Home Seller Checklist

Steps for a Successful Home Sale

Setting Your Home Sale Goals

Home Seller Checklist

• Decide whether to sell your house with an Agent or on your own.

  If you decide to go with an Agency, find an Agent in whom you can have confidence.

• Set Your Home Selling Price

  Your agent will analyze the price of other comparable homes that have recently sold in your area as your starting point. If you do not have an agent, HomePrice.net can give you a report with up to 30 comparable sales, plus a neighborhood demographic profile, nearby home owners and more (for a fee). It is critical to set the right asking price. You don't want to feel you sold for too little, but an overpriced home can languish on the market and go stale.

• Identify problems with your home.

  As a seller, you are obligated to disclose any major problems or flaws in the structure or property, including things like dry rot, termites, asbestos, septic problems, or a new highway slated to run nearby. Items that you must disclose vary by state, but if you fail to mention the leaky roof or flooding basement, you could be sued for fraud. Consider getting a professional home inspection of your own to head off problems that will inevitably delay your sale. There is really no upside to trying to hide problems anyway since most buyers will have the home inspected before closing.

• Determine what you can and cannot change about your house.

  Focus on those items that increase the perceived value above your cost to implement. You can always sell the house "as is" if it’s a real fixer-upper. You also might want to take care of small items like a broken dishwasher or cracked tiles, so they don't beome a negotiating point for the buyer.

• Get your house in showing condition.

  There are many small cosmetic touches that can increase your home's value by thousands of dollars. Improve your home's "curb appeal" by adding a row of flowers to the walkway, trimming the shrubs and painting, even if it's just the side of the house that shows from the street or the front door. See Staging Your Home for more details.

• Maintain records of all home improvements made to your house.

  These will be essential at tax time!

• Decide what goes to your next home, what you leave behind, and what to discard.

  Have a garage or yard sale before you list. This is another part of preparing your home for show. Sell, donate, or trash everything you don't need. Leaving behind the custom cushions and drapes designed for a window seat could turn out to be an attractive selling point.

• Figure out the financial results of your sale.

  Know exactly what you'll net from the sale. Add up the amount you'll owe the bank and the broker. The good news is that most home sales are now tax free. You may even get some cash back at closing for prepaid local taxes, home insurance or fuel. Don't forget to take into account your moving costs.

• Understand home financing options.

  You should be at least as knowledgeable as your buyers. This is definitely an area where the services of a professional realtor are helpful (and reassuring) as they deal with all types of home sales and financing arrangements. Your agent's familiarity with various types of home mortgage financing can make the difference in closing the deal for a buyer with particular needs.

• Develop an effective advertising and marketing plan.

  Your real estate agent should be associated with multiple listing networks, such as RELO (as we are). Local marketing contacts are also very helpful, and a major reason to consider using a professional realtor.

• Be prepared for the negotiation.

  When it is time to negotiate, learn how to deal with offers and familiarize yourself with contracts. If you need to review an example of purchase offers, you can find forms for all states at a reasonable price at FindLegalForms.com. Of course, this is another area where the experience of a realtor can be essential, not only in maximizing your chances of achieving the highest sale price possible, but also in the peace of mind that having a professional in your corner provides with such a complex contract.

• Start looking for a new home.

  It is usually advisable not to begin your new home search until you have a signed sales contract on your present home. You don't want the costs of two homes if your home sale falls through. Timing simultaneous closings of your home sale and home purchase can add significantly to your stress as there are many more things that can go wrong. Among your options if you find you need to do both at the same time, you could include a contingency clause that states you will only buy the new home if the sale of your old home is successful.

• Know what is involved at closing and settlement.

  Same principle applies as in your preparation for negotiation.

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