Dirt. Dirt is the basis of real estate. It's not the house on the dirt, the garage, or the outbuildings. They are improvements. Dirt is the name of the game.
Maybe the pictured hands are of a farmer who has scooped the dirt into his hands to bring it close enough to smell as part of the joy of owning a rich plot of land. Maybe it's a gardener who has mixed nutrients into the soil in an effort to grow healthier and more beautiful plants. Maybe it's someone who just enjoys the feel of clumps of dirt.
In feudal England this person might be transferring title to the land from himself to another. This symbolic act called "livery of season" predated the handshake. The delivery of a clump of dirt to seal the deal was done in public with witnesses. Many people did not read or write during these times and the public ceremony was their bond.
Today, delivery is just as important to the transaction as it was in former days. A clause in the Minnesota Association of REALTORS® 2007 purchase agreement states: "ACCEPTANCE: To be binding, this Purchase Agreement must be fully executed by both parties and a copy must be delivered."
The temptation at 11:00 PM when all signatures have been "fully executed" is to wait until tomorrow to deliver the purchase agreement. Everyone is tired. The other agent may have gone to bed! Postponing delivery can be risky. Tomorrow might come and a better offer was signed and delivered prior to delivery of yours. Lack of delivery would be the key to rejecting the offer. In the kind of real estate market we are experiencing in St. Paul currently, delay usually does not mean loss of the purchase but in other times, delay in delivery could jeopardize the purchase.
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