For-Sale-By-Owner (“FSBO”) Transaction Work
(When Buyer and Seller Have Already Found Each Other)

Sheppard, Uziel, Sussman & Rosen can do all the paperwork for sellers and buyers of real estate (usually a house, a condominium, or a Tenancy-in-Common interest in an apartment building), without charging the seller commissions (usually between 5% and 6%). We do the real estate agent/broker/legal work for a For-Sale-By-Owner (“FSBO”) transaction in a low-cost, high quality way.

Sheppard, Uziel, Sussman & Rosen has carved a niche as a law firm performing the necessary paperwork to streamline a FSBO transaction through the close of escrow.

Attorneys Jaime Uziel and Larry Sussman spearhead the FSBO work for sellers and buyers of real estate. Mr. Uziel is a licensed California Real Estate Broker, has been licensed as a real estate agent since 1990, and is a member of the San Francisco Association of Realtors. Senior Counsel Larry Sussman, with more than 27 years experience in practicing real estate law, is also a licensed California Real Estate Broker.

Mr. Uziel’s and Mr. Sussman’s decades of experience as Real Estate Brokers and Real Estate Lawyers help facilitate smooth escrow closings.

FSBO transactions usually take between 10 - 25 attorney hours, depending on the individual transaction and whether or not complications arise. The fees expended can save the seller scores of thousands of dollars in real estate commissions.

Please call Attorney Jaime Uziel (ext. 38) or Attorney Larry Sussman (ext. 25) at 415-296-0900 for additional information.

Our law firm does not conduct public marketing of properties or searches for properties to purchase. You should hire a real estate broker if you want to actively and publicly market your property for sale or if you are looking for property to purchase.

Our FSBO (For-Sale-By-Owner) Work in a Nutshell:

• We provide a service to both buyers and sellers of real property in the San Francisco Bay Area (and occasionally, beyond), whereby we facilitate purchase and sale transactions through negotiations (if necessary), document drafting, disclosure completion/execution, etc.
• We work in conjunction with local, reputable escrow companies which hold deposit monies and deal with escrow-related matters.
• The FSBO transactions we handle typically result from situations where the buyer and seller have reached a verbal agreement on “deal points” and need qualified, competent professionals to handle the details (i.e., to draft transaction documents, prepare legally-required disclosure documents, work with escrow companies, review all documents with clients, etc.). That's where we step into the picture.
• When we are retained, we are retained by one side of the transaction - either buyer or seller - to avoid a conflict of interest. We can refer the other party to competent legal counsel (at reasonable rates), upon request.
• Consider: Assume a property's purchase price is $1,000,000. A 5% commission would amount to $50,000. A seller would likely pay Sheppard, Uziel, Sussman & Rosen between $3,000 to $7,500 to handle the transaction (depending on the circumstances of the particular transaction), thereby potentially saving the seller up to $47,000 on a $1,000,000 transaction.
• We do not charge a flat fee; rather, we ask for a reasonable up-front retainer and we bill against that retainer. Any funds left over are returned to the client. If our fees exceed the retainer (e.g., due to unforeseen circumstances), then we ask for a “refresher retainer.”
• We are also skilled in conflict-resolution and have, on many occasions, succeeded in getting deposit monies released to our purchaser-clients when they have decided not to proceed with the transaction due to a failed condition. We are also experienced litigators, and we are ready to battle for our clients in court or arbitration, if necessary.