Almost failed to sign a contract because of the “on or before 30 days” clause when buying a property in New York?
- Zeng Law Group, PLLC
- Mar 11
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 17
Recently, we helped a client purchase a single-family house in Long Island. It was an all-cash closing, so the client’s funds were fully prepared.
However, when it came time to sign the contract, the seller’s attorney proposed a very strict clause: the closing date must be on or before 30 days from signing the contract, rather than on or about.
This “on or before” clause may not sound like a big deal, but for attorneys it is extremely strict. In other words, if for any reason caused by the buyer the closing cannot happen within 30 days or before, the buyer would be considered in breach of contract.
The client’s funds were not the issue at all. The real risk was whether the land survey could be completed in time. As we know, properties in Long Island often have relatively large lots, and a surveyor can typically complete surveys for only about two properties per day. After placing a survey order, it usually takes three to four weeks for the results to come out.
This meant it would be nearly impossible for our closing to occur on or before 30 days. Therefore, before signing the contract, we urgently contacted the title company and asked whether it would be possible to find a surveyor who could expedite the work or allow us to jump the queue temporarily.
If that was possible, we would proceed with signing the contract. If not, we would either renegotiate the clause or decide not to sign the contract.
Fortunately, the title company was very supportive. They contacted multiple survey companies and eventually confirmed that one surveyor could take our case immediately.
Once the survey arrangement was confirmed, we agreed for the client to proceed with signing the purchase contract.
So when purchasing a property in New York, your funds determine whether you can buy, but the timeline written in the contract determines whether the transaction can actually be completed.
Don’t let an “on or before 30 days” clause turn your smooth closing into a countdown to breach of contract.
If you are also planning to purchase property in New York, feel free to reach out to us. Follow Zeng Law Group, PLLC in New York so you’re never left without a solution.
Bye-bye.
我们最近帮一个客户在长岛购买独立屋。他是一个全现金过户，所以资金是准备的稳稳当当的。
但是在签合同的时候，对方律师提出了一个非常苛刻的条款，也就是过户时间是签订合同的30天及其之前，也就是 on or before，不是 on or about。
那么这个 on or before 条款听起来没有什么，但是对律师来讲，这是非常严苛的。也就是说，如果因为我们买家的原因，不能在30天及其之前过户的话，我们是有违约责任的。
客户的资金其实是没有问题的，但是风险就在于土地测绘图（survey）能不能做出来。其实我们知道长岛的话，它地是比较大的，一个survey每天可能最多就做两个房子。所以我们在survey上面一般递交了订单之后，要3到4个星期才可能出结果。
那么这个就不可能让我们的过户发生在30天及其之前。所以在签合同之前，我们紧急联系了产权公司，跟他问了，就说这个单有没有可能你去找一个快的survey，或者我们临时插个队，有可能吗？
有可能我们就签合同，没可能的话，我们要么重新谈条款，要么就不能签合同。
好在产权公司比较给力，他联系了多方的survey，最后终于确定了有一家是可以临时插队的。我们确定好survey了之后，才同意客户签订购房的合同。
所以在纽约买房，你的资金决定了你能不能买，而合同上的时间也决定了你买不买得成。不要让 on or before 30天 这种条款，把你从稳稳过户变成了违约倒计时。
如果你也希望在纽约购买房产，不妨找我们聊聊。关注纽约曾晖律师，不再无计可施。
拜拜。
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