Commission FREE Real Estate!!!

Walking the Seller Through the Process

Selling a home is one of the biggest decisions most people ever make.  Your experience will depend on your preparation, if you want a smooth transaction we suggest you carefully read this page and do your best to be prepared.

Sellers must get their affairs in order first.  It is nice to know you want to sell and nice to begin marketing your property, but if you get a contract and then find that you have unexpected repairs that can take several months, neither you nor the buyer will be happy.  We encourage you to have your property professionally inspected prior to starting to advertise it for sale.  You should then take that inspection and repair everything within reason.  Buyers will have their own inspection and it is far better that it is a good inspection that a bad one.  If there are any repairs on your report that you are not going to fix, then be upfront with the buyers with what and why.

You should print and complete the seller’s disclosure questionnaire on this site.  It will collect most of the answers that a buyer will ask.  You probably know most of the answers off the top of your head, but it will help organize the information into one place, easily communicated with serious buyers.  Buyers who come to this site will know to ask for that information.  The more upfront and direct you can be the better, you are building a relationship of trust from the first contact, so do not sew any seeds of doubt in buyers minds accidentally.

The buyers have been encouraged to seek out a mortgage lender to get pre-approved, not just pre-qualified; you should ask if this has happened.  Buyers who are pre-approved have removed a major barrier in the path to buying your house so you should take their inquiry quite seriously.  It sometimes happens that more than one offer comes in at the same time, the better prepared the buyer is to satisfy the mortgage contingency, the better quality their offer is. 

It is fair to ask a potential buyer if they have already met with a lender, and are they financially approved for a home in the price range you are advertising at.  Remember buying is stressful and people can be very touchy about their privacy especially when it comes to finances, so ask it gently, like “are you pre qualifies or pre-approved with a lender for this price range?”  It is simple and direct.   Buyers who come to this site are expecting the question.

Help the buyer do their homework by providing as much information for them on our website as you can.  If the property lines are unusual, mark them clearly, and/or have a survey available.  Be sure to include school district information, disclose if there is a community association, keep track of other comparable sales and give that information to the buyers.  If there is some flexibility in the use of the rooms, then call it a den/library/mother-in-law suite/game room, or whatever creates more possibilities for the buyers.  Don’t say you have 4 bedrooms, when the forth bedroom is the garage; DO say that the garage could easily be converted into a forth bedroom.

 “First impressions are lasting” – you never can overcome how the buyer relates to you if you start off on the wrong foot.  Agents are shock absorbers, but here we have a direct line of communication between buyer and seller, so strive to be polite, just like you would want to be treated.

Try not to be too sensitive to buyers’ reactions.  Sometimes in their enthusiasm buyers will make a comment that something is “awful” which means opportunity for them.  “That awful green carpet has got to go.”  This is a good sign that the buyers are envisioning themselves living in the house; they are not saying you have “awful taste.

Encourage buyers to use the right forms when making an offer.  Be prepared with the forms on hand; do speak with a lawyer to be prepared for your offers to come in.  Verbal offers are worth the paper they are written on.  Offers should be straight forward, should have a reasonable escrow deposit, and reasonable contingencies.  Your lawyer should be able to advise you on all the ins and outs of a contract, but remember it should be clear and not confusing. If there is something strange seek proper legal advice.

Be ready to make a counter offer.  Do not sit on an offer while you think about it, buyers can go on to find yet another house and withdraw from their offer to you while you are sitting on it.  Know what your parameters are from negotiating before the sign goes up.

Offers should be clear, negotiate to simplify or remove contingencies, get those issues taken care of as soon as possible.  Any contingencies about the inspections or title and/or otherwise related to the property will be identified and dealt with timely in the countdown to closing.  If the buyer must close on their existing house in order for them to complete the purchase of your house, be clear about the status of that transaction.  You should request some confirmation from the other transaction, either a quick call with the closing attorney, Title Company, buyer’s mortgage broker. It can be from any independent corroborating source on the other transaction.

If you receive a counter-offer back from the buyer, be clear that you do not have a contract until you accept it, and if you change anything, then they must accept your changes.  You do not have a contract until all parties have signed the contract, initialed and dated any handwritten changes etc.  This is where you need to have a lawyer that is in the real estate transaction business to review your agreement to be sure you have an enforceable contract.

Your lawyer or the title company will review with you all of the remaining steps to closing.  You will need to have inspections, surveys, utilities, insurance, movers etc. and you can find those links on our Resources and Services pages.