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

An Act, passed by congress in order to prevent the practice of redlining and disinvestments in central city areas. Redlining is a practice in which lenders refuse to make loans in certain ...

The proprietary lease definition is the binding occupancy agreement between the cooperative corporation and the shareholder to possess a rental unit in a building using cooperative ...

Act of receiving the rights and privileges of a citizen including property rights. ...

Worth of property based on the relevant economic factors (e.g., state of the economy, unemployment rate). ...

Alias is a different name by which a person is known.In the real estate world, there are times when an agent goes by a different name than the one he/she was originally named by his/her ...

Rating used by lenders and creditors to determine if a credit applicant should be granted credit. It depends on many factors such the applicant's job history, earnings, net worth, etc. Some ...

One of the most recurring real estate doubts is regarding what is a broker in comparison to what is a real estate agent. Well, it depends from state to state to tell exactly what a Broker ...

Provision in the insurance policy lapses due to premium nonpayment, all unpaid premiums must be paid, and any additional requirements must be satisfied before reinstatement can take place. ...

Room in a home where the occupants spend their leisure time. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions