Cash Purchase
This is the most common method of purchase. The buyer either uses all cash, or gets a Mortgage from a Bank to pay the seller.
A big advantage of this method is that the Seller receives most of their equity (difference between the value and what is owed) at the time of closing. However closing costs and Realtor Fees do apply.
The disadvantage of this method is that If the house was sold on the MLS, the Seller pays (usually 5%) of total purchase price to a Realtor. The sales comission is based on the sales price, Not on your equity.
For Example: If the sales price was $200K, and the seller owes $150K to the Bank, then your equity is $50K. The seller will pay 5% x $200K = $10K to the Realtor, and receive only $40K. The Seller just paid 20% of their equity to the Realtor !!
The legal documents involved in a cash purchase are a Promissory Note and a Trust Deed.