In the real estate industry every listing or purchase contract must be completed in writing, which requires authentic signatures on multiple documents.  In traditional signature techniques, if a signature is required by someone who cannot be physically present for the signing, the document must be sent to the person by courier or emailed, printed and signed in front of a notary and sent back.  Modern technology has aided this process to the point where digital signatures or e-signatures are now routinely taking the place of in-person-signings.

The questions that loom large in many people’s minds are; “Are electronic signatures safe, or can my digital signature be forged, misused or copied?”  E-signatures have been safely used for many years now and the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  The authentication available provides multiple layers of security and prevents documents from being intercepted while the unique identifying keys protect signatures from outside threats.  In other words, fraud is rare in the process of electronic signatures.

In fact, some advantages of e-signatures are its security and authenticity.  Additional benefits include its mobility, accuracy, cost and speed.  E-signature software ensures the whole document is filled out and signed correctly.  Mandatory fields won’t allow you to proceed unless you have completed each signature, assuring that you can never miss a page. 

Unlike traditional wet signatures, e-signature providers usually offer an electronic record that serves as proof of the transaction and provides an audit trail which includes the history of signature related actions that occurred within the document.  Some even provide the geo-location where it was signed, depending on the provider and consent of the user.

In a typical real estate transaction, the broker creates the digital documents then formats those documents for e-signature and sends those documents to seller or buyer in an email.  The signer can then review the document prior to signing and continue the signing process.  The signing platform verifies your identity and the user must read the disclosure provided and agree to use the electronic process.  The user signs the document by clicking the signature button or initial blocks.  Once the user has clicked “complete” or “save”, the document is stored electronically where it can be viewed and downloaded by the broker. 

For the signing of actual closing documents (such as a property deed), additional advanced security methods are employed that utilizes a secure-signature-creation-device.  The electronic signature is then deemed the legal equivalent to a wet signature.