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Sell your house without a real estate agent in Puerto Rico: fees, contracts and paperwork
In Puerto Rico you can sell your house without a real estate agent. Act 10-1994 regulates brokers, not an owner selling their own property; the Puerto Rico Supreme Court confirmed it in 2008. What does not change is the rest: the sale is signed as a public deed before a notary, with a title study and CRIM certificates. A broker usually charges 5 to 6 percent of the price and asks for an exclusive listing contract, almost always for 6 months. We buy directly from the owner, for cash, with no commission and a written offer in 24 hours.
Key takeaways
- You can sell your house without an agent: Act 10-1994 regulates brokers, not an owner selling their own property, and the Supreme Court confirmed it in 2008.
- A broker usually charges 5 to 6 percent of the price and asks for an exclusive listing contract, almost always 6 months; the law requires them to explain the expiration and bans automatic renewal.
- We buy directly, for cash, with no commission, we pay closing costs and give you a written offer in 24 hours. If listing is the better move, we tell you.
What does a broker charge in Puerto Rico, and what do you sign?
The law does not set the commission; it is agreed in the brokerage contract. On the island the usual range is 5 to 6 percent of the sale price, paid by the seller at closing. Almost every broker asks for an exclusive listing contract: while it runs, usually 6 months, the commission is owed even if you find the buyer yourself.
A 2023 Court of Appeals case shows the typical contract: exclusive right to sell, 5 percent of the price payable when the deed is signed, a 6-month term, and commission owed if the owner sells during the term, or in the 6 months after to a buyer the broker had already brought. Act 10-1994 requires the broker to explain the terms and the expiration date before you sign, and bans automatic renewal clauses (article 31). Read it slowly; it is a contract, not a form.
Is it legal to sell my house without an agent?
Yes. Act 10-1994 regulates the real estate business and the broker, salesperson and firm licenses. The same law says an owner who sells their own property, for their own benefit and not as an intermediary, is not practicing as a broker, and it excludes owners who are not habitually in the business of selling property. The Supreme Court confirmed that in 2008.
What does require a license is charging to find a buyer for someone else. If someone offers to "sell your house for a lower commission" without a license from the Junta de Corredores, they are outside the law (article 34: a fine and up to six months in jail). And if an ad shows only a phone number, with no broker name or license number, it is either the owner directly or a broker breaking article 31. Selling what is yours, yourself, has never been the problem.
What does a sale by owner need in Puerto Rico?
The same as any sale: a public deed of sale before a notary, a title study before signing, a CRIM debt certificate, payment of whatever is owed, and filing the deed at the Property Registry. If there is a mortgage, it is cancelled in the same act. The notary is mandatory; the broker is not.
The Notarial Act (Act 75-1987) is what gives the transaction legal authenticity: without a deed before a notary there is no recordable sale, and Act 210-2015 requires that public document to record the new owner at the Registry. The title study is requested by the notary or the buyer to see liens, attachments or unresolved heirs. If the house is inherited, see selling an inherited house; if it was never recorded, see unregistered property. The notary's fee is set by the Notarial Act according to the deed's value, and who pays each item is agreed between the parties.
What do we do, and what do we not do?
We buy the house directly from you, for cash, as it stands. We charge no commission, ask for no exclusive and nothing signed before you see the offer, and we pay the closing costs. The offer arrives in writing within 24 hours, good for 7 days, with the full breakdown. Closing is coordinated by an attorney-notary, who is the one who certifies the sale.
What we do not do: we are not brokers and we do not list your house, advertise it, find buyers for you or charge for doing so. We do not give legal or tax advice. We are the buyer. If what you want is someone to sell your house to the highest bidder, a licensed broker does that; if what you want is to sell now, to a known buyer, with no commission and no showings, that is what we do.
When is listing with an agent the better choice?
If your house is in good condition, a bank can finance it, you are not in a hurry and your town has an active market, a broker will almost always get you more money than a cash offer. We say that plainly. Our offer makes sense when the house needs work, the bank says no, or time and certainty are worth more than the last dollar.
A cash offer for a house that needs work will always be lower than the price of a renovated house on the market: we take on the renovation, the risk and the time. The honest comparison is list price minus commission, minus the repairs the buyer asks for, minus months of property tax, water, power and mortgage payments while you wait, against a fixed number with a date. If the broker wins that math, list it. If your house is worth more listed, we tell you so and you leave with the number in hand.
Procedures that show up in these sales, who handles them and what they solve
| Procedure | Handled by | What it solves | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRIM debt certificate | CRIM | How much is owed; paid from the price at closing | Municipal Code, Act 107-2020 |
| Public nuisance declaration | The municipality (OMPU or Public Works) | Fines and a lien on the closed house | Act 107-2020 |
| Mandatory mediation | The court, within 30 days of service | Alternatives with the bank before the auction | Act 184-2012 |
| FEMA claim | FEMA, Individuals and Households Program | Disaster aid; the sworn ownership declaration stands in for a deed | fema.gov; Recuperación PR |
| Use permit | OGPe or the municipality | Legalizes the structure or the addition | Act 161-2009 |
| Expediente de dominio | Notary, with a survey certification | Records a house with no title for the first time | Act 210-2015; 2025 TSPR 45 |
| Title study | Attorney-notary | Who owns it and what liens exist before the sale | Act 210-2015 |
| Exclusive listing contract with a broker | Broker licensed by the Junta | Agreed commission (usually 5 to 6%), term (usually 6 months); no automatic renewal | Act 10-1994, art. 31; KLAN202200231 |
| Public deed of sale | Notary | The sale itself; it is what gets recorded at the Registry | Act 75-1987; Act 210-2015 |
Each procedure has its office and its timeline; we coordinate them with the attorney-notary and advance them once a purchase agreement is signed.
What we do not do
We are not attorneys or brokers. In a foreclosure, catching up or negotiating with the bank comes first; a cash sale is one exit, not the only one. We do not promise a date an official procedure will not allow, and we do not publish fee figures: the attorney-notary confirms them.
Frequently asked questions
Before you request an offer
- ✓The house address or the CRIM parcel (catastro) number.
- ✓Whose name the property is in, and whether that person is alive.
- ✓What is owed: CRIM, mortgage, water, power, maintenance fees, even roughly.
- ✓If there is a lawsuit, bank letter, municipal fine or FEMA claim, the date on the document.
- ✓Whether anyone lives in the house today.
- ✓Exterior photos or a WhatsApp video; with no access, the address is enough to start.
Let's talk about the house
Tell us the town, the condition of the house and whether you signed anything with a broker (and until when). We give you the written offer and tell you, plainly, if listing it is the better move.
Sources
- Act 10-1994, Puerto Rico Real Estate Business Act (arts. 2, 31, 33 and 34)
- Supreme Court, 2008 TSPR 52: Act 10 excludes owners not habitually in the business of selling property
- Court of Appeals, KLAN202200231 (2023): exclusive listing contract, 5%, 6 months
- Department of State, Real Estate Brokers Board: candidate manual (2024)
- Act 75-1987, Puerto Rico Notarial Act
- Act 210-2015, Property Registry Act (expediente de dominio, art. 185)
This is not legal or tax advice. It is general information so you understand the process; the advice comes from the attorney-notary who takes part in the transaction. Last reviewed: October 30, 2026.