My friend said she wanted to call me a few nights ago because she was watching one of those house hunting shows that are so popular – at least they *were* very popular until we reached the point in our national economy where no one can afford them anymore.  Joy was upset at what a television real estate agent said to his buyers when they decided to make an offer on a home.

Now this is second-hand paraphrasing, but the gist of his statement was, “Sign here and here and here and here.”  He then handed a 200-page stack of papers and said, “You can read all this when you get home and if you want to consult an attorney to review it, you can.”

Joy said when we worked together to sell and purchase, I explained every paragraph and the implications.  We avoided potential problems because they understood the process and the rights of both the seller and the buyer.

Apparently the buyers in the TV show did encounter some major problems; problems that would have been avoided had the agent taken the time to explain the legal obligations of the contract.  In the end, never sign a document without understanding the terms of the agreement.  Never.

Photo by merfam via flickr creative commons.