Definition of "Bill of sale"

Stephen Fivecoat real estate agent

Written by

Stephen Fivecoatelite badge icon

Ultima Real Estate

A Bill of Sale is a formal document of the sale of goods or the transfer of title for personal property and chattel from one party to another.

In sum, a bill of sale is a sort of receipt. It can be complex or simple, depending on the asset being sold or transferred and the conditions behind. A soda that you buy at a quick-mart, will warrant you that simple paper receipt detailing the seller’s information and the description of the product and its price. But when it comes to real estate, the bill of sale gets more complex.

Generally registered at the county office to make it official, the bill of sale fully describes the asset sold, localizing its lot lines and features, and basically states that the property has been paid for – showing receipts of payment and that no outstanding lien exists on it. In possession of this written bill of sale – that can be of something like 3 to 10 pages long, the buyer has a receipt for the right to sell the property at a later date.

Unfortunately, however, there are cases when the bill of sale is not enough, as an old undiscovered lien from a homeowner years before you might surface at a later date. That’s why is important, when buying a house, to have title insurance to make the legal proceedings faster and less expensive, and clear yourself of lien problems, redirecting them to the home seller.

Real Estate Agent:

Visit our Real Estate Questions page and figure out if any of your real estate doubts match the frequently asked ones!

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Economic resource that is anticipated to provide benefits to a business. ...

Structure of prefabricated units. ...

An attorney's opinion of the status of a title, which is attached to the abstract of title. ...

Mortgagor's signed statement that the stated remaining balance of a mortgage is correct and it is a property lien. This prevents a mortgagor from later stating the facts were ...

Typically, a general contractor or GC in the real estate industry defines a person who signs a contract with a property owner or developer. Thus, they assume full responsibility for ...

Expected selling price of property less costs to sell. It is the net amount received upon the sale of property. gross receivables less allowance for doubtful accounts, representing the ...

Divides a locality into districts for differing purposes. The map is continually kept current. It reveals the status of each district. ...

The meaning of undue influence revolves around a control one individual can exert upon another to persuade them to do something that won’t be beneficial for the influenced party. ...

Effective Age is the counterpart to a property’s Actual Age. While the former refers to the date a property was built, the latter is more of a sensorial depiction of its age; the age ...

Popular Real Estate Questions