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Are You Still Printing Contracts?

(I am not being paid by docusign for this endorsement).

Printing contracts and meeting clients to sign them is time consuming. When I became a Realtor, I wanted to do things and offer services that most agents weren't doing. I use docusign. It's super simple to use, and my clients LOVE it.

Have you ever had to meet up with your clients at a time that wasn't good for you, but docs had to be signed and time was ticking away? This morning, my clients wanted to counter an offer we received the night before. We discussed the price and terms, and I went into zipforms and created the counter, uploaded it to docusign, told docusign where my clients need to sign, my clients received an email to sign the counter offer, and when it was complete, I emailed the offer to the other agent. This all happened in about 15 minutes, just enough time for my wife to make me breakfast.

Convenience for both you and your clients
Time-saving because you don't have to drive to get signatures or wait for faxes
Cost effective, it's only $19 per month

Isn't it time you offered your clients even more service? Some of your clients may be reluctant if they are technically challenged, but most of them will love how easy and convenient it is. I still have clients sign contracts physically, but I try to have most of them done the convenient way.

I surprised at how many agents don't even know what docusign is, not to mention, how much easier their job can be if they used it. All I can say is, you have to try it at least once before you dismiss it as a tool you don't want to use. There's a free trial, so you have no reason not to give it a shot!

Jeremy Lehman | Realtor #01831667 | Windere Real Estate | Orange County

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Posted by Jeremy Lehman on 03/28/2010 04:47 AM

Comments (132)

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132 Comments on Are You Still Printing Contracts?

MAR

2010

The important thing is speed. This is a good recommendation for a useful service for agents and their clients.

I wouldn't use it for the initial contract because there is a need for agents to review that 40 pages of documents when making an offer.

For counters, this is a good service.

I agree with Lenn, for counters or missed signatures it is great. IF anyone hasn't used docusign they should check it out.

I agree with Lenn about not using it for the initial contract but it sounds great for addendums and counter offers.

I am one of those that did not know about the service, so I am going to take a look and check it out. Thanks for the info.

I will definately have to check this out... Although I do really like the personal touch even when time is of the essence...

Sounds like this would make getting signatures more convenient. I will have to check into it.

Some of my clients do not use the Internet and would not work for them. However, it would work for most of my clients.

Jeremy, DocuSign has proven over and over again to be the most efficient way to deal with a counter. Banks love the clear crisp contracts.

Did you know there is a APP for DocuSign on the iPhone? I was amazed to see I am able to manage my console right from my iPhone!

It is a good application but using a fax to email solution has good quality as well if you clients do not have a scanner.

I am also one of those agents who haven't heard of this.. But I will check it out. Sounds great to use for counter offers.

Thanks for sharing.

I haven't used it yet. But we do send documents over the internet and then have them sign, faxed, or scanned back.

Is it easier and faster than signing on the tablet screen?

It is a good system for misc. sigs. I like the face to face for the initial contract so there is no misunderstandings.

Hi Jeremy, So many of our buyers/sellers are out of state it makes sense to use this after the initial offer.

I use DocuSign from the first CONTRACT to the FINAL Verification of Property (walk thru). I've been using it since its "birth" and my clients love it! (Oh I love it too). Once the escrow has closed, all documents go into RELAY, that file cabinet in the sky. This is the GREENist product a Realtor could have/use.

I live and sell in a resort area and MANY of my clients are off the mountain when they decide to "write an offer" or list their home.... this awesome product makes my life and business so much easier.

Once in a while, a lender (very seldom) will want wet signatures, but it is seldom.

Congrat's on your feature.

I love Docusign! It has changed my business completely! I can now accomplish things that my competition cannot!!! Love it!

I will have to check this out. My buyers lenders are always asking for a 'clear' executed contract, which after a few times through the fax, is definitely NOT clear!

I love Docusign and will use it from start to finish if I have my way. It's not good for helping a buyer understand everything so I use a presession to go through an offer and talk about how contingencies work, how the contract is structured and how each element of the written document affects them.

Once we've done that they can breeze through the electronic signatures in a heartbeat!

Sounds nice, but don't view me cheap, it seems like everything is $19, $39, $69, $99 per month. After a while I run out of dollars. I set up fields in .pdf form in our contracts and forms so I can easily and quickly complete and send to clients if needed. I simply type in the field, hit tab and I am immediately in the next field and so on.

Thank you

Great option. Thanks for the tip. I will keep this technology in mind also.

LOVE Docusign!! Helps me to be "quick on the draw" with offers AND saves time and gas!! BEST ROI on an investment EVER!!!

OK, I'm definitely interested now after reading your post and all the positive comments. Who knew? I've just been so happy to have the wonderful scan & email option -- didn't know what I was missing. I'll check it out!

I love docusign, and my clients love docusign. It is an awesome service, so professional, and green!

I'm assuming the buyers/sellers sign then fax it to the system which puts it into the system in the sky making it available for you to obtain then resend via email?

Jeremy: I do still print MANY contracts--especially those for short sales. Those banks do not like Docusign signatures yet.

First, I am getting fewer hand written contracts. That is great becasue I can read them. Electronic forms are also transmitted by email instead of fax insuring first generation quality. The only problem is our 19th Century state government who refuses to permit legally the use of electronic signatures in rela estate transactions. Considering the fact that when I read the quarerly commission report on violations that I see fines and suspensions for forgery, they prefer the old handwritten signatures. Dumb.

I didn't know about the iPhone App. I'm off to see how it works.

Jeremy - I haven't used Docusign yet, but I do regularly email paperwork to my clients to be signed....and if I am not mistaken, I think TransactionDesk has a function similar to Docusign (not sure, but I'm pretty sure I remember reading something about it last night when I was preparing an offer via TransactionDesk). I'll have to check it out. If TransactionDesk does have a similar product I'll use that instead as it's part of my membership fee with Florida Realtors. If it's not, I'll def look into Docusign.

In this day and age there is no reason to have so much paper floating around.

I pay less for Docusign because I've had them for MANY MANY years. A CSR told me that it looked from my account like I was one of their first signups. :)

Docusign is one of my 'can't live without' tools. Nothing is better than a clear contract.

Jeremy, So your wife prepares your breakfast; that's nice.

Seriously thought, I've been researching these options and trying to determine which is the best fit. Any reason why you choose this product?

Jeremy,

Docusign may have its advantages but unfortunately it can't be used in Ontario, at least for real estate transactions.

Brian

How did we live without Docusign? At first I was worried that my clients wouldn't like it and would want to meet me in person. I found out quickly, they are busy too, and were impressed with it. They love it.

Typically I meet with the buyer or seller with the intial contract, but I have had several out of town clients and docusign imakes the process very convenient.

Still prefer the face to face on the initial offer and final signatures but all the addendum etc. in between Docusign sounds good, I would need to check it out to see how it works before committing any pros or cons.

We'd love to use DocuSign, but in our neck of the woods it seems people are very reluctant to use the service. Right now we scan and email all contracts, which is in itself a timesaver and far better quality-wise than faxing, but if DocuSign ever becomes more mainstream around here we'll certainly sign up.

The owner of the ReMax company that I work for negotiated a better monthly price for Docusign. So if the company that you work for is large enough(10 people) you may get a discounted individual monthly price.

Jeremy, I have to admit I have never used it. it does sound worthwhile for counters and missedsignatures.

I haven't quite got to the point where people actually sign and initial the documents via computer, but I have been using computerized documents for over 10 years now. It's so much easier to type up a contract and email it to someone for a signature than it is to try and meet up with them at inconvenient times.

I love docusign!! It makes my life more easy and clients are always impress with the service! I am one of the first customers and I pay way below the current price. I use it from the first offer to the final, clients are always pleased that they don't have to print, scan or fax back to me anything, and love that i don't have a pile of offers or counters printed, waste of ink, paper and most important time!!! I always explain the offer before send it to sign.

Sounds like a clear way to get contracts moving along. There is nothing worse than a fax copy that has been fax'd 3 times or so.

I use Ifax its part of our Alberta MLX system. It scans and uploads to a PDF, I can email my documents to my clients ANYWHERE. In turn the can send them back to me anyway they want - fax, email.

Keeps the documents looking pretty clean. BEST of all - its included with our fees every month.

If you want cheap - check out myfax.com

Great Post.

I've heard so much about this but hadn't really looked into it. I just went over to their site and checked it out. VERY COOL!

I have the APP on my iphone and LOVE IT!!

I love docusign, however it cannot be stressed enough that it is not a substitute for reviewing contracts in detail or meeting with clients, particularly when there are so many market issues at hand right now. It can actually create liabilities for you in the future if you use it as a substitute in that manner.

Ever since DocuSign became cross platform -- meaning I could now use it on my Mac -- I use DocuSign for almost everything. My clients love it. One client, whom had previous troubles dealing with a computer, not only successfully navigated DocuSign to sign an offer, but she managed to figure out how to download the document to her desktop and email the signed offer to me. That meant I didn't need to even sign on to DocuSign to retrieve it. She astounded me. If she can use DocuSign, anybody can.

I used it for a while, but I thought it lost the "personal" touch. It never occured to me to have the clients sign the original offer in person, then we could use DocuSign for counters, addendums, etc. DUH!!

I'll have to get back online with them. Thanks for the "wake up call"!!

I remember watching agents struggling with writing offers on the online forms. It was depressing for a buyer to sit there and wait until the forms were finally printed out with what they agreed to. Then make changes to something that was missed. Often the printer was low on ink and paper. All took about an hour of agony. Many agents didn't even want to take low-ball offers because of all the paperwork. (Hey, some of those generate into sales!) Now? DocuSign and no paperwork - unless it is generated on the other side. Even my most Internet challenged clients LOVE it...few people don't have at least a yahoo or google email account.

WOW, some great feedback. Thanks everyone. Some great points and questions were brought up. I'll do my best to respond to them.

First, I chose Docusign because they were recommended by the California Association of Realtors to use with Winforms/Zipforms. If you have a similar product in your area, then that may be better to use.

Some banks DO NOT accept e-signatures. I haven't experienced this personally yet, but in short-sales and transactions with FHA loans, this may be an issue.

The signature really isn't a signature, rather an electronic endorsement on the document. The process is pretty simple. When the client receives the email to sign the docs, they click on a link in the email that takes them to the documents to be signed. Then, they simply click on the areas that need their endorsement to verify their signature. Once they are finished, you are notified the docs are signed, where you can log in and view, print, or download the executed contract.

Another feature I really like is the ability to have the other agent and thier clients sign all the contracts and disclosures as well. This REALLY speeds things up.

The quality of these documents is always 100% because there is no faxing at all. Even fax to email loses its resolution eventually. We all know what that is like.

Check out www.docusign.com for more info.

Thanks again...

I LOVE DOCUSIGN!! Tony Marriott (another rainer) introduced it to me back in 2007 and I couldn't look back. I sent a listing transfer over to my former broker and he said "I don't care to learn how to do this right now, fax this to my <landline old school> fax machine. Really, can't learn how to click it a couple of times? Get real! Saves time and money (from paper and ink faxes!)

I will just check this service out sounds like something that would work well for clients that are in another area of the country. One question tho with all this time you have on your hands now why aren't you making your wife her breakfast?

Your wife makes you breakfast?

I LOVE Docusign! It is so quick and easy for not only contracts but you can also add any additional disclosures or documents that require signature! This is THE BEST! However, there are many lenders that will not accept e-signatures. Hopefully someday soon this will be the norm!

Digital contracts are the only way to go! We don't use this particular service, but another one that is just as good. It makes me sad to think of all the paper and time I've wasted over the years...

It is amazing what is out there! Thank you for the post about this. It sounds like a very useful tool.

Haha, about the breakfast...Sometimes my wife cooks breakfast, sometimes I do, and most of the time it's fend for yourself! It was just a special morning.

I use our boards Transaction Desk as often as possible. It is really a timesaver and cuts down on some of the handwritten bit.

Jeremy:

I've tried Docusign and don't really like it. I like the face-to-face with my clients for regula sales. It's awesome for dealing with out-of-state investors, though.

Jeremy - Good to hear there is a free trial with this product to check it out !

I only know of two companies that offer services like this. DocuSign and Authentidate "Inscribe Office".

http://www.authentidate.com/index.php/content/view/430/781/

I have used Inscribe Office and find it pretty easy for all parties. They even have an option to use it like a certified letter since they are tied to the USPS.

When possible, I just do it live on my Tablet PC, but online is great too! I have suggested to each company that they should allow setting up a "template" so you don't have to keep dragging and dropping signature lines, initials, etc over and over again.

Jeremy, We use Docusign, althought it's primarily for those clients who aren't in town or able to fax back. I need to use it on a more regular basis.

Hey Jeremy, you are correct about Docusign! It does make life much easier sometimes!

I have been trying for a while now to get our team leader to look into getting the 10+ version for our office. Can't wait to use this! Had to drive through the snow last weekend to get signatures and it would have been so much safer to stay home and send via email.

I have not used Docusign but I think I might look into it this week. Thanks for posting a reminder.

Jeremy,

Docusign is a time-saver. The tutorials help you get started and the customer service has been good too! Other points made by others here also make sense. Nuances to consider to make every transaction go smoother and to help us all become better agents. Thanks everyone!

I must admit, I've heard a lot about this option, but I'm just starting my personal research into how this could benefit my clients and me. Our area is a high tech mecca, so it seems that this would be a perfect fit for most people around here. Thanks for the great post and all of the feedback has been wonderful!

I'd agree I like face-to-face initially, but this is great for counters.

this technology is awesome! it would be helpful in certain situations.

I love Docusign, I use it from the get go. Yes I agree it set an agent apart from the pack. I have not had a lot of fuss with short sales. What I find is that most agents are not familiar with the process - so its the agent not the bank that usually wants the contract done on a hard copy.

Its so much more efficient, and yes, my clients are amazed at how technology smart I am.

Thanks for the info, Jeremy. I knew about docusign, but haven't used the service.

Looks great!...especially after just dealing with a contract being delayed for two + weeks due to schedules, etc....ad nauseam. It could've been done in a day or so, otherwise!

You could've written this a few weeks ago, you know!

More importantly...

What was for breakfast and did you bring enough for everybody?!?!

Hey I think I was more amazed that someone was making you breakfast!

Only kidding. Docusign is great. As recently as last year I was faxed a 48 page contract for one of my Short Sale listings (I must tell you it was a Prudential agent in San Diego) and it was HAND PRINTED.

Hi Jeremy. Unfortunately for short sales all of the lenders I have worked with do not and will not accept documents that way. ~ Lana

I've been the cooperating agent with REALTORS that use the service and they love it! I will have to make it a mid-year resolution! Thanks for sharing1

Docusign is a wonderful tool. I started using it with clients who are in France, and faxing and back and forth was just an issue. This makes it so much easier.

I don't use DocuSign. I don't like it because it is not the person's signature.

It seems that electronic signatures are a law suit waiting to happen. IMHO

Yup, sounds good at some point along the way once under agreement.

Patricia/Seacoast NH

Docusign is the way to go. Save time and help to speed up the process. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for the information, Docusign I will check it out!

I deliver contracts primarily in person or via the internet....to all parties involved in the transaction. I actually emliminated my dedicated fax# this year AND I haven't missed it at all! Takes some time, to get everybody on board.....but, well worth it in the end.

Hmmmm, I will look into Docusign. We all like quick responses and quick signatures, but I do like the personal touch of meeting with clients and other agents. My other concern is electronic signature. Sounds like it is worth looking into...thanks for the info.......

Thanks for the info... we'll check it out!

Thanks for the info. I am familiar with DS but have not spent any time investigating it. Thanks for the prod.

I'm in Socal as well and work with a lot of buyers. To many banks won't accept docusign docs. I like original signatures. Maybe when we pass the world of short sales and foreclosures it will be something I can incorporate into my business.

Jeremy, I have seen the Docusign system through our MLS but have never really checked it out. I used to be so cutting edge, I think I'm getting old!

That's been on my "wish list" for seveal years. Hardly anyone here uses it. Many of my clients would, but my Seniors, by and large, wouldn't. I think it's awesome, and in a few years I believe it will become a standard.

I have used it and thought it was fabulous! Need to make sure the banks are going to use it!

I have been using Docusign about 3 months and I love. I cannot believe the number of agents and brokers who have NO CLUE what this is and they seem to think this is not a true signed contract.

Hello Jeremy - I hate to admit that I'm way behind the curve on this. Thanks for all the great information.

My buyer lives in a different city than I do. I work from home but also have an office location. My buyer works in another city altogether. When she recently bought a house, she signed the initial offer, counter offer and everything that needed to be signed using DocuSign. The only time she needed to sign a real signature was at the closing table. You can't even imagine how much time that saved both of us instead of traveling to meet face to face. Cost...gas is certainly not free. I know that my gas savings in not having to travel to my office or to my client's locations more than offsets the cost of DocuSign.

DocuSign (or other electronic signature providers) are not accepted in all cases. FHA does not accept electronic signatures although there is a Federal and California law that says they are legal. Go figure!

Remember when we did not have fax machines? Remember when you did not want to give your cell phone number out because you were afraid that people would call you and drive up your bill? Remember when we wrote all real estate contracts, counter offers and addenda by hand? DocuSign is part of today's real estate. Welcome aboard.

I love it!

Even if I have clients sign electronically, we talk about the contract and the contents in depth. I hate dealing with paper contracts...

Don't use it myself but looking into it. Didn't know about the FHA rule however.

Hi there,

OMG, I've not read through all your comments, only Len's which I totally DITTO.

Actually I print out a contract on my "listing" appt. and use a yellow highlighter at the time. It demonstrates what's important to seller i.e. price and how long....yet as a Realtor I'm looking for soooo many more things, I use a different color highlight for that. It may sound pretty basic, yet it demonstrates (to me) why you need a great REALTOR.

As for buyers, you bet it's provided in advance for review, then I ask "them" to use a yellow highlighter for further review when we meet.

Still thinking about it. Gotta get over the identity theft thing in my head.

Docusign has a lot of advantages, cost though i now a issue and some banks will not accept the signature and you have to go back and get wet signatures at a later date.

Hi Jeremy -- Very cool. Can the other agent's clients also sign or is just just on your side? If not, how does the other party sign and return?

I will have to check that one out, it sounds like it would make my life easier for most of the contracts and stuff..

MAR

2010

Jeremy, DocuSign is a great solution and saves time, money, and lots of paper!!! Now all I need is a wife to cook me breakfast.... and lunch and dinner!

Just signed up and my asset managers already love it!

Hi Jeremy, I have never heard of this but will certainly check it out. I think the most important thing to remember is that it saves our trees. I love green products!

There's a new website in beta called www.filanypdf.com that you may want to try out. This is not an endorsement, just a suggestion.

I've been using Echosign - pretty much the same thing - and my investors who make lots of offers and my out of town buyers absolutely love it. No worrying about scanning or faxing or taking time out of your date to meet up. Yes, it's another expense but it more than pays for itself in saved time, hassle & auto expenses.

I'm with the opinion that we should be face to face with our clients when we have the original contract signed to make sure they understand the contract. Otherwise there could be legal ramifications later on.

For counter offers and missed pages I think it's great.

I was introduced to Docusign a couple of months ago. It really saves driving around. FYI - NAR members get a 20% discount per the most recent NAR benefits email I received.............................chris

I LOVE Docusign! I use it as often as possible!

It sounds great. Thanks for letting us know the price. It's definitely something I will add in the future.

I remember the first time I submitted an electronically signed contract to my favorite title company over two years ago. They loved it! It took some lenders a while to get up to speed but now there is never any issue with electronic signatures. DocuSign has improved significantly over the past two years. It's a fabulous, user friendly tool that makes all Realtors look great to their clients. I use it with every phase of the transaction when working with out of town clients and even locally, depending on my clients' needs (and this is the most important deciding factor, of course). I usually email the first draft to my clients for review and further discussion. Once I've reviewed the documents with the client (if not in person, then over the phone), then I send for initials and signature via DocuSign where we review the documents one more time. DocuSign's review feature is great. Even though I may not be in the same room as my client, we are able to review the contract line by line. Then it's time to initial and sign and submit a beautiful and clean copy to the other side.

It's inevitable, everything's heading this way. Thanks for the contact.

48 page contract? Was this a residential sale? I'll not complain about FL forms again. Transaction Desk is great but too many Realtor either don't know about it or refuse to use it. Actually it's depressing how few Realtors are willing to use technology. Yes a few of my clients don't use email but very few.

As to ageism: my father was forced to adapt to a computer at his office and at age 70 bought himself one for his birthday! My 92 year old uncle is quite active on the net, particularly with his genealogy work.

It sounds like everyone or most everyone has had good experiences with electronic signatures. I will try it for my next contract in TransactionDesk. Thanks for the information.

I have a lot of out of state and out of country clients, both buyer and seller. I just signed up for DocuSign and love it! I don't know why I waited to do this. It is so convenient. I get my documents back much quicker than if the client has to print, sign and fax or scan and email. It is a great tool!

Thank you for providing this useful bit of information. I have signed up for it and look forward to using it.

I will have to check this out for our internet savvy clients.

However, I would caution agents who act like all our buyers and sellers have the ability and the desire to utilize things like electronic delivery. We still have clients in this area who do not own computers, who do not utilize email in any way. Also, in rural areas, downloading documents must be done via dial-up. Not fun for some of our clients. Others have limited amounts of high speed bandwith available to them over a month. They don't like to have to use that up with real estate documents. Good old fashioned methods are still sometiems the best in some parts of the country and with some clients.

I can turn my contracts straight from our zip form to pdf file and email so I've been going with that. I can also scan straight into pdf file with adobe pro as well. Bottom line, if at all possible I meet with my clients to go over initial contract. Hands on to explain is better than over the phone.

Looks like I need to take a vacation day to read through all of these comments! Thanks for all the great input. I don't want to undermine the importance of going though the contracts with our clients, and doing that face to face can be very important. That is a big part of our role with our clients. Choose the features that work best for you, and use the product to be more productive.

The agents in our business are notoriously reluctant to use technology. If you were around...remember when the MLS's switched to on online format. Agents were kicking and screaming. The fact is, eSignatures are certainly not a necessity, YET. I imagine they will become manadatory in our business in the future. So many have pointed out some of the reasons, such as cost effectiveness, saving paper, and speeding up the transaction, but what about the legal aspects? The fact is, it's arguable that eSignatures are more valid than "wet" signatures. Why?...when was the last time you checked your clients ID when they signed your documents? Don't lie either :) The signatures are at least attached to an IP address and email address in this case. You can also go a step further and pay to have them verified.

*Remember, technology will not replace real estate agents, Real estate agents that USE technology will. Can you tell I have a real estate technology training backround?

@Chris Olsen, Yes, you can have the other agent and their clients sign the same way you have your own clients sign.

Electronic signatures, like someone else said, is a LAWSUIT waiting to happen!

The signature is not the signers's own, but a computer generated one. IT WILL NOT HOLD UP IN A COURT! I asked our own legal hotline, and two other contract attorneys!

You can be lazy and save a little bit of time, but wait until the first signer will claim it's not their signature! And you can't prove otherwise, and you can't claim "but they received the email and electronically signed it!". Try to use that as defense in a court! The plaintiffs attorney will make minced meat out of you!

Also, in many states like NY, every contract must have a wet signature: no faxes, no electronic signatures.

I have been scanning, saving as a PDF, and emailing to my clients for lots of years now, so e-signatures would be an improvement, but they may not be worth the added costs and the hassles for when they are not acceptable. But, if I did not have the email options, I would do it for sure rather then fax or always meet in person.

I love DocuSign. I use it for everything.

I'm starting to see Docusign signatures occasionally now and think it's about time to start using it myself. I currently use Adobe Acrobat Professional and Efax to transmit documents for signatures. I agree with the other posters about an initial face-to-face discussion of contracts.

I haven't used it yet, but you have some great endorsements here at AR.

Can you explain EXACTLY how Docusigns works?

What a great start to my week – this amazing blog post with over 100 comments! Wow! I wanted to address the major themes and questions from the comments, as everyone brought up some great points!

Reasons To Choose DocuSign

Among the top reasons to choose DocuSign for your Real Estate ESIGN provider is that NAR has named DocuSign the official and exclusive provider of eSign services through the NAR Member Benefits® Program! This recognizes DocuSign as the best service for the complexities of Real Estate transactions. What’s more, if you sign up for the DocuSign REALTOR® Edition, you’ll get the option to adopt an exclusive REALTOR® branded e-Signature, an intuitive, secure REALTOR® branded dashboard, with real-time document status updates, REALTOR® branded email communications templates, and a 20% savings over standard DocuSign rates on both editions – DocuSign REALTOR® Basic and DocuSign REALTOR® Standard.

In addition to DocuSign’s relationship with NAR, we also enable you to get your life back – you’ll no longer have to chase faxes, missed initials or signatures!

Personal Touch

Electronic signature from DocuSign doesn’t mean that you’re giving up the personal touch. For busy buyers and sellers, using DocuSign’s electronic signature services demonstrates that you’re sensitive to their schedules. DocuSign also has an in-person signing feature, so that you can meet up with your clients, get their signatures and keep it in the DocuSign system. This eliminates the need to scan and upload!

DocuSign lets you focus on your most important value to your clients – the expert in Real Estate. Your knowledge of your area, the tools for the job, and the personal attention you provide are FAR MORE IMPORTANT than your role as a paper clerk! Cut out the paper and focus on what you do best – you as the expert.

DocuSign Brings eSignature to your Mobile

DocuSign has “Designed for Mobile” functionality to allow anyone to sign on their phone in an interface specifically designed for smaller screens. There is no app to download, it runs in your mobile browser, and it works with Apple iPhone, Windows Mobile, Google Android and RIM Blackberry. It also enables your signers to eSign from the kids’ soccer game, in line at the grocery store, while pumping gas… anywhere they have access to their mobile email!

For those who DO have an iPhone, there is a really nifty application out there that allows you to do even more – review status, and even send from templates. Yup, there’s an app for that.

DocuSign vs Tablet Screen

DocuSign can work on a PC, laptop or Tablet PC on both Windows and Mac. Did you know that if you want your handwritten signature to be your DocuSign signature, you can upload your custom signature?

With DocuSign, you don’t have to be face to face as you would need to be when capturing a digital signature via a tablet screen. This feature is very convenient when your signers are busy, traveling, or simply across town from each other!

Scan and Email vs DocuSign

It is possible to scan and email a document, but this process lacks the audit trail, encryption, and ESIGN compliant features that keeps your transactions safe and secure. Scanning a signature and emailing it takes more time and technology (scanners, etc) and has less legal evidence of who signed, etc.

With DocuSign, you’ll get an eSignature service that is ESIGN compliant as well as a Certificate of Completion and complete audit trail for each document, ESIGN Consumer Consent Manager, and integrated signer authentication. DocuSign is browser-based for Mac, PC & mobile devices and the only requirement is Internet connectivity.

DocuSign also provides reporting, custom storage folder structures, search and sort envelopes, and automated reminders/expirations, providing you with the utmost visibility into your transactions and saving you time from not having to print and scan!

Signer’s Learning Curve

DocuSign is incredibly easy for signers. All they have to do is log into their email, read the message, and click the link. Once they’re in the system, they simply have to check the ESIGN Consumer Consent, adopt a signature, and click the yellow stick-e-tabs to eSign or initial, placing their signature and initials wherever you instruct them in the document.

Once all the stick-e-tabs are clicked, they simply have to click the complete signing button.

Templates

Templates are available to new and recent subscribers with DocuSign Standard. You also have access to templates if you’re on the older DocuSign Professional Advanced plan. If you’re using DocuSign Basic or DocuSign Professional, you can always upgrade to DocuSign Standard if you want template functionality.

Templates allow you to place ALL the signature, initials, and other tabs for ALL your signers with ONLY ONE CLICK! Yes, once you use templates you will never go back! DocuSign is the ONLY service available that can automatically place tabs on all your documents automatically, no matter what documents you load. (Probably one of the reasons NAR chose this eSign service as the standard)

Banks, FHA and DocuSign

DocuSign has been working with the banks and FHA to get written documentation in place to enable the acceptance of electronic signature in real estate transactions.

Ken Moyle, DocuSign’s Chief Legal Officer, has written a blog post about the FHA and Electronic Signature Acceptance – the bottom line is that FHA does accept eSignature!

Identity theft, Security

How do you know who signed? DocuSign provides a robust system with several tiers of security. First, our data centers are hardened and comply with the strictest standards. We actually run two separate data centers – one in Seattle and one in Chicago, hosted by Savvis, a worldwide infrastructure provider. In terms of signer authentication, DocuSign supports the following authentication methods:

Email – validate and record the signer had access to a known email address
Access code – A PIN or Password that is provided to each signer to access the document in order to sign
ID Check – a Knowledge Based Authentication (KBA) process provided through DocuSign from RSA. This presents a set of questions only the signer could know.

In addition, we offer many other tools - OFAC, Age Verification, and STAN PIN for student lenders. It is not required that you add additional layers of signer authentication to your process, but if you need it, it is there.

Each document deposited into the DocuSign system is individually encrypted with government standard encryption algorithms (AES 256 bit), and a digital fingerprint is created. Every time the document is accessed, it is analyzed to be certain it has not been tampered or modified. We also capture all aspects of signing in the audit trail, including email, IP address used, and exact time of signing. Any authentication methods requested are also captured.

All of this goes on behind the scenes, so you get the benefit of the most secure processing and handling, with the easiest and most familiar signing interface available. You get nothing like this from any other service or process on the market.

Other Questions about Using DocuSign’s eSignature Services

Can the other agent's clients also sign or is just on your side? If not, how does the other party sign and return?

This is a great question, and it has a few answers, all in the positive. Yes, both sides can sign using DocuSign. It depends on the situation:

The other agent has DocuSign, and you don’t know the other agent’s signers – Simply tag up the document for your signers, add the other agent as a ‘CC’, and they will get a copy as soon as your signers complete signing. The other agent can then also use the ‘Forward’ tool, and place tabs for their signers, and complete the transaction, adding you as the final ‘CC’.
The other agent has DocuSign and you DO know the other agent’s signers – Simply tag up the document for all signers. Put the other agent in sequenced AFTER your signers, and BEFORE the other signers so they can review it. Everyone gets a copy when the transaction is complete.
The other agent does not use DocuSign – Simply tag up the document, get your signers to sign, and when done email (or forward) the signed document to the other agent. They can print it out and sign on paper. Combined ESIGN and hand signed documents are fine.

I'm assuming the buyers/sellers sign then fax it to the system which puts it into the system in the sky making it available for you to obtain then resend via email?

No faxes required. Save your time and save a tree with DocuSign. Once you’ve set up a document for signature in the DocuSign system, DocuSign will send an email notification to your buyer / seller, notifying them that you have requested their signature via DocuSign.

They click the link which pops open a secure browser. They click on a consent notification, agreeing to do business electronically as well as adopt an electronic signature. Once they’ve signed and initialed where you’ve indicated with DocuSign’s stick-e-tabs and clicked the complete signing button, DocuSign will notify you that your signer has completed the signing process.

You can log into DocuSign and download a copy for your records. If you have DocuSign standard, you can set up DocuSign to automatically forward completed documents to the other agent on the transaction!

Thanks again for the questions and comments – if you have any further questions, please let me know or take a look at the DocuSign Electronic Signature Blog!

Jeremy, Thanks, I'll check it out and perhaps give it trial run.

I am amazed at the number of attorneys who don't understand that this is legal. I had this discussion yet again today with a title company who argued the signatures were not legit and could have been faked. AAAAAHHHH!

NICE!

Invite someone in right from Docusign!

Nice touch...

That's engaging.

Docusign is pretty intuitive, but for long contracts where you need signatures and initials on 20 to 40 pages it's very time consuming to drop and drag all the signature boxes. I see it being more useful for counter offers and other 1 and 2 page documents where it's quick and easy for both agents and clients.

Once you try DocuSign, you'll never leave.

I do use them for the initial offer, and once my clients use it, they don't want to do anything different.

Even though I'm in Washington, DC, I still find agents who don't like it, and of course, short sale lenders and reo sellers insist on "written" signatures. In those cases, I will have the client "sign" with pen/paper next to the DocuSign, and fax back.

Two best advantages are the time saved from not driving to meet to get "signature" and the clarity of a contract when it hasn't been through 12 fax iterations. I'd still think that less than 5% of realtors are using this system.

I had a short sale negotiator refuse to take the docu sign signature and demanded the buyer sign personally instead, on our last short sale that closed last week.

If you 'go over the price and terms' of a Colorado contract, that covers about a tenth of what they're signing. Are you really representing them if that's all you do?

MAR

2010

I am giving this a lot of thought and think it's time to do it. I've heard a lot of good things and have actually seen it in action. It would be perfect for working when traveling.

@Joetta, not sure I understand what you mean, but in general, contracts, although crucial, are a very small part of representing a client. I'm not familiar with Colorado. Some states have lawyers to work out the contracts, and in that case, that really is all they do.

I love Docusign and in general so do my clients. It helps everyone and saves a lot of time.

MAR

2010

I agree that this is a great program & I wish I could use it for real estate purposes. However, in NY State, electronic signatures are not allowed. If they were, I would definitely use it!

I've been thinking about maybe using docusign for a couple of months now but I've been waiting to see if anyone else was using it and see what their experience was. Maybe I'll look more into it now.

MAY

2010

This is not used much around here, yet. The comments gave me some ideas. Thanks.

SEP

2010

Just checked out the docusign demo video and was impressed. I plan on signing up soon. BTW-they should be paying you for this blog post...

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Jeremy Lehman

Garden Grove, CA

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Windermere Real Estate, Preferred Living

Address: Garden Grove, CA, 92841

Cell Phone: (714) 580-3274

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