The Real Estate Encyclopedia & Blog

Oral Contract

by | Feb 6, 2026

In real estate and contract law, an oral contract is a verbal agreement between parties that has not been reduced to writing. It is formed through spoken words rather than a written document.

While oral contracts may be legally valid in some circumstances, many real estate agreements are required by law to be in writing to be enforceable. As a result, oral contracts in real estate often carry a higher risk of dispute due to difficulties in proving their terms.