For Sale By Owner Private Sale Transactions

At Sheppard, Uziel & Hendrickson Law Firm, our attorneys can do all the paperwork for sellers and buyers of real estate, such as a house, condominium, apartment building or a tenancy-in-common interest, without charging seller commissions (usually between 5 and 6%). We handle the real estate agent/broker/legal work for a for sale by owner (FSBO) private sale transaction in a low-cost, high-quality manner.

There are very few law firms in the San Francisco area that perform the necessary work to streamline a FSBO transaction through the close of escrow. To learn more about this valuable service, call us at 415-296-0900.

An Experienced Team To Help Handle Real Estate Transactions

Two of our experienced lawyers, Jaime Uziel and Larry Sussman, spearhead our FSBO work for buyers and sellers. Jaime is a licensed California real estate broker, has been licensed as a real estate agent since 1991, and is a member of the San Francisco and California Associations of Realtors. Larry has been practicing real estate law since 1983 and for many years held his California real estate broker license. This experience helps facilitate smooth escrow closings.

FSBO transactions usually take between 8 to 15 attorney hours, depending on the individual transaction and whether complications arise. However, the fees expended can (and do) save thousands of dollars in real estate commissions.

Our FSBO Services 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), contract formation, document drafting, disclosure completion and review, tenant notifications, 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 tentative 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, upon request.
• We help sellers save money. For example, assume a property’s purchase price is $1,000,000. A 5% commission would amount to $50,000. However, a seller would likely pay Sheppard, Uziel & Hendrickson Law Firm between $3,400 and $6,375 to handle the transaction (depending on the circumstances of the particular transaction), thereby saving the seller over $45,000 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 bill for the excess.
• 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.

Learn More About Our Real Estate And FSBO Transaction Services

Schedule a consultation to find out if our FSBO work can help save you significant expense. Call us at 415-296-0900 or contact us online.

Please Note: We do 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.