Oregon Earnest Money Disputes
April 26, 2025
Introduction. The term “Earnest Money Deposit” is familiar to most people – at least on the surface: It is the “deposit” that prospective buyers initially
Introduction. The term “Earnest Money Deposit” is familiar to most people – at least on the surface: It is the “deposit” that prospective buyers initially
Introduction. Most Oregon residential transactions are documented by one of two Sale Agreement forms, the OREF form, created circa 1997, or the Oregon Realtor (“OR”) form
Introduction. Having had my share of bad mediators over the years, I cannot resist this Q-Rant. There is a reason mediators are also called “Neutrals”
Introduction. Contract law is pretty basic; once the agreement becomes “binding” on a party, withdrawal normally cannot occur without consequences. The OREF Sale Agreement is
Introduction. Regardless of how active (or inactive) the market is, sellers’ brokers should always be on the lookout for “red flags.” These are the often
Introduction. This is a continuation of Part One, which addressed the printed contingencies found in the 2022 OREF Residential Real Estate Sale Agreement. (References to
Introduction. Disputes involving earnest money deposits are a “zero sum game.” There is one winner and one loser; no in-between. Arbitrators do not – or
Introduction. Generally, a contingency is an event that must occur (or not occur)[1] for the transaction to become binding (e.g., loan approval, condition of title,
Introduction. As most Oregon Realtors® know, the OREF Sale Agreement provides that, subject to certain exclusions, all disputes that cannot be otherwise amicably resolved must be
Introduction. For many years before Covid, when Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors® (“PMAR”) had live New Member Orientation (“NMO”) seminars, I spoke about real estate basics; the Sale
