How to Work with a Realtor to Sell Your Home Quickly

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When you need to sell your home quickly, working with a realtor is often your best bet. About 89 percent of people who sell their homes use a real estate agent. Using a realtor has many benefits, including getting your home into all the major listings and having someone on your side throughout the purchase and closing process. Here’s how to work with a realtor to sell your home quickly.

Talk About Bottom Offers

Talk to your realtor about the lowest possible price you are willing to accept for your home. When your realtor knows how low you are willing to go, it will help them in negotiating with potential buyers. You will be able to sell your home much faster if you are able and willing to negotiate a lower price than your listing price. Your realtor can help you set your listing price and determine the lowest amount you should accept. Read more

Three Things You Can Do to Sell Your Home Faster

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When you make the decision to sell your home, you really want it to sell as quickly as possible. After all, most homeowners cannot afford to move until they sell the home they already have. If you did move before selling your home, you are likely in a hurry to take your budget down to one mortgage payment instead of two. Realtors and other professionals say that homes sell 90 percent faster when you stage your home. While staging can cost some money, there are some things you can do to sell your home faster that won’t cost you a dime.

Deep Cleaning

It probably goes without saying that you should clean your home before showing it. But how clean does it really need to be? You might be tempted to do just your normal weekend cleaning, but what you really need to do is deep cleaning. Pretend that it is spring and you are deep cleaning your home after a long winter of staying indoors. That is how clean you want your home to be for showings. Read more

The Three Stages of Selling a Home and What to Expect

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When you are getting ready to sell your home, you might be wondering what exactly to expect and how the process works. As a homeowner, you are already familiar with the process as a buyer. However, on the seller’s end, things look a little bit different. Here are the three stages of selling a home and what to expect at each crossing.

Listing and Offers

It only takes a few days for your home to be listed on the MLS and other systems for buyers and realtors to find. Whether you are selling your home through an agent or for sale by owner, it only takes about a week at the most to get your listing out there and circulating. You might be waiting up to two months on average for an offer, and the first offer may not be one you are willing to take. During this time you will need to be able to show the house and have open houses to bring in buyers and grab their interest. Eventually you will get an offer that is acceptable, and you will move on to the next stage. Read more

For Sale By Owner: What You Need to Know Before You Start

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Selling your home on your own without an agent might be more work than you first think. There are a lot of things to consider when you are selling your home yourself. It is important that you recognize what you don’t know about selling your house so that you can get the most out of the experience. Many people who start out with “for sale by owner” turn to an agent after the first 30 to 45 days.

You’ll Have to Work Hard

It’s hard work to sell a house. And because you’re not doing it as your source of income like agents, you’ll have to squeeze in the effort around your work and social schedules when you can. You’ll have to put in quite a bit of time writing and placing ads online and in newspapers, in addition to putting out “for sale” signs and passing out flyers. You’ll also have to hold open houses and put your home out there so that more people see it for sale. Read more

Three Things That Can Affect the Selling Price of Your Home

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You know that the size and age of your home, its location, and other factors about your home itself have an impact on the selling price of your home, yet there are several other things that can affect the selling price of your home that you may not have considered. These things are generally beyond your control, but they can have a big impact on the selling price.

The Local Market

How much other houses in the area are selling for directly impacts how much you will be able to sell your home for. The local market can also vary depending on supply and demand. If there are a lot of houses in the area for sale and only a few people looking to buy in that area, houses are going to sell for less in that market. The local market can also determine how quickly your home sells. Read more

What is Title Insurance and Who Needs It

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Buying or selling a home is a complex process, and most people who have never gone through it are unfamiliar with all of the aspects of the sale. One of the things that you may need to have is title insurance. Title insurance protects buyers and lenders, but it is purchased by either buyers or sellers. In some cases, title insurance policies will be purchased by both the seller and the buyer. Here’s what you need to know about title insurance and when to get it.

What is Title Insurance

Title insurance is a layer of protection for buyers and lenders. In order for a property to be legally sold, it must have a clear title. A title search is done in every real estate transaction to ensure there are no liens or tax levies on the property. However, a title search doesn’t always turn up everything on a property. Title insurance protects the buyer and lender in the event that defects in the title arise after closing. Read more

3 Things to Look for in a Real Estate Agent When Selling Your Home

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Selling your home can be a daunting task, and if you aren’t prepared to deal with buyers and negotiations on your own, it can be a good idea to hire a real estate agent. Getting an agent based on selling price or commission rates can be a mistake. Here are three things you need to look for in a real estate agent in order to sell your home successfully.

Educational Background

Ask your real estate agent for their credentials. You will want to make sure that they have the proper education, certifications, and licensures to be a successful real estate agent. They should be familiar with all of the laws and regulations related to selling a home, as well as the entire process from start to finish. Newer agents might not have as much experience, but if they have the required education and certifications, they should be able to do the job. Read more

Selling Your Home Long Distance: Things to Consider

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Selling a home can be stressful, but when you are selling a home long distance it can be even more so. There are a lot of reasons you might be needing to sell your home long distance, such as relocation for a job or to be closer to family in an emergency. Whatever your reasons for needing to sell your home from another city or state, there are some additional things you need to consider before putting your home on the market.

Safety and Security

When you have a home sitting vacant, it can be a safety and security issue. You run the risk of vandals, drifters, or thieves coming into the home and destroying the property. While this is true even if you are in the area and selling your home after moving out, it is even more of a concern when you are not in the area to keep an eye on the property.

One of the best things you can do is team up with neighbors to keep an eye on the property. Enlisting the help of the neighbors ensures that any unusual activity at the house will be noted and reported to the police. Of course, if you send workmen over to make repairs you need to notify the neighbors so that they do not call the authorities unnecessarily. Read more

From Offer to Closing: What Sellers Can Expect

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Many people are now selling their homes as for sale by owner, yet often sellers are not sure what to expect once they get an offer on their home. Getting an offer is just the first step in the lengthy closing process. In fact, from offer to closing day is typically at least 30 to 45 days. Knowing what to expect during this process will help you be better prepared.

Purchase Agreement

After you accept and sign an offer on your home, the next step is the purchase agreement. The purchase agreement outlines things like who gets to keep the appliances, what if anything has to be repaired before closing, the buyer’s inspection, how much the buyer will put down in earnest money, and the closing date. This important document is the basis for the closing on the home. Read more

What to Expect at Closing with For Sale By Owner

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The closing day on selling your home is a big day for both you and the buyer. Closing, also called the settlement, is when you completely transfer the property to the buyer. All the documents and money that need to change hands between you, the buyer, the buyer’s lender, your lender, and anyone else involved in the sale of your house are exchanged between the parties.

Before Closing

It is important that you have all conditions of the contract fulfilled before closing. If there are any repairs that you promised to make before the property changed hands, you must have these completed before closing. You may be able to take care of some repairs after closing if you and the buyer have a separate contract outlining this.

You will also need to contact your lender and let them know you are selling the property. Your lender will be a party to the closing, and they will need to have a representative present. When you are paid for your property by the seller through their lender, you will then have to pay your lender so the title will be clear for transfer.

If you involved any outside companies for title searches, inspections, or other services throughout the purchase process, you will need to make sure they are also aware of the closing date. They will need to be paid for their services and sign off on the sale before it will be able to be finalized. Read more