Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Massachusetts

Purchase & Sale Agreement

My husband sold our marital home to his brother. Aside from the legality of the sale, I'd like to know if the purchase & sale agreement is legal. It was hand written and signed by both parties on a particular date. There was no real estate agent or attorney involved. The agreement does not appear to have been notorized or witnessed by anyone other than the buyer and seller. I suspect that the date indicated on the document is false and the document was drawn up several days later. Is this document legal?


Asked on 7/21/08, 1:46 pm

3 Answers from Attorneys

henry lebensbaum Law Offices of Henry Lebensbaum (978-749-3606)

: Purchase & Sale Agreement

The document if properly done is valid. However, if this is marital property it places you at a disadvantage.

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Answered on 7/21/08, 1:52 pm
Christopher Vaughn-Martel Charles River Law Partners, LLC

Re: Purchase & Sale Agreement

While there is a requirement in Massachusetts that contracts for the sale of land must be in writing in order to be enforceable, there is no requirement that the parties to a land sale hire real estate brokers or hire attorneys.

So long as the Purchase and Sale contains all the necessary and material terms of the agreement of the parties (how much, when, conditions, description of the property, etc.), then the contract is valid, subject to the various available contract defenses.

It would seem that you are actually asking a larger question, which is "what are my rights with respect to the home?". You should contact an attorney to discuss matters further.

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Answered on 7/21/08, 2:19 pm
Craig J. Tiedemann Kajko, Weisman & Colasanti, LLP

Re: Purchase & Sale Agreement

It does not appear that the circumstances you describe, in and of themselves, would invalidate the P&S on its face. However, surrounding circumstances could render the deal unenforceable for various reasons, such as, it was an unauthorized sale of marital property, the sale was for insufficient value, the P&S is a sham document designed to effectuate a fraud, etc.

Only through detailed additional analysis can an intelligent assessment be made and opinion be given as to the possible defenses available to the enforceability of the P&S, or the likelihood of succeeding on invalidating the deal. Contact me directly to explore these issues further.

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Answered on 7/21/08, 2:23 pm


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