<    +     Î”

[Editor’s Note:  Nothing in this post or on this blog should be construed as offering legal counsel.  If you require legal advice, please consult an attorney.]

If you want to skip my post, “Counteroffer vs. Amendment vs. Addendum” and cut to the chase, here it is, in three easy symbols:

<:  a Counter rejects some existing term, and proposes a substitute.  It serves to “kill” the current offer on the table.

+ :  an Addendum supplements the Purchase Agreement.  Examples include the Financing Addendum and the Inspection Addendum.

Δ :  (change symbol, sorry):  an Amendment alters some previously agreed-to contractual term:  “closing date is changed from May 10 to May 18.”

Here’s another way to help keep things straight:  Addenda and Counteroffers precede a consummated deal (what agents call “Final Acceptance”); Amendments come after.

Thanks to Edina Realty Office Manager Josh Kaplan for clarifying the distinctions.