You can get a purchase agreement from an online document service, a real estate agent, a title or escrow company, a real estate attorney, an office supply store, or in some cases your county recorder’s office. Where to get a purchase agreement depends on how complicated your deal is and whether a licensed agent is already involved: a straightforward home sale may only need a template, while a commercial property, an unusual title situation, or seller financing usually calls for a custom-drafted contract. If you’re selling without an agent, your options narrow, because the standardized forms agents use are often restricted to licensed professionals in their state.
What to Have Ready Before You Fill One Out
Every source hands you the same blanks to fill, so gather the information first. A real estate contract has to be in writing and signed by both parties to satisfy the statute of frauds, the legal rule requiring written proof for land transfers.
You’ll need full legal names and current addresses for buyer and seller, exactly as they appear on government-issued ID. For the property, you need the legal description from the most recent deed, not just the street address. Platted subdivisions usually use lot-and-block numbers; unplatted land uses boundary measurements. A street address alone can leave ambiguity about what’s being transferred.
Financial terms require exact figures: the purchase price, the earnest money deposit, how the buyer intends to pay (cash, conventional loan, FHA, and so on), and the proposed closing date. You’ll also decide which contingencies to include. The common ones cover home inspections, mortgage approval, and title review.
Sellers should prepare disclosures before signing. For any home built before 1978, federal law requires the seller to disclose known lead-based paint hazards and give the buyer at least 10 days to arrange a lead paint inspection.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 4852d – Disclosure of Information Concerning Lead Upon Transfer of Residential Property The parties can agree in writing to a different window, and the buyer can waive the inspection in writing, but the seller has to offer it.2eCFR. 24 CFR Part 35 – Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention in Certain Residential Structures
Online Document Services
Online platforms are one of the most accessible sources, especially for a straightforward deal without an agent. They come in two flavors. Free template libraries give you a static PDF or Word file to edit yourself. Subscription platforms walk you through a questionnaire and generate a completed document from your answers, often with built-in digital signature tools and cloud storage so both parties can sign and access the agreement electronically.
Free templates give you the most flexibility and the most room for error, because you decide which fields matter and whether the form meets your state’s requirements. Guided platforms reduce that risk by populating the right sections for you. Whichever route you take, select the correct state before generating the document. Contract requirements vary significantly from state to state, and a form built for one may omit clauses or disclosures another requires. Online services work best for simple residential transactions. Commercial deals, multi-party arrangements, and sales with unusual terms generally need professional help.
Real Estate Agents and Brokers
If you’re working with a licensed agent, the agent will typically supply the purchase agreement as part of the transaction. Agents get standardized forms through their state or local realtor association, and the forms are updated regularly to reflect current property law and consumer protection rules.3National Association of REALTORS®. Forms for REALTORS The agent fills in the blanks based on the negotiated terms, and the form itself includes checkboxes for standard contingencies, deadlines, and disclosures.
The catch is access. In many states, these association-approved forms are only available to licensed members of the local realtor association, not the general public. If you’re selling for sale by owner (FSBO), you generally can’t download the same form your agent-represented counterpart would use. FSBO sellers usually turn to online services, title companies, or attorneys instead.
Title and Escrow Companies
Title companies and escrow offices are an often-overlooked source. Some maintain libraries of commonly used real estate forms, including residential and commercial purchase agreements, and make them available to customers with an upcoming transaction. A closing specialist can often help you pick the right form and flag what to include.
This is a particularly good route for FSBO transactions, because the title company is already involved in the closing. They handle the title search, hold earnest money in escrow, and coordinate the final transfer of ownership. Getting the agreement from the same company that will close the deal can reduce confusion and keep the contract aligned with local recording requirements.
Real Estate Attorneys
A real estate attorney is the most tailored option. Instead of a preprinted template, the attorney drafts or heavily customizes the contract to fit your deal. That matters most for commercial property, multi-parcel sales, properties with title issues, seller financing, or any situation where standard contingencies don’t quite fit.
Fees for an attorney-drafted purchase agreement typically run from $500 to $1,500 for a standard residential transaction, depending on complexity and your local market. More involved commercial deals can cost more. In some states, attorney involvement in real estate closings is required by law; your agent or title company can tell you whether that applies in your area.
Even where it isn’t required, having an attorney review a purchase agreement before you sign can catch problems a template won’t flag, such as ambiguous language, missing contingencies, or terms that don’t comply with your state’s rules.
Office Supply Stores
Physical retailers still carry preprinted legal form packets for real estate and other transactions. These packets typically cost between $20 and $50 and contain fill-in-the-blank templates or multi-part carbonless forms. Some stores also sell digital form collections on USB drives or as downloadable bundles.
These forms are generic by design. They give you the basic structure of a purchase agreement (buyer, seller, price, property description, signatures) but may skip state-specific disclosures or contingencies your jurisdiction requires. Treat a retail form as a starting point rather than a finished product, and consider having an attorney review the completed document before signing.
County and Government Offices
Your local county recorder or county clerk’s office can help for specific property types. Some county offices provide standardized templates for transferring mobile homes, vacant land, or other property that doesn’t involve a traditional residential structure. These are typically available in person or on the county’s website.
Government-provided forms are built to meet local recording requirements, which gives them one real advantage: a document designed by the recorder’s office is less likely to be rejected when you submit the resulting deed for recording. Recording the deed carries its own filing fee that varies by jurisdiction.
Vehicles and Personal Property Use a Different Document
If you’re buying or selling a vehicle, equipment, or other high-value personal property, you don’t need a real estate purchase agreement. You need a bill of sale or personal property purchase agreement. The structure is similar (buyer, seller, item description, price, signatures) but the identifying details differ.
For vehicles, the agreement should include the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), make, model, year, mileage, and title certificate number. For boats, trailers, or heavy equipment, include the serial number and any registration information. Most states require a bill of sale to register a vehicle transfer with the DMV, and many DMV websites offer free downloadable bill-of-sale forms that meet state requirements. Personal property sales above $500 fall under the statute of frauds through the Uniform Commercial Code, so the agreement has to be in writing to be enforceable. A written agreement protects both parties even below that threshold.
What a Good Purchase Agreement Should Cover
Wherever you get the form, check that it addresses the parts of the deal that cause disputes. A missing provision can leave you without legal recourse if something goes wrong.
The earnest money section should specify the deposit amount, when it’s due, who holds it, and the conditions under which the buyer gets it back or the seller keeps it. Deposits typically run from 1% to 5% of the purchase price, with higher amounts common in competitive markets. A neutral third party, usually a title company, escrow company, or attorney, holds the funds until closing.
Contingencies should each carry a firm deadline. The common ones cover home inspections, mortgage approval, and appraisal results. Missing a contingency deadline can mean the contingency is treated as waived, which costs you the right to back out over that issue and can put your deposit at risk.
The closing date sets the target for transferring ownership. Delays in financing, title work, or inspections can push things back, so the agreement should address whether either party can extend the deadline and when a missed closing becomes a breach.
A title contingency gives the buyer time to review the property’s title history for unpaid liens, boundary disputes, or ownership claims. The window often runs 10 to 25 days. If a problem surfaces, the seller typically gets a set period to fix it; if it can’t be resolved, the buyer can walk away and recover the deposit.
Finally, most states require sellers of residential property to disclose known material defects, either inside the purchase agreement or in a separate disclosure statement attached to it. The federal lead-based paint requirements apply on top of state rules for pre-1978 homes.