2023 Hotline Recap: Forms Edition

Did you know that PAR Legal Hotline attorneys track the subject matter of your calls? That’s how we know what forms and clauses you’ve got questions about, and it helps us update the forms and create relevant educational references that address some of those questions. Not that we don’t love talking to you, but if you keep an eye on PAR JustListed articles, you’ll find that they may pre-answer some of your Hotline calls before you even make them. Let’s take a look at the top forms so far this year and some of the articles we have related to those frequently asked questions.

1. Standard Agreement for the Sale of Real Estate (Form ASR)

It is more than understandable that our top form is our residential agreement of sale. We’ll have nearly 1,400 calls (almost 25% of the total) regarding Form ASR in 2023. One of the most common issues surround the return of deposits and paragraph 26(C). Not only do we have a lovely article discussing how to use paragraph 26(C), we also have an update from a case on making sure you follow paragraph 26(C).

We also get a lot of questions on inspections, including timeframes for the inspections and responses, as well as certain “clever” (and often unwise) modifications to the contingency. Oh… and don’t forget about the “what items convey with the property” questions — those are pretty popular too.

2. Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement (Form SPD)

Our classic property disclosure is the second most popular form. Our typical “disclose, disclose, disclose!” comment is made in a lot of these calls. When in doubt, Just Disclose It!

3. Listing Contract Exclusive Right to Sell Real Estate (Form XLS)

Many of our questions are actually related to agency when it comes to our exclusive listing contract. Sometimes it requires going back to basics regarding agency to really answer the exclusive listing contract questions.

4. Residential Lease (Form RL)

We do get a number of calls surrounding rentals and property management. This is one area where it is more common for people not to use our lease. However, regardless of what lease you use, you should always be aware of what is in your lease, and key lease terms to pay attention to.

5. Buyer Agency Contract (Form BAC)

One form that has unsurprisingly increased in popularity regarding forms use is our buyer agency contract. Not only do we have a webinar discussing buyer agency forms, we also have a recap of using buyer agency contracts.

As a reminder, we have all of our PAR standard forms available on the PAR website, along with our Guidelines for Preparation and Use for all forms (password required for forms and guidelines). They are always a great resource to check prior to calling the Legal Hotline. You can also just head over to JustListed and search the site for relevant articles that may answer your questions. We have enjoyed our 2023 hotline year with you, and look forward to 2024.