How to Fill Out CAR Form SPRP: Seller’s Purchase of Replacement Property

To fill out C.A.R. Form SPRP (Seller’s Purchase of Replacement Property), attach it to your California Residential Purchase Agreement or counter offer, complete the header so the parties, property, and agreement date match the underlying contract exactly, then work through Paragraph 1 by choosing either 1A (you’re still looking for a replacement home) or 1B with 1C checked (you’re already under contract on one and want your sale contingent on that escrow closing). The rest of the form is about the day count you write in and the written steps you take to remove the contingency on time.

The SPRP is the addendum that makes your home sale contingent on lining up your next residence. It protects you from closing with nowhere to go, and it gives the buyer a defined deadline so they know when the deal becomes unconditional.¹

Complete the Header To Match the Purchase Agreement

At the top of the SPRP, check one box to indicate whether the form attaches to the Purchase Agreement, a Counter Offer, or another document. Then fill in four fields:¹

The date of the underlying purchase agreement or counter offer.
The full address of the home you’re selling (called “Seller’s Property” on the form).
The legal name of every buyer on the purchase agreement.
The legal name of every seller on the purchase agreement.

These details matter because the SPRP becomes part of the binding contract the moment everyone signs. A mismatched name or date between this addendum and the purchase agreement invites confusion during escrow, and any dispute over what the contingency covers will start with reading these fields.

Choose Paragraph 1A or Paragraphs 1B and 1C

Paragraph 1 is the heart of the form. You pick one path. You’re either still searching for a replacement home, or you’ve already found one.

Paragraph 1A: You Haven’t Found a Home Yet

Select 1A if you have not entered into a contract on a replacement property. This creates a Finding Replacement Property Contingency, giving you a set number of days after acceptance to locate a home and get into contract on it. The form defaults to 17 days, and the blank next to “or ___” is where you and the buyer negotiate a different number.¹ Before the deadline expires, you must remove the contingency in writing or cancel the agreement.

Paragraph 1B: You’re Already Under Contract

Select 1B when you’ve entered into a contract on your replacement property. Fill in the escrow holder’s name and the escrow number. On its own, 1B is informational; it tells the buyer your next home is lined up but does not, by itself, give you a way out if that purchase collapses.

Paragraph 1C: The Checkbox That Actually Protects You

Paragraph 1C works alongside 1B. When you check it, your current sale becomes contingent on actually closing escrow on the replacement property, not just being under contract for it. If your replacement purchase falls through for any reason, whether financing, inspection issues, or the other seller backing out, you keep the right to cancel the sale of your current home.¹ Most sellers who’ve found a home should check 1C. Skipping it means you’ve disclosed the purchase without preserving any protection tied to it.

Set a Realistic Day Count

Whatever number you write becomes a hard deadline. Every day in the window counts from the date the buyer’s offer is accepted, weekends and holidays included. The standard California RPA uses 17 days as its default for most contingencies, and the SPRP follows that convention.

Work backward from your real situation. Under 1A, 17 days gives you roughly two and a half weeks to tour homes, write an offer, and get it accepted. That’s workable if you’ve already shortlisted properties, but it leaves no room for a rejected offer or a bidding war. Buyers in slower markets are more likely to agree to 21 or 30 days; in hot markets you may need to accept 17 or concede something in return.

Under 1B with 1C checked, your window should reflect where the replacement escrow actually stands. A replacement property already past inspections and appraisal might close in two to three weeks. One that just opened escrow could need 30 to 45 days. Match the number on the form to that reality.

Remove the Contingency in Writing

Once you’ve satisfied the condition, either by getting into contract for a replacement home under 1A or by closing escrow on one under 1B and 1C, you have to remove the contingency in writing. The standard document is C.A.R. Form CR (Contingency Removal), which your agent prepares for your signature and delivers to the buyer’s side. All contingencies under the C.A.R. purchase agreements have to be removed this way.¹²

Once the CR is delivered and acknowledged, your escape clause is gone. You’re committed to selling regardless of what happens with your replacement property after that point. Make sure your replacement deal is solid before you sign the CR. A verbal update to your agent doesn’t count.

If You Miss the Deadline

If the deadline passes and you haven’t removed the contingency in writing, the buyer gains a path to cancel, but they can’t cancel immediately. The SPRP requires the buyer to first deliver a Notice to Seller to Perform (C.A.R. Form NSP).¹ The NSP gives you two business days to remove the contingency or face cancellation.

An unanswered NSP is a deal-killer. The buyer can cancel in writing and recover their earnest money deposit. If you can see the deadline coming and know you need more time, ask for a written extension before the original deadline passes. Waiting to see whether the buyer will notice is not a strategy.

Plan Post-Closing Occupancy at the Same Time

Even with the SPRP in place, the timing between selling your current home and moving into your next one rarely lines up cleanly. If you may need to stay in the property after it closes, negotiate that at the same time you sign the SPRP. You’ll have leverage then, not during the final week of escrow.

For occupancy of fewer than 30 days after close of escrow, the Seller in Possession addendum (C.A.R. Form SIP) applies. It sets a specific move-out date and time, a daily license fee paid to the buyer, a delivery-of-possession deposit held in escrow, and puts utilities on you. If you don’t vacate on time, the buyer can pursue court-awarded damages.³

For occupancy of 30 days or more, the SIP doesn’t apply. That length triggers landlord-tenant law, and you’ll need a Residential Lease After Sale (C.A.R. Form RLAS) instead.³ Under an RLAS you become the buyer’s tenant with all the protections and obligations of California residential tenancy. That’s a materially bigger commitment on both sides, so raise it early if your replacement purchase is likely to take a while.

If You’re Doing a 1031 Exchange

If your sale is part of a tax-deferred exchange under IRC Section 1031, the SPRP timeline has to be mapped against your exchange deadlines. Once you close escrow on the property you’re selling, federal rules give you 45 days to identify potential replacement properties in writing and deliver that identification to your qualified intermediary or the replacement property seller. You then have 180 days from the sale, or the due date of your tax return for that year, whichever comes first, to close on the replacement property.⁴

The pressure point is the overlap between your SPRP contingency and the 45-day identification period. A 17-day SPRP window under 1A fits comfortably inside 45 days. But the 1031 clock doesn’t pause if your SPRP falls apart, and the IRS deadlines can’t be extended except during a presidentially declared disaster.⁴ Map both timelines with your agent and a qualified intermediary before signing.

Mistakes That Break Deals

The form itself is short. The costly errors are almost always in how it’s used.

Filling in 1B without also checking 1C. You’ve told the buyer you’re under contract on a replacement home but preserved no right to cancel if that deal collapses.
Writing 17 days by default when you haven’t started looking. A missed deadline hands the buyer a clean exit at the worst possible moment.
Skipping the written removal. A conversation with your agent or the buyer’s agent doesn’t remove the contingency. It stays alive until a signed CR form is delivered.
Ignoring an NSP. Two business days is the whole window. Sitting on the notice sends the buyer’s earnest money back to them and ends the deal.
Waiting until late escrow to raise post-closing occupancy. Negotiate SIP or RLAS terms alongside the SPRP, before you’ve given up your leverage.

The SPRP works when both sides understand what triggers contingency removal and what happens if it doesn’t get removed on time. A clear day count, the right paragraph checked, and a written removal delivered before the deadline are what keep the transaction together.

1
California Association of REALTORS. Sellers Purchase of Replacement Property
2
California Association of REALTORS. Quick Guide Contingencies Contingency Removal
3
California Association of REALTORS. Seller License to Remain in Possession Addendum
4
Internal Revenue Service. Like-Kind Exchanges Under IRC Section 1031