The Blog

As part of the November forms release the former Counter Offer (CO) was replaced by two new forms: the Seller Counter Offer (SCO) and the Buyer Counter Offer (BCO). This was primarily done so that the proper parties’ names could be inserted in the correct lines and the form could be pre-tagged for signature.

However, in the field, agents get super confused about how to number the counter offers. Should they be numbered SCO 1, followed by BCO 1 (since it is the first buyer counter offer), followed by SCO 2 and then BCO 2, etc? Or should they be numbered sequentially as with the former CO: SCO 1, BCO 2, SCO 3, BCO 4, etc?  According to the California Association of Realtors (CAR), “the numbering is merely a way to keep track of the sequence of counter offers and either method is legal. Of course, the date of the counter offers can be helpful as well.”

Because so many agents have had questions about the numbering, the following recommendation has been made by CAR: that the counter offers be numbered as follows: SCO 1, BCO 1, SCO 2, BCO 2, SCO 3, BCO 3, etc. In zipForms the SCO and the BCO will have six copies prenumbered 1 through 6 (i.e. SCO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and BCO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).  The printed forms will not be prenumbered.

Does that make your head spin? Need help with your real estate transaction file? Feel free to call the transaction coordinators at Transaction 911.