There are a lot of different steps involved when buying a house, and one of the steps is writing a purchase offer for a house. A purchase offer is a real estate agreement and is a legally binding contract once both parties reach a mutual agreement and sign their names. If you have never entered into a real estate agreement before, here are four important things you should understand before writing one up and signing it.

The agreement must be in writing

First of all, for the purchase offer to be legal and binding, it must be in writing. While this seems like common sense, there are times when people will make an offer over the phone and assume that it is binding, but it will not be until the offer is in writing.

Both parties must agree to it

The second thing to understand is that a real estate agreement will not be binding until both parties sign it. If you write an offer and give it to the seller, the agreement means nothing until the seller reads through it, signs it, and returns it to you. If the seller signs it but does not return it to you, it is still not binding. The seller must give it back to you to seal the deal.

You cannot add to it later on

It is vital that you create an agreement that is both thorough and accurate from the start because you cannot add to it later on unless you can convince the seller of the house to agree to what you are asking for. Because of this, it is important to make sure you include every detail that you need to when you give the offer to the seller.

You cannot get out of it without a good reason

Finally, it is important for you to understand that you cannot simply get out of buying the house after the seller returns the signed offer to you. You will need a good reason to get out of the deal, so it is important to make sure you really want the house before you make an offer on it.

Before you rush into a real estate agreement, make sure you are absolutely certain that you want the house you are about to make an offer on. Talking to a real estate agent about this is a great way, too, to protect yourself and create an offer that is beneficial for you. Reach out to a real estate agent to discuss the agreements on nearby homes for sales.