Houston County Contract for Deed Form (Alabama)

All Houston County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Contract for Deed Form

Houston County Contract for Deed Form

Fill in the blank Contract for Deed form formatted to comply with all Alabama recording and content requirements.
Included Houston County compliant document last validated/updated 6/19/2024

Contract for Deed Guide

Houston County Contract for Deed Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the Contract for Deed form.
Included Houston County compliant document last validated/updated 9/17/2024

Completed Example of the Contract for Deed Document

Houston County Completed Example of the Contract for Deed Document

Example of a properly completed Alabama Contract for Deed document for reference.
Included Houston County compliant document last validated/updated 11/11/2024

Annual Accounting Statement Form

Houston County Annual Accounting Statement Form

Fill in the blank form, used for fiscal year reporting.
Included Houston County compliant document last validated/updated 10/28/2024

When using these Contract for Deed forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Houston County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Probate Office: Recording

462 N Oates St, 2nd floor / PO Box 6404, Dothan, Alabama 36303 / 36302

Hours: 8:30 to 4:30 M-F

Phone: (334) 677-4723

Local jurisdictions located in Houston County include:

  • Ashford
  • Columbia
  • Cottonwood
  • Cowarts
  • Dothan
  • Gordon
  • Pansey
  • Webb

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Houston County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Houston County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Houston County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Houston County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Contract for Deed forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Houston County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Houston County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Alabama or Houston County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Houston County Contract for Deed forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

A contract for deed, also known as a land contract or installment sale agreement, is an alternative financing arrangement for buying property, where the seller finances the purchase rather than the buyer obtaining a loan from a third-party lender. In Alabama, as in other states, this type of contract involves the buyer making payments directly to the seller over a period until the full purchase price is paid, after

1. Seller Financing: The primary function of a Contract for Deed is to provide an alternative financing option where the seller acts as the lender. The buyer makes payments directly to the seller over an agreed-upon period instead of obtaining a loan from a bank or mortgage company.

2. Transfer of Ownership: Unlike traditional real estate transactions where ownership is transferred immediately upon the close of the sale, in a Contract for Deed, the legal title remains with the seller until all payments under the contract have been completed. This deferred transfer of title is a distinctive feature of this type of agreement.

3. Possession and Use: Although the legal title remains with the seller, the buyer usually takes possession of the property right after the contract is signed. The buyer can use the property, live in it, or even improve it during the term of the contract.

4. Payment Structure: The payments made under a Contract for Deed often resemble those of a standard mortgage, including principal and interest, and are typically made in monthly installments. This contract also includes a balloon payment option if applicable to your situation.

5. Protection for Both Parties: The contract specifies the obligations and rights of both the buyer and the seller, providing protections for each: THE PURCHASER CAN CURE A DEFAULT in the Note by bringing all past due payments on the Note and penalties, if any, current. If the Note is subject to foreclosure, the Purchaser would, most likely, be required to pay the entire balance due under the Note to protect the Purchaser's interest in the Property.

6. Flexibility: Contracts for Deed can be customized to suit the financial situations and agreements between individual buyers and sellers, Use this Contract for residential property, rental units, and condominiums.

Sections 40-22-1 through 40-22-12 of the Code of Alabama 1975 pertain to the recordation of conditional sale contracts, which include contracts for deed or installment sale agreements. These provisions outline the legal requirements for recording such contracts to ensure they are valid and enforceable, as well as to provide public notice of the buyer's interest in the property.

1. Requirement for Recordation: Mandatory Recording: To be enforceable against third parties, a conditional sale contract must be recorded in the office of the judge of probate in the county where the property is located. This recording provides public notice of the buyer's equitable interest in the property.

2. Timeframe: The contract must be recorded within a specific timeframe (often within 30 days of execution) to ensure it is properly indexed and accessible for public record.

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Houston County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Houston County Contract for Deed form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

4.8 out of 5 - ( 4434 Reviews )

James S.

November 21st, 2024

Forms used, created quitclaim deed that the county accepted without a second look (turns out they see deeds.com forms regularly via erecording and in person). Will be back for any real estate related forms I need and they carry. Will always be my first stop. Also, will use erecording next time, mad I didn't see it this time.

Reply from Staff

Thanks for the kind words James, glad we could help. Look forward to seeing you again.

Thomas G.

November 21st, 2024

Wasn’t what I expected

Reply from Staff

Sorry to hear that your expectations were missed. Your order has been canceled. We do hope that you find something more suitable to your expectations elsewhere. Do keep in mind that purchasing legal forms should not be an exploratory endeavor.

Jimmy P.

November 20th, 2024

They sent me everything I would need to do this. Easy purchase -Easy download. Great!! I'll be back here for all my document needs.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Fernando V.

February 28th, 2023

Excellent!

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Debbie M.

August 21st, 2019

Everything that I needed was included. I appreciate that there was a sample as well as the step-by-step directions included in the download. I would definitely recommend this site to anyone that needs it.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Frank B.

March 16th, 2023

Great website, super easy to use, user friendly to navigate. Will definitely use for future needs, and will definitely refer to other customers.

F. Betancourt
Texas

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

Judy W.

May 12th, 2021

It would be helpful if the numbers on the instruction sheet were on the form. I was confused on page two if the signatures were for witnesses or buyer (grantee).
I do like the form and will use it in the future.

Also page one Grantee's signature only has one line and if there are two buyers need another line.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Vanessa W.

April 7th, 2019

This site is very useful and reasonable. Comes in handy when you need a deed in other states.

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Richard R.

June 28th, 2022

Kind of expensive for a 3 page item...but I received it pronto and it will fill the bill.

Reply from Staff

Thank you!

TIFFANY C.

May 20th, 2020

It would be nice if the notary State was fillable, we are having to notarize in another State. Also, need more room to add 2 beneficiaries with two different addresses.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

Marina M.

April 16th, 2022

Very easy to choose template and download. The price seems fair. Not sure the section on the deed for 6 witnesses is necessary....

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

George W.

April 2nd, 2020

The process was easy and the forms were a very complete package. FAST AND EASY DOWNLOAD

Reply from Staff

Thank you George.

Gabriel R.

August 24th, 2022

So far the service seems good, simple to use. One criticism, the password change feature should require the user to re-enter their old password, new password, and re-enter the new password to make sure there is no typos. Thanks.

Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it. Have a great day!

XIN Y.

June 14th, 2022

Great e-Recording service. Fast and convenient! All done in the comfort of my home. Love it!!!

Reply from Staff

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Thank you. Have a wonderful day!

Thomas D.

April 30th, 2020

The documents themselves are fine and the information provided with them is helpful. I find the actual processing of the documents, however, to be difficult particularly once the document has been saved. First, I note that the box for the date only allows entry of the last 2 digits of the year. Unfortunately, my download only allows me to enter one of the 2 digits required. When I delete it repeatedly, it eventually allows both digits to be entered but puts them in extremely small text and in superscrypt. I have not found a solution to this problem and am not sure the deed can even be recorded with this problem.

Another problem is that if you try to revise the document after you have saved it the curser goes to the end of the line after each key entry. This means that there basically is no way to efficiently save the document for reworking later since you will have to delete everything you have entered in the text box unless you only need to make a single keystroke change or are willing to replace the curser after each entry. Try that with a long property description!

Please note that I am using a Mac to prepare my documents and perhaps this is part of an "incompatibility problem". However, I didn't see a disclaimer regarding Mac use and so would expect the documents to perform correctly. Overall, I give the program a "2 star" rating because I am experiencing significant difficulties in entering dates in the documents even before saving them and because saving your work for later revision appears to be basically unworkable.













Reply from Staff

Thank you for your feedback Thomas, we appreciate you being specific about the issues you encountered. Adobe and Mac have a fairly long history of issues working together.