Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Re: Signing a Contract

By is your printed name.

Signature is your signature.

Title is if you are signing in a cpacity other than yourself, such as an officer of a company or a trustor of an estate.

A word of advice ... if you are not represented by a real estate agent, have the purchase agreement reviewed by an attorney. Many laws have changed in recent years, and there are a lot of old, outdated printed contracts out there.

Re: Signing a Contract

When a contract is signed on behalf of a party that is unable to sign -- such as a corporation or partnership -- the signature is done in the following format:

WESTERN WIDGET CORPORATION

By: John Q. Doe (handwritten signature of Mr. Doe)

Its: Vice President and Treasurer (typed title)

The typed name John Q. Doe and the date would ordinarily also be added.

The reasons for this are, first, a corporation obviously can't sign, but when an officer signs, it is very important to make it crystal clear that the officer is signing on behalf of the corporation, and not in his individual capacity.