Orders Concerning Distribution of House Sale Proceeds

Here are a few of the issues we see when there are no orders or agreement regarding real property sale proceeds:

• Sale sabotage: When a party living in the house has no idea if, when, or how much money they will have when the house sells, as listing agents, we are often "ghosted." Once the house is listed, showings are declined, access to inspectors and appraisers is denied, and the overall sale is stalled. This frequently occurs because there is uncertainty and fear due to lack of funds to secure new housing.

• Misunderstanding / contract breach: Every client who sells a house must line up new housing. More often than not, the funds to do so come from the proceeds of the sale. And in the chaos that their lives have become, the clients may have overlooked the fact that the proceeds may not be distributed to them immediately upon sale and instead be disbursed to an attorney's trust account. Or perhaps the proceeds must be used to first pay off debts such as support judgments or other joint debts. There are numerous case scenarios where a party goes under contract on the purchase of another property, only to find out that they cannot, in fact, purchase something else — because their sale funds are tied up. In addition to devastating disappointment, clients in this situation can find themselves liable due to breach of purchase contract.

• Closing delays: Once a contract is accepted, title (or escrow) is opened. Within a few days, closing instructions are drawn up, and included within the packet of documents is a “proceeds disbursement” form. If there is a disagreement or lack of clarity around where the funds go, it will need to be sorted out prior to closing. Depending on the level of conflict and whether the court needs to be involved or not, there may be significant delays, which can also put the parties in breach of contract. After all, for every sale, there is usually a buyer who's got a moving van loaded, a house they must vacate, contractors and furniture deliveries lined up, utilities set to transfer, and mail forwarded — not to mention interest accruing daily if their loan has been funded. So a seller delay for something that should have been handled weeks ago doesn't fly with buyers who have held up their end of the deal. Without an order or agreement, the closing process can evade busy counsel,and without a close eye on these timelines, the parties may instruct the closing officer to distribute funds directly to their accounts, bypassing attorney trust accounts or other joint debts that need to be paid.

• Only one party on title: The titled party is the principal in the real estate transaction. Title officers and brokers can be bound by fiduciary duties and real estate industry governance to obey the principal and distribute funds pursuant to their instructions. They may slice out the other party altogether — even with a court order to the contrary!

• Escrow does not usually hold funds for extended periods.  It's also worth noting that escrow companies frequently cannot (or will not) hold funds after closing. They are governed by oversight and have compliance issues when funds are held for any length of time.

Appointing a CDRE as the listing agent on a case is an effective way to ensure that orders match distribution instructions, but that duty must be outlined clearly in an order, since a typical Realtor's role does not extend that far.

When I am appointed on a case, for example, I obtain a copy of the court order and inquire about proceeds distribution on day one. If there is no agreement, I flag my file to seek clarification from the parties and counsel until there is one. I work closely with my closing officer to ensure there are no discrepancies between the order and the instructions.