Home Seller Info
10 Questions to Ask Home Inspectors
Before you make your final buying or selling decision, you should have the home inspected by a professional. An inspection can alert you to potential problems with a property and allow you to make an informed decision. Ask these questions to prospective home inspectors: 1. Will your inspection meet recognized standards? Ask whether the inspection [...]
Pros and Cons of Going Condo
Condominiums and townhouses offer an affordable option to single-family homes in many markets, and they’re ideal for those who appreciate a maintenance-free lifestyle. But before you buy, make sure you do your legwork. These are some of the important elements to consider: Storage. Some condos have storage lockers, but usually there are no attics or [...]
Tips for Buying in a Tight Market
Increase your chances of getting your dream house in a competitive housing market, and lower your chances of losing out to another buyer. 1. Get prequalified for a mortgage. You’ll be able to make a firm commitment to buy and your offer will be more desirable to the seller. 2. Stay in close contact with [...]
10 Questions to Ask the Condo Board
Before you buy, contact the condo board with the following questions. In the process, you’ll learn how responsive — and organized — its members are. You’ll also be alerted to potential problems with the property. 1. What percentage of units is owner-occupied? What percentage is tenant-occupied? Generally, the higher the percentage of owner-occupied units, the [...]
How High Tech is Your Home?
If the latest technology or entertainment options are important in your new home, add the following questions to your buyer’s checklist. 1. Are there enough jacks in every room for cable TV and high-speed Internet hookups? 2. Are there ample telephone extensions or jacks? 3. Is the home pre-wired for home theater or multiroom audio [...]
Making an Offer on a Short Sale? What You Need to Know
Are you looking to buy a new home? Are you thinking that now’s a great time to find bargains? Before you make an offer, it pays to know a little about the seller’s situation. If a home is being sold for below what the current seller owes on the property—and the seller does not have [...]
Moving Checklist for Sellers
Provide the post office with your forwarding address two to four weeks ahead of the move. Notify your credit card companies, magazine subscriptions, and bank of your change of address. Create a list of friends, relatives, and business colleagues who need to be notified about your move. Arrange to disconnect utilities and have them connected [...]
10 Tips for Moving With Pets
Moving to a new home can be stressful on your pets, but there are many things you can do to make the process as painless as possible. Experts at The Pet Realty Network in Naples, Fla., offer these helpful tips for easing the transition and keeping pets safe during the move. 1. Update your pet’s [...]
What to Leave for the New Home Owners
Owner’s manuals and warranties for appliances left in the house. Garage door opener. Extra sets of house keys. A list of local service providers — the best dry cleaner, yard service, plumber, etc. Code to the security alarm and phone number of the monitoring service if not discontinued. As a courtesy, you could provide numbers [...]
Understanding Capital Gains in Real Estate
When you sell a stock, you owe taxes on your gain — the difference between what you paid for the stock and what you sold it for. The same holds true when selling a home (or a second home), but there are some special considerations. How to Calculate Gain In real estate, capital gains are [...]
Tips for Pricing Your Home
Consider comparables. What have other homes in your neighborhood sold for recently? How do they compare to yours in terms of size, upkeep, and amenities? Consider competition. How many other houses are for sale in your area? Are you competing against new homes? Consider your contingencies. Do you have special concerns that would affect the [...]
Is Your Buyer Qualified?
Unless the buyer who makes an offer on your home has the resources to qualify for a mortgage, you may not really have a sale. If possible, try to determine a buyer’s financial status before signing the contract. Ask the following: 1. Has the buyer been prequalified or preapproved (even better) for a mortgage? Such [...]
How to Prepare for the Open House
Advertise your open house. Ideally you should advertise both the weekend before and the weekend of the open house. Check with the local paper to see when their ad closing deadlines are. Create a property summary sheet. This sheet gives prospective buyers an overview of your home. Include dimensions for each room, copies of a [...]
Open House Safety Tips
An open house can be a great sales tool, but it also exposes you to numerous unfamiliar people for the first time. Stay safe by practicing these guidelines. Call the local police department and ask them to have a squad care drive by during your open-house hours. Check your cell phone’s strength and signal prior [...]
Checklist: 17 Service Providers You’ll Need When You Sell
Real estate attorney Appraiser Home inspector Mortgage loan officer Environmental specialist Lead paint inspector Radon inspector Tax adviser Sanitary systems expert Occupancy permit inspector Zoning inspector Survey company Flood plain inspector Termite inspector Title company Insurance consultant Moving company Used with permission from Kim Daugherty, Real Estate Checklists and Systems, www.realestatechecklists.com. Tags: daugherty real estate, [...]
Forms You’ll Need to Sell Your Home FSBO
1. Property disclosure form. This form requires you to reveal all known defects to your property. Check with your state government to see if there is a special form required in your state. 2. Purchasers access to premises agreement. This agreement sets conditions for permitting the buyer to enter your home for activities such as [...]
5 Feng Shui Concepts to Help a Home Sell
To put the best face on a listing and appeal to buyers who follow feng shui principles, keep these tips in mind. 1. Pay special attention to the front door, which is considered the “mouth of chi” (chi is the “life force” of all things) and one of the most powerful aspects of the entire [...]
12 Tips for Hiring a Remodeling Contractor
1. Get at least three written estimates. 2. Check references. If possible, view earlier jobs the contractor completed. 3. Check with the local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau for complaints. 4. Be sure the contract states exactly what is to be done and how change orders will be handled. 5. Make as small [...]
Low-Cost Ways to Spruce Up Your Home’s Exterior
Make your home more appealing for yourself and potential buyers with these quick and easy tips: 1. Trim bushes so they don’t block windows or architectural details. 2. Mow your lawn, and turn on the sprinklers for 30 minutes before the showing to make the lawn sparkle. 3. Put a pot of bright flowers (or [...]
Prepare Your Home for a Virtual Tour
With more buyers shopping for homes on the Web, photos and virtual tours are a must. There are many things you can do make your home shine on camera. 1. Understand the camera’s perspective. The camera’s eye is very different from the human eye. It magnifies clutter and poor furniture arrangement. To make a home [...]
How to Hold a Successful Garage Sale
Garage sales can be a great way to get rid of clutter — and earn a little extra cash — before you sell your home. But make sure the timing is right. Garage sales can take on a life of their own, and it might not be the best use of your energy right before [...]
How to Improve the Odds of an Offer
1. Price it right. Set a price at the lower end of your property’s realistic price range. 2. Prepare for visitors. Get your house market ready at least two weeks before you begin showing it. 3. Be flexible about showings. It’s often disruptive to have a house ready to show at the spur of the [...]
Tax Benefits of Homeownership
The tax deductions you’re eligible to take for mortgage interest and property taxes greatly increase the financial benefits of homeownership. Here’s how it works. Assume: $9,877 = Mortgage interest paid (a loan of $150,000 for 30 years, at 7 percent, using year-five interest) $2,700 = Property taxes (at 1.5 percent on $180,000 assessed value) ______ [...]
What is Appraised Value?
Appraisals provide an objective opinion of value, but it’s not an exact science so appraisals may differ. For buying and selling purposes, appraisals are usually based on market value — what the property could probably be sold for. Other types of value include insurance value, replacement value, and assessed value for property tax purposes. Appraised [...]
Understand Agency Relationships
It’s important to understand what legal responsibilities your real estate salesperson has to you and to other parties in the transaction. Ask what type of agency relationship your agent has with you: Seller’s representative (also known as a listing agent or seller’s agent) A seller’s agent is hired by and represents the seller. All fiduciary [...]
5 Things to do Before Putting Your Home on the Market
1. Have a pre-sale home inspection. Be proactive by arranging for a pre-sale home inspection. An inspector will be able to give you a good indication of the trouble areas that will stand out to potential buyers, and you’ll be able to make repairs before open houses begin. 2. Organize and clean. Pare down clutter [...]
12 Questions to Ask When Choosing Your REALTOR
Make sure you choose a REALTOR® who will provide top-notch service and meet your unique needs. 1. How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time job? While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate — like many other professions — is mostly learned on the job. 2. What [...]
8 Reasons Why You Should Work With a REALTOR
Not all real estate practitioners are REALTORS®. The term REALTOR® is a registered trademark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Here’s why it pays to work with a REALTOR®. 1. Navigate a complicated process. Buying or selling [...]
Does Moving Up Make Sense?
These questions will help you decide whether you’re ready for a home that’s larger or in a more desirable location. If you answer yes to most of the questions, it’s a sign that you may be ready to move. 1. Have you built substantial equity in your current home? Look at your annual mortgage statement [...]
What to Do When the Sale Price Leaves You Short
If you’re thinking of selling your home, and you expect that the total amount you owe on your mortgage will be greater than the selling price of your home, you may be facing a short sale. A short sale is one where the net proceeds from the sale won’t cover your total mortgage obligation and [...]
