specific amount of consideration. Rather, it is the fulfillment of the transferor’s intent to transfer real estate. When no money is changing hands, the transferor will often use a Quitclaim Deed to transfer title to the real estate.Ī deed is not a contract to sell real estate.
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Actual consideration is sometimes used if the parties want to publicly document the purchase price paid for the property. This keeps the actual consideration private and is common practice in most states. Most deeds recite nominal consideration (e.g., “the sum of $10.00”). There are common choices for reciting consideration in the real estate transfer context: The obligation of the buyer to pay the sale price and the obligation of the seller to sign and deliver the deed constitutes mutual consideration for the real estate contract.Ĭonsideration could be anything of value, and the recitation of consideration in the deed may not correspond to the actual consideration paid for the property. The contract will also require the seller to sign and deliver a deed (usually a Warranty Deed or Special Warranty/Grant/Covenant Deed) as consideration to the buyer. If the real estate is being sold to a third party, the contract will require the buyer to pay a certain amount as consideration to the seller.
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Real estate may be transferred with or without consideration. Consideration could be the payment of money, the discharge of debt, the performance of services, or anything else of value. It is what each party gives the other party as part of the bargain. Consideration is the “what’s in it for me” element of the deal.
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Consideration is a legal term used to describe the value that changes hands as part of an agreement between two or more parties.
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