If a buyer needs to cancel their purchase agreement, they should first try to negotiate with the other party to come to an agreement. If they are unable to reach an agreement, they can use the cancellation of the purchase agreement form.
In the process of purchase agreements cancellation, the parties to a contract usually go through the following steps:
Step 1 – Parties reach mutual agreement on cancellation
In some cases, both the buyer and the seller may be able to come to a mutual agreement on canceling the purchase agreement. If this happens, both parties will need to sign and date the cancellation of the purchase agreement form.
Step 2 – The party canceling the agreement specifies the reason for the cancellation
For example, if one of the parties breaches the contract, the other party may cancel the agreement by specifying the reason for cancellation. In order to do this, the non-breaching party will need to provide written notice to the breaching party that they are canceling the agreement. This written notice must be given within the time frame specified in the original purchase and sale agreement.
Step 3 – One of the parties creates a cancellation form
This written notice must be given at least 10 days before the date of closing, or in a larger period if it is specified in the purchase and sale agreement. The notice must also be in the form of a cancellation of the purchase agreement form. You can find a template on this webpage.
Step 4 – The seller should return the earnest money deposit to the buyer
Once the purchase and sale agreement has been canceled, the seller should return any deposits that have been made by the buyer. The buyer is entitled to a full refund of their earnest money deposit if the reason for the cancellation was not specified in the contract. If the reason for the cancellation was specified in the contract, the buyer may only be entitled to a partial refund of their deposit.
Step 5 – The buyer may sue the seller for specific performance
If the real estate purchase agreement is canceled and the buyer has already paid part of the purchase price, the buyer may sue the seller for specific performance. This means that the buyer would ask the court to order the seller to go through with the sale. The buyer would only be able to do this if the reason for the cancellation was not specified in the contract.
The court may order the seller to go through with the sale if it finds that the seller acted in bad faith by canceling the agreement. The court may also award damages to the buyer if the buyer has suffered any losses as a result of the cancellation.