A right of first refusal (RFR) in a real-estate contract is typically a mechanism that gives to a specific party the right to be the first allowed to purchase a particular property if it’s offered for sale. The holder has the right to refuse to buy the property; it can be a confusing concept.
An RFR is a future right, and it is contingent on the property being put on the market.
The terms of an RFR can range from vague and non-binding to very specific and very binding. An RFR can easily mean different things to different parties, so it’s essential that both know precisely what each means by an RFR when it’s first being discussed.
One type of RFR is essentially an option to buy a property for sale before it’s sold to any other buyer. The seller and holder/buyer may or may not agree at the time the RFR is negotiated to bind themselves to a specific price and other terms. The option may or may not end at some specific date in the future. The seller is not obligated to sell if price and terms have not been established when the RFR was set up.
A variation on the RFR as option price is an agreement to sell and buy at a price based on one or more appraisals when the RFR is invoked or as a percentage of the current value as agreed to by the parties when they negotiate the RFR. The parties could agree, for example, that 100 acres is worth $100,000 right now and the option price will be three percent higher during the term of each succeeding year, either compounded or not compounded.
A second type of RFR is the right of its holder to match any offer the seller has, thus preempting its sale to another party. The holder is usually not required to match an offer, but may choose at his option to do so.
A related idea is something called a Right of First Offer (ROFO), or Right of First Negotiation). The language usually requires the property owner to engage in good-faith bargaining with the ROFO holder before negotiating a sale with other parties. But an ROFO may simply give its holder the right to make an offer and not obligate the seller beyond looking at the holder’s proposal. An ROFO could, but usually does not, bind the parties to come to an agreement. An ROFO gets the buyer’s foot in the seller’s door, but nothing is predictable after that.
Every RFR should be drafted as either an agreement or a contract (in which the holder gives some “consideration,” or pays for, the right). It may bind the current owner alone or run with the land. In either case, I would advise having it recorded.
Both parties — the holder of the right and the owner/seller — find a self-interest in working out an RFR. The owner/seller’s motivation may be cash in hand at the time the RFR is agreed to. The holder is usually motivated by a favorable price or terms down the road coupled with an improved ability to pay for the sale.
A purchased RFR typically sets forth a future (option) price and other terms. This gives both parties in current conditions certainty about a future time, price and other arrangements. If the holder cannot meet the RFR’s terms in the future, the RFR is not exercised and the seller is free to sell or not sell to anyone. In most cases, the RFR holder has no claim for the money he paid in advance for the right he does not use.
An RFR can also be set up among ownership principals that allows those who wish to continue to own a jointly held property the right to make a first offer or match an offer to a partner who wants to exit the partnership or to that partner’s estate. The holder/buyers get the chance to keep ownership among themselves, while the seller may be able to get the best price from those already in the deal. A fractional share in an ownership entirety is often discounted in the market, and a sale outside the group may penalize the seller.
RFRs of whatever type are usually set to expire at some specific future date. (This does not apply to ROFOs.) The longer the term of the RFR, the more uncertainty and risk each party accepts in light of market changes for the property’s value. As a rule, time benefits the holder to the extent that real estate is appreciating on a fixed-price RFR. One or two years is the typical range. Some RFRs allow either seller or buyer to invoke the RFR at any point during its term. Others give the buyer the right to make an offer only at the end of the specified term.
A lender or mortgage broker may ask a borrower to agree to a refinancing RFR that obliges the borrower to work through the holder (i.e., lender or broker), or gives the holder the right to match any refinancing terms. Do not agree to this type of RFR, which, depending on its language, can gum up a sale or refinancing at better terms. If you have signed such an RFR with a lender, request a release and talk to a lawyer.
An RFR is not a do-it-yourself legal project. Both parties should get lawyers involved in drafting language and making sure that everyone understands how it will work.
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Well written article with a lot of substance. Particularly liked the comment about “gumming up” a sale. That’s about all a RFR ever does. I advise sellers to avoid them like the plague. I’ve never seen a substantial consideration paid for one and it is near impossible to get a decent offer when it is subject to the buyer being sold out to the RFR.
I just had a discussion with my attorney regarding adding a RFR to a farm we are selling. I thought it would be very simple and straightforward, but that is far from the case and her recommendation was to not add RFR to the contract. After reading this article I have a better understanding of her concerns. On a side note, I’ve had a good experience with a RFR in a rental property lease agreement which provided the tenant the right to purchase at a future negotiated price.
I’m seeing these more and more especially on lease arrangements where the tenant wants an RFR in the lease. In better times, the owner could hold firm and require a lease-purchase agreement with a defined closing date, but in this week market, I see owners offering RFR’s in leases for not consideration at all. I recently wrote my own article on First Rights of Refusal at my blog.
Several years ago I listed a property of several hundred acres for over 1.5 million. I showed it several times and finally received an offer. It was at that time the seller advised me they had an unwritten, ROFR, with the hunters who lease the property. This was the 1st I had heard about the ROFR. Now, I have to notify my buyers of the ROFR. They feel like their offer is being used as leverage to force the holders of the ROFR to buy. This was done on a handshake with no dates or rules established. We presented the offer and advised the seller to give the holders 5 business days to excersise their ROFR.
Can the right to the first refusal be taken away by new owners? Can I still get help from someone I would enforceable in the right, can the courts?
If the right to first refusal is not in an agreement, but it was mentioned in an official letter before the agreement is signed, will the right to first refusal still be enforceable in court of law?
Also, is it a necessity for the right to first refusal to be of a particular duration? or it can be unreasonably long or can the duration not be mentioned at all?
My husband wants a divorce after more than 30 years. We are going to put our house on the market for sale, he wants an RFR in his name. I have been told it will scare potential buyers from making offers. Is this usually the case?
If the Lessee is a Calif Corp and the Lessor is a Calif Corp and neither one is the Owner of the property. The Lessor leased said property from the owner in 1992 and sublet the property to another CA entity at that time. The Lessee then recorded a First Right of Refusal to purchase the property. The lease ran for a period of 11 years and was up in 2003. Both Corporations no longer exist. What would be the status of the First Right. The original Owner has sold the property as well.
I made an offer on a property that had a RFR and withdrew it as soon as the RFR holder expressed interest in exercising. I can understand a ROFO, but feel RFRs are bogus and nullify any semblance of good faith negotiation.
From now on I’ll be requiring the seller to state that no RFR exists BEFORE making an offer. If one magically appears, the offer will be withdrawn.
Lawyers. When AREN’T they gumming up the works?
I’m in the midst of a divorce. My husband wants to buy the house, but he has no credit after running up sizable credit card debts and not paying taxes for 3 years (one reason among many we are divorcing). We have been showing our house for two weeks and have what feel like a couple of good prospects. If they put in an offer, he says he “will drag his feet,” because he has ROFR. Can he sabotage this sale without having a written agreement? We own the house, our only asset, as joint tenants with rights of survivorship.
Jorge, I am sorry to hear about the difficulties. You need to speak with your attorney about what your husband can do in your state. Most right of refusals have a specified time frame in which the person with the right to refuse must accept or decline their option to purchase. A judge can order a sale of the property to divide the assets. Best of luck with working this out.
I live in Pa., our mother passed away and 7 siblings are inheriting her estate. My husband and I are buying the estate. One sibling “graciously”, is giving me her share because I took care of our mother, another sister is disabled, living independently for now but wanting to hold her share thinking someday she may have to live with us at the estate. So in the end my husband and I will be paying 4 siblings out, (all wanting their share, money wise) My brother is asking for first right of refusal and be placed in the deed. My husband and I have no plans to sell the estate but feel wording should be used to protect my disabled sister with her right to live there in case my husband and I would die in a car accident together or etc. I also wonder if 20 years down the road into the mortgage, would this effect my two daughter from inheriting it or having the right to be on first right of refusal also, in which my brother is objecting to.
Teresa, thanks for the good question. You need to speak with an attorney about your specific situation. Every state has different laws that govern real property and inheritances. You will want some good legal guidance to help you structure the transaction in the best possible way.
I’m the administrator of my father’s estate, and my sister has first right of refusal to his property. I am anticipating an offer on the property this weekend. If she says she wants to buy the property, but then bails on the deal, do I have any legal recourse, or am I just stuck with no offers?
What happens if I did not get my ROFR and the building sold? It was in our contract that I had the ROFR and I received and amendment to the lease that removed it but no offer to buy the property nor notice of the terms they agreed to.
Long story short. I lost my husband and could no longer afford my home. I was behind and offered a short sale as an option to foreclosure. An acquaintance of a “good friend” of mine was interested and played on my distraught frame of mind talked me into signing without any notary a FROR. I told him that he would need to work with my real estate agent which my bank is working with. Meanwhile, come to find out he kept stalling (didn’t realize he wouldn’t qualify for a loan (he is a Physician Asst.) and refused to work with them or make a true offer despite saying he was going to. Meanwhile, I received a cash offer that the bank countered with and the buyer matched it. The person I signed the FROR with backdated it prior to me listing my home with my agent and attached it to my home title while telling me (in writing that he couldn’t match the offer and was delighted to hear I had a buyer and to go ahead and pursue it. We get to closing only to discover he attached this to my title. He sent me a letter demanding 5K wired to his account and only then would he release the FROR from my title. I have kept electronic copies of our conversations. The closing real estate attorney said judges do not take kindly to what he’s done but I’m not sure where I should start. And when I say I was headed to foreclosure this also means I do not have money to fight this. The bank has granted me until the end of October 2019 to get this figured out. And as banks go they have been generous in what they have done compared to other horror stories I’ve encountered. Thank you for any advice you can recommend.
Diana, you need legal help immediately. Do you have an attorney that assisted you in the past? If you do not have an attorney, many state law bar associations have a free legal hotline that will give you one free consultation. Try contacting your acquaintance that introduced you to this creep and see if there is anything they can help do. If you attend a local church, see if someone in the congregation practices law and can offer some assistance. I know it is overwhelming, but you’ll be glad you tried to take action immediately.
Interesting and well done.
My father owner a property and subdivided it in two parcels. I bought one with a numbered corp. He sold the other one to a man who requested a ROFR for my property if I ever sell it. I am now considering the selling part of my company that owns that property. If I sell the company, but the ROFR is for the property, do we need to exercise the ROFR, since the property will not actually be changing ownership? The ROFR was never written up… Just verbal with no specifics.