{"id":2955,"date":"2023-05-03T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=2955"},"modified":"2024-04-25T23:17:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T03:17:38","slug":"merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Occasionally, the parties to a home sale make side deals, and do not write them down. This can lead to later questions, regarding just how meaningful a side agreement is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To know whether a side agreement is binding after closing, it helps to be familiar with the impact a deed transfer has on that agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look and side agreements, and what it means when they either \u201cmerge with\u201d or \u201csurvive\u201d the deed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Side Deals Can Be Created to Benefit a Seller, a Buyer, or Both<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Often, a home\u2019s seller will offer to sweeten the deal by making a promise to the buyer. In other cases, side deals can be meant as benefits to sellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine you\u2019re buying a townhome. You\u2019ve already signed a purchase agreement to buy the property. You\u2019ve told the seller you\u2019ll pay an extra $2,000 if some new kitchen tiles, now on back order, are installed before you move in. The side deal for the kitchen flooring isn\u2019t in writing, but you\u2019ve promised to accept the future work and pay for it. You\u2019re legally bound to come through on your part of the bargain, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or consider this hypothetical situation. The home seller wants to keep access to land at the edge of the property. The buyer makes a promise that the seller can pass through that area any time. Is this a binding promise?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In both cases, the extra agreement must be accounted for in the deed language or in a document that expressly states the agreement will not merge with the deed<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does the Side Deal \u201cMerge With the Deed\u201d or \u201cSurvive\u201d It?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unwritten agreements can be legally extinguished when a deed is signed. This involves a concept in contract law known as the merger doctrine<\/em>. Traditionally, it has played a role in overriding a side deal in a property transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parties can ensure their deal survives<\/em> the deed, though, through a separate written agreement. Such agreements can impact the rights and duties of third parties. Some can constitute easements<\/a>. So they should be done with the advice and assistance of a real estate lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a side deal survives<\/em> (avoids) \u201cmerging with a deed\u201d it becomes a legally meaningful component of a bargain. The parties are bound to carry out their side agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, all the contractual rights and remedies merge with the home deed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merging Gives the Deed the Final Word<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Home buyers and sellers should be aware of the merger doctrine. They should know if any side deals that they might make will legally bind them after closing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that the deed is the most important document at closing. The buyer accepts the deed after the original purchase agreement and<\/em> after any side agreements might have been put forth. The deed deletes all the stuff that happened during negotiations. The deed merges all prior agreed-upon terms and supersedes them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State law and court cases have etched this principle into common practice. The reason? Public policy. Rights and duties of the parties should be obvious from a search of official county records. In some cases, side agreements between buyer and seller could violate the terms of a mortgage, too. Thus, what\u2019s written on the deed is the final word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Let Necessary Work Be Put Off Until Later<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In light of all of the above, a buyer doesn\u2019t just take the seller\u2019s word that this or that will be finished up later. The buyer needs to have the necessary home inspections done, and ask for any fixes to be complete before the final walkthrough, so that every aspect of the purchase agreement is resolved by closing. This can mean the seller gives the buyer money so the buyer can cover a fix that still needs to be made \u2014 but the deal itself has to be final by closing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless they deliberately misrepresent the condition of the homes they sell, or fail to properly disclose defects<\/a>, people who sell their homes are generally not held responsible for doing more work on the property after closing day. This is why home inspections before closing are so important for the buyer to take seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u261b<\/em> What defects in a home are significant enough to require disclosure to the buyer? See <\/em><\/strong>Defining \u201cMaterial Defects\u201d in the Seller\u2019s Disclosure<\/em><\/strong><\/a> for guidance.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Handle a Request for a Side Deal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a general rule, parties to a real estate purchase should discuss any side agreement attempts by the other party with their own real estate agents. Communication is key to a mutually satisfying agreement. The real estate agent might be able to come up with an excellent counteroffer that that the parties can memorialize in their written agreement, helping both sides feel good about their negotiations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the real estate agent should make the agreement an element of the official purchase contract \u2014 not just a promise based on a handshake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a side deal for repair work, new appliances, flooring, energy systems, property access, or any other understanding is put down in writing as a contractual agreement, the parties help to ensure that no element of their bargain gets forgotten, disputed, or superseded by the deed. The parties should understand and express their agreement that work will be done by insured, certified professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And don\u2019t forget to plan for permitting! That new fence, deck, or electrical work could require permits and fees, to comply with state and local laws. The local building department has complete information about which renovations require inspections and permits. If the seller is promising to have the work done, then the related part of the buyer\u2019s purchase payment can be placed in the escrow account until the jobs are permitted, scheduled, finished, and approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u261b<\/em> <\/em>Some side agreements are contingent on the purchase of the home. A well-prepared buyer, with the help of an experienced agent, can <\/em><\/strong>succeed with a contingent offer<\/em><\/strong><\/a> if both parties are motivated to make it work.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Takeaway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At closing time, the buyer takes the home in the condition in which the seller leaves it. So, if seller and buyer have any side deals they intend to preserve, they must appear on the deed. Alternatively, they must be in a separate document that says their additional agreements will not merge with the deed<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, one party can break the deal by not adhering to it. That\u2019s a key pitfall of the side deal. There\u2019s usually no way to enforce it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Important note:<\/em><\/strong> This article is not meant as legal advice, either to prevent or solve disputes. Seek case-specific legal advice from an attorney in the state where the property exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee R. Schroeder, in Lima News<\/em> (AIM Media Midwest Operating, LLC, Lima, Ohio): Legal-Ease: Two Big Pitfalls in Real Estate Deals<\/a> (Mar. 18, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiveron Law, PLLC: Reference Guide for Real Estate Closings<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barry Stone in the Los Angeles Times<\/em> via LATimes.com <\/em>(Access Media Group): Home-Sale Side Agreement Raises Serious Issues<\/a> (May 2, 2010).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deeds.com: <\/em>DIY Renovations? Everything You Wanted to Know (or Not) About Permits<\/a> (Nov. 6, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as linked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo credits: Olia Danilevich<\/a> and RODNAE Productions<\/a>, via Pexels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Occasionally, the parties to a home sale make side deals, and do not write them down. This can lead to later questions, regarding just how meaningful a side agreement is. To know whether a side agreement is binding after closing, it helps to be familiar with the impact a deed transfer has on that agreement. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing? - Deeds.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Let\u2019s take a look and side agreements, and what it means when they either \u201cmerge with\u201d or \u201csurvive\u201d the deed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing? - Deeds.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Let\u2019s take a look and side agreements, and what it means when they either \u201cmerge with\u201d or \u201csurvive\u201d the deed.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Deeds.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/deedsrealestate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-03T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-26T03:17:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/merging-with-the-deed-1024x492.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Deeds.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@RealEstateDeeds\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@RealEstateDeeds\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Deeds.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Deeds.com\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8e0eeca72de74094ddaa30fc54159b6b\"},\"headline\":\"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-03T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-26T03:17:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1218,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/merging-with-the-deed-1024x492.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing? - Deeds.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/merging-with-the-deed-1024x492.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-03T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-26T03:17:38+00:00\",\"description\":\"Let\u2019s take a look and side agreements, and what it means when they either \u201cmerge with\u201d or \u201csurvive\u201d the deed.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/merging-with-the-deed.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/merging-with-the-deed.jpg\",\"width\":2002,\"height\":961},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/\",\"name\":\"Deeds.com\",\"description\":\"Real Estate Deeds Made Easy Since 1997\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Deeds.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/deeds-logo-bw.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/deeds-logo-bw.png\",\"width\":417,\"height\":208,\"caption\":\"Deeds.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/deedsrealestate\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/RealEstateDeeds\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCWGNKXWKH9nluFfeIvG0OTQ\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.deeds.com\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8e0eeca72de74094ddaa30fc54159b6b\",\"name\":\"Deeds.com\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ceb3eac3a742cc3487be04bdf8e23cf5e2804c1a8c7f64f206a3b18e850562b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ceb3eac3a742cc3487be04bdf8e23cf5e2804c1a8c7f64f206a3b18e850562b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ceb3eac3a742cc3487be04bdf8e23cf5e2804c1a8c7f64f206a3b18e850562b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Deeds.com\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing? - Deeds.com","description":"Let\u2019s take a look and side agreements, and what it means when they either \u201cmerge with\u201d or \u201csurvive\u201d the deed.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing? - Deeds.com","og_description":"Let\u2019s take a look and side agreements, and what it means when they either \u201cmerge with\u201d or \u201csurvive\u201d the deed.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/","og_site_name":"Deeds.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/deedsrealestate\/","article_published_time":"2023-05-03T12:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-26T03:17:38+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/merging-with-the-deed-1024x492.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Deeds.com","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@RealEstateDeeds","twitter_site":"@RealEstateDeeds","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Deeds.com","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/"},"author":{"name":"Deeds.com","@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/8e0eeca72de74094ddaa30fc54159b6b"},"headline":"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing?","datePublished":"2023-05-03T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-26T03:17:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/"},"wordCount":1218,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/merging-with-the-deed-1024x492.jpg","articleSection":["General"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/","url":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/","name":"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing? - Deeds.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/merging-with-the-deed-1024x492.jpg","datePublished":"2023-05-03T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-26T03:17:38+00:00","description":"Let\u2019s take a look and side agreements, and what it means when they either \u201cmerge with\u201d or \u201csurvive\u201d the deed.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/merging-with-the-deed.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/merging-with-the-deed.jpg","width":2002,"height":961},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/merging-with-the-deed-are-side-agreements-binding-after-closing\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cMerging With the Deed\u201d: Are Side Agreements Binding After Closing?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/","name":"Deeds.com","description":"Real Estate Deeds Made Easy Since 1997","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/#organization","name":"Deeds.com","url":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/deeds-logo-bw.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/deeds-logo-bw.png","width":417,"height":208,"caption":"Deeds.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/deedsrealestate\/","https:\/\/x.com\/RealEstateDeeds","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCWGNKXWKH9nluFfeIvG0OTQ"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/8e0eeca72de74094ddaa30fc54159b6b","name":"Deeds.com","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ceb3eac3a742cc3487be04bdf8e23cf5e2804c1a8c7f64f206a3b18e850562b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ceb3eac3a742cc3487be04bdf8e23cf5e2804c1a8c7f64f206a3b18e850562b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ceb3eac3a742cc3487be04bdf8e23cf5e2804c1a8c7f64f206a3b18e850562b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Deeds.com"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2955\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}