internet explorer is not secure and is not supported anymore (by us or anyone else, frankly). a contract is an oral or written agreement to do or not to do a certain thing. however, most contracts involving real estate must be in writing to be enforceable.the statute of frauds determines the documents that must be in writing to be enforceable. in most states, real estate documents such as sale contracts, deeds, and mortgages must be in writing. therefore it is in an agent’s best financial interest to have a written listing agreement. for example, a listing contract contains an expiration date, an offer contains a time period, and a sales contract contains a date at which time the buyers must inspect the property and secure a mortgage commitment and a closing date. in the case where a time period is not specified, the law will give a reasonable time to complete the contract. if the requirement is not met, the promisor will be held to have breached the contract and the rescission by the promisee would be justified.an “as is clause” in a contract means the buyer is buying the property as he sees it, with all existing conditions.