Posted by ScottS on July 19, 2002 at 12:27:53:
…I just play one on my time off around the house and use my textbooks from my Business Law I & II classes as a good starting point.
ScottS
How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by Ben Buckley (Seattle)
Posted by Ben Buckley (Seattle) on July 18, 2002 at 12:58:43:
I have a lead on a house that is undervalued by about 70k and I need to know what to send him for my bid. Does it have to formal in any way or can I just write a number on a piece of paper with my name on it. Also I want to try to get an option of this property so I can flip it. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks, Ben Buckley (Seattle)
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by JoeKaiser
Posted by JoeKaiser on July 18, 2002 at 16:51:05:
Call him/her up and ask what they need. No mystery here.
Joe
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by Sean (TX)
Posted by Sean (TX) on July 18, 2002 at 15:55:28:
Try www.legalwiz.com for a WA state Real Estate Commission contract.
Sometimes it’s not the substance of an offer, it’s how it’s presented. You should try to appear as professional as possible.
Good Luck,
Seán
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by Ed-TX
Posted by Ed-TX on July 18, 2002 at 14:52:33:
consideration must be exchanged for an offer/bid/contract to be valid.
Re: Sticky Note will not hold weight… - Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA)
Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA) on July 18, 2002 at 14:03:27:
If you send a piece of paper with your name on it and a number; it might just be thrown away. Call the attorney and let him/her know you are sending in an offer and ask where would they like it sent. Send in a complete deal with your terms, ie: a contract.
A contract holds more importance than your name on some stickey note. 
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by JoeKaiser
Posted by JoeKaiser on July 18, 2002 at 23:28:02:
I had an agent once tell me this very same thing. He said my earlier accepted purchase contract with the seller wasn’t valid because I hadn’t included “consideration.” He further advised me that the property was now listed and if I wanted to resubmit the offer I had to do it through him (and pay a commission).
When he whipped the contract out of his briefcase and shoved it in my face, I asked him what he’d paid the seller as consideration to make HIS listing contract valid.
The answer that followed the world’s longest known pause wasn’t what you’d call convincing.
Joe
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by JoeKaiser
Posted by JoeKaiser on July 18, 2002 at 16:48:59:
Why do you say that?
Joe
The Contest . . . - Posted by JoeKaiser
Posted by JoeKaiser on July 18, 2002 at 17:13:44:
A buddy of mine and I sat in a dark basement a dozen or so years ago, each armed with a pad of post-it notes. The challenge was to create an object from any number of post-its that when launched at the wall 10 feet away, would stick.
A bit of an engineering enigma, but not a problem since we both imagined ourselves to be the mechanically superior of the other (just call me “MacGuyver”).
Try as we might, getting an object formed from post-it notes to stick proved futile. Our egos bruised, and the $10.00 bet was still uncollected an hour into it.
About this time my 5 year old son came in, saw our dilema and in less than thirty seconds his post-it note was firmly stuck to the wall ten feet away.
“Spitwad.”
He walked off with $10 from each of us ;-).
Joe
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by Ed-TX
Posted by Ed-TX on July 19, 2002 at 09:35:15:
An offer to represent is a total different animal than an offer to purchase real property
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by Ed-TX
Posted by Ed-TX on July 18, 2002 at 17:31:10:
been there, done that. try taking a contract with no consideration attached into the courtroom and asking the judge to make the respondent perform. He will tell you the respondent is under no obligation, because no consideration was given,respondent has no obligation to perform. The contract is not valid.
I got it! - Posted by $Cash$
Posted by $Cash$ on July 18, 2002 at 18:34:50:
Joe,
Good to talk again.
I got it on your first post.
This was a really tough one. Maybe one more story for the less understanding.
$Cash$
a contract is a contract - Posted by ray@lcorn
Posted by ray@lcorn on July 19, 2002 at 10:55:20:
Joe is right on this.
The question is whether a contract is valid without cash consideration. Whether the contract is to represent a seller, dig post holes, or buy real estate, a promise to pay is consideration.
ray
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by JoeKaiser
Posted by JoeKaiser on July 18, 2002 at 19:29:41:
“Consideration” is not something you “attach.” Consideration is you agreeing to pay “X” dollars for the property. Stapling a dollar bill to the contract does not magically make it “valid.”
Do you find it odd that in the world of contracting, only contracts having to do with real estate carry this notion that a dollar bill must be stapled to it to make it valid? If true, then why doesn’t it apply when you buy a car or washing machine?
I bought 300 feet of chain link fencing and watched them dig post holes yesterday. My arms ached just watching. I signed a contract with the owner of the company who’s providing the hardware and doing the installation. But no one ever considered stapling a dollar bill to it to make it valid.
I also had a sign guy create a really nice sand blasted redwood sign with gold leaf lettering for a little six plex I’m selling. Same deal . . . signed a contract but didn’t staple a dollar bill to it.
Question . . . are those contracts valid or not, and if not, then why not? And if they are valid, with “no consideration,” then why doesn’t it work that way with houses?
Joe
Re: I got it! - Posted by JoeKaiser
Posted by JoeKaiser on July 18, 2002 at 19:13:10:
The point is that sometimes, it’s a lot simpler than we might imagine it to be. Glad you “got it.”
Joe
Then it’s convention/tradition and not law? - Posted by David G (OR)
Posted by David G (OR) on July 19, 2002 at 15:26:58:
From posts I’ve read, sounds like there’s case law making consideration a part to ‘binding’ the contract.
Then it’s convention/tradition and not law?
David G.
Re: a contract is a contract - Posted by Ed-TX
Posted by Ed-TX on July 19, 2002 at 11:02:42:
Ok guys. no more e-amils. I have been in the courtroom.Do it your way, I will do it mine.It will be interesting to see if the attorney in this particular case, ask the student for consideration.
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by ScottS
Posted by ScottS on July 19, 2002 at 02:26:33:
I was going to be cool and type in what my business law book says about consideration in a contract, to include real estate contracts.
When I looked at the page it had three long paragraphs and felt it was too much to type.
Let’s just leave it at…Joe is right, again.
ScottS
I hate it when… - Posted by JT-IN
Posted by JT-IN on July 18, 2002 at 22:24:06:
Smarty-pants guys like you, ask all these questions that you already know the answers to… LOL
Sounds kind-of like Perry Mason when I was a Kid… Della, would you please show the evidence to the Jury!
JT-IN
Re: How do I submit a bid to an estate attorney? - Posted by Marty
Posted by Marty on July 18, 2002 at 21:18:47:
Hey Joe,
Please share with me some details of the sign. How large of a sign? What was on the sign? Where did you have it put? Most importantly, how much did it cost and how much do you think it raised the value of the six plex?
Thank You
Marty