Interesting. I never heard of a title company in PA doing the agreement of sale, but maybe what they print out is the standard PAR (Pennsylvania Association of Realtors) Agreement of Sale. I think that form is similar in concept to what New Jersey Realtors use -- meaning it's a standard contract form that has been approved by the legal profession and contains all of the caveats about getting an attorney to review the document etc.
I am in New Jersey but across the river from Philadelphia County and Bucks County Pennsylvania.
The "land contract" deal became popular c. 1980 to get around "due on sale" clauses in mortgages. At that time, the mortgages rate was in the double digits and mortgages were hard to get. The "land contract" let the buyer effectively assume the old mortgage without the permission of the mortgage holder.
I was the buyer in such a deal back then.
The key is to get a lawyer who has worked out the details and can protect both buyer and seller. Among other things, the lawyer set up a lien on the property for me so that if the buyers' died (which they did) the heirs can't get carried away. It worked quite well. The only paperwork that actually was filed in the courthouse was my lien!
Frankly, in today's market/economy I don't see the need for this.
There is another type of "land contract" where the owner effectively leases the land on a net basis (lessor pays taxes, etc.) to the "buyer" for a LONG time. Typically, the term can be 100 years. Sometimes very expensive buildings are put on the land. When the lease is within a decade or two of expiring, some serious negotiations take place. The lessor will tend to simply let the building rot away while getting as much rent as he can from his tenants. Usually, a new deal is cut with a new land contract.
Back in the '80s, at least one apartment building that sat on leased land was converted to condos. In something like 20 years the condos would revert back to the land owner! I never found out whether anyone actually bought the condos and whether the paid a low price.
In the land lease contract, it's good to get a lawyer but it's not all that usual except for the long term.
I'm not a lawyer but the "deal is signed" wherever the parties can get together. It can be done with the parties in two different states (or even two countries). The fax machines get a real workout. But the contracts are IAW the jurisdiction where the property is located and that's where they, usually, are filed.
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