Sorry I missed this thread yesterday but everyone pulled through and pointed you in the right direction.
I think the escrow fee should be shared equally or the seller should build it into their price.
I just read the article about the scam artist here in San Diego who stole all those people's "puppy money" and never sent the pups and I think buyers may be less trusting and the escrow may help in long distance "deals" especially. I think it's well worth it and I am sure you can "tailor" the contract to fit the situation as well.
A written contract is a miust in my opinion because people do not always verbally communicate well and misunderstandings happen. Plus, there is no way to remember exactly what you "said" to every buyer because you have to say it so many times.
A contract is a good checklist for going over terms and it spells it all out so everyone has the same expectations and everyone knows who is responsible for what so nothing gets missed.
It doesn't have to be full of a bunch of "legalese" or language that people don't understand, in fact that defeata the purpose. It should be as short and concise as possible while still covering all of the known possibilities that might occur in the transaction. A puppy is a living, breathing being and needs all the protection possible. A written memorial of the agreement shows that you take the adoption seriously in my opinion.
