DocuSign Helps Real Estate Go “GREEN”

Here’s the scene.

You love the house. You ran out on your lunch break to see it before anyone else could get in there. It was everything and more so you called your spouse in to seal the deal and YES! you want to make an offer now.

Too bad. Lunch break is over and the paperwork is not ready yet anyway. Now you remember you’re working late tonight and your other is leaving for a business trip but this home is HOT and you need to get your offer in.

The solution? Your agent should already have it for you. It’s called DocuSign. An electronic signature software that allows a completely paperless transaction and the parties involved can sign from anywhere they have access to a computer. Sound illegal? Sound complicated? It’s not! Former President Bill Clinton actually signed in the eSign law a decade ago legalizing e-signatures. And now, at long last, FHA has finally decided to accept them as well. Yes, I know, ten years after the law is passed.

DocuSign is what needs to be done to smooth out some of the severely dated real estate practices that agents seem loathe to give up. Because there are so many parties involved in the transaction, paper contracts often get faxed and re-faxed until they are illegible. Agents often find themselves driving here and there to get signatures on things. Ridiculous! Now everyone can be anywhere and things can be signed and set back and forth at the touch of a button. Contracts can be finalized and filed for closing within hours and not days.

The green factor here is also huge. Real estate residential purchase contracts and all their supporting documents are frequently 24-30 pages long. Imagine all of these copies of the contract being printed and signed and faxed and filed by all the different parties involved and you are talking about a lot of paper being saved with the use of electronic signatures. Not to mention the gas we’re not using running around delivering original copies of paperwork.

I’m happy to report that I utilize DocuSign technology and have been a happy customer for over a year now. See how it works in the video here.

About Jason – The REALTOR Edition

As a life long resident of Houston and a licensed Realtor/Broker for 8 years, I offer my clients both the professional expertise and personal insight critical to a successful buying/selling experience. By taking a consultative approach, and not that of a salesman, I can assure that their needs and goals are the focus of all that I do. Sure, I am a swell guy with an alphabet soup of designations behind my name, but it all means nothing if I fail to live up to my #1 objective…..complete client satisfaction.

While I enjoy the challenges and rewards that Real Estate offers, Real Estate is not ‘My Life’, my life is my life. I am happily married to the love of my life, Ruth, and we have 4 wonderful kids. I share my kids passion for Tae Kwon Do, I am on the leadership councils at my church and Real Estate brokerage, and I am as president of my neighborhood HOA. I honestly enjoy looking out for and supporting those around me.

Hobbies you ask? I enjoy cycling, hunting/fishing/camping, photography, home brewing beer, and experimenting with my BBQ smoker.

The Senior Real Estate Specialist

The following information has been adapted from the SRES® website to describe to my readers what the Senior Real Estate Specialist® Designation is and why it creates value for the real estate consumer.

Seniors Real Estate Specialists® are REALTORS® qualified to address the needs of home buyers and sellers age 50+. The SRES® Council awards the SRES® Designation to those members who have successfully completed its education program.  By earning the SRES® designation, I have demonstrated necessary knowledge and expertise to counsel clients age 50-plus through major financial and lifestyle transitions involved in relocating, refinancing, or selling the family home.

As we age, we demand specialists in our health needs, so why not in our housing and equity needs as well? An SRES® brings:

• A customized approach to your situation; an SRES® works with how your living situation fits into your overall plan.
• Expertise and patience without condescension.
• An awareness of options and solid, reliable referrals for specific situations to explore those options.
• A variety of choices to reduce out-of-pocket expenses, gain cash, or create or defer income streams to either stay independent or finance assistance.

As an SRES® designee, I can help you make wise decisions about selling the family home, financing, buying rental property, or managing the capital gains and tax implications of owning real estate, among many other issues. In addition to guiding clients to the right experts on tax laws, probate, estate planning, and a variety of equity conversion strategies, I can offer my clients relevant information on current trends in senior real estate transactions.

As your SRES® Designee I have:

• learned the application of federal laws for Housing for Older Persons Act (HOPA).
• committed myself to focus on the transaction and avoid inappropriate involvement in family matters
• developed sensitivities to 50+ issues on priorities when counseling buyers and sellers, showing properties, and managing transactions
• established reputable services that win and sustain client and customer relationships and position myself as a trusted real estate advisor
• assembled a team of experts to help serve 50+ clients and customers
• been educated on the uses, benefits, procedures, and issues involved in reverse mortgages
• learned about the uses of pensions, 401k accounts, and IRAs in real estate transactions
• gained an understanding of how Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security impact 50+ real estate decisions
• the ability to help clients integrate disposition of real property into estate plans
• the knowledge to recognize mortgage finance and loan schemes and scams that victimize 50+ borrowers

Even with my SRES® designation, I am not qualified to give legal or tax advice and all clients are strongly urged to contact a real estate attorney or certified public accountant to obtain legal or tax advice.