Once you’ve made up your mind to sell your home, you need to do your “homework” – and century21.com is a great place to start! Getting a signed contract is a great accomplishment, but that's only half the journey. The typical home sale today involves more than 20 steps after the initial contract is accepted to complete the transaction.1
A real estate professional can provide the experience and local knowledge to guide you through the entire process, and selling your home within the ideal time frame and at the most effective price point. As the representative of your best interests, your CENTURY 21® Agent has state-of-the-art marketing resources to showcase your home’s best assets, and help you determine what improvements will make the biggest difference.
Much of what needs to be done before the closing is the responsibility of appraisers, loan processors, attorneys, and inspectors. Your CENTURY 21 Agent’s role also includes coordinating those responsibilities, helping to ensure that others do their jobs promptly and correctly.
Many steps between contract ratification and closing involve the cooperation of both buyer and seller, and attentive real estate professionals on both sides of the transaction will troubleshoot and keep everyone on track.
Real estate marketing involves so much more than a sign in the yard or a web posting. Successful brokers and agents use a variety of methods to attract and qualify prospects, including the latest Internet and communication advances.
Your CENTURY 21® Agent will help you create a marketing plan that will make it easier to sell your home at the best price possible in the shortest amount of time.
Ten tips that will add value to your home and increase your chances of a successful sale.
The Top 10: Tips to Add Value to Your Home
1. Clean, organize, and neutralize your space: Unclutter your house to make it look bigger and cleaner. Buyers need to be able to envision their own belongings in the home; so, avoid using bright colors and too many personal effects.
2. Keep Your Lawn Green: Get your lawn in shape. A patchy lawn takes away from the home's overall appearance. Your local hardware store has supplies to re-seed those unhealthy areas.
3. Add insulation to save energy: The most inexpensive way to increase your home's energy is to add insulation, which can reduce heating and cooling costs by more than 25%.
4. Update kitchen appliances: The kitchen is often the room that buyers gravitate towards first, and an updated kitchen can help sell your home. You don't have to remodel your kitchen to give it a new look. Updating your appliances to the current standard and replacing cabinet doors and hardware can make a big impact at a relatively low cost.
5. Update bathroom fixtures: A little change can go a long way when it comes to the look of your bathroom. Updating simple fixtures such as your sink and faucet can give any outdated bathroom style.
6. Build a fence: If you're trying to sell a house, the appearance of a fence adds value to the home overall. Buyers with children or pets will appreciate the privacy and security of an enclosed backyard.
7. Repair the gutter: Ensuring that your gutter is clean is crucial in protecting your home against water damage.
8. Light up the outside: An easy and inexpensive way to increase your home's outdoor space is to add lighting. It makes it more appealing and safer.
9. Store and organize: Ample storage space is a plus, especially when it comes to garages and closets. Efficient closet structures can help keep your clothes organized and can save space.
10. Polish off the basement: Rather than adding an additional room, it is more cost-efficient to remodel your basement. This adds value and usable space.
Setting the right price for your home is key to the home selling process. Learn how to study market trends and set the right price for your home.
Staging your home is an important part of the sales process. This section provides home showing tips that can help boost a home's curb appeal and create a lasting first impression. Potential buyers will feel “at home” – and more likely to buy – as soon as they walk through the door.
The Sale
Once you negotiate and settle on a price, the buyer arranges for financing and a home inspection.
Negotiating the Real Estate Deal
Successful negotiating encompasses the acquired ability to use certain skills and techniques to bring about coveted win-win results. Your CENTURY 21® Agent can help you stay focused, objective, and not let your emotions rule.
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Start with a thoroughly researched, fair price.
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Respect the other side's priorities. For example, a buyer with an urgent move-in date might be willing to pay a higher portion of the transaction costs or forgo some major repairs. Or, they may prefer to push out the closing date, in order to be more confident that there will be no unanticipated additional expenses.
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In any case, be prepared to compromise: "win-win" doesn't mean both the buyer and the seller will get everything they want. It means both sides will win some and give some
TIP: Become familiar with a typical real estate purchase and sale contract in advance of any negotiation.
Closing and Beyond
Real estate closing is a process that concludes with the transaction that transfers ownership of the home.
Real Estate Closing
Closing can also be referred to as settlement or escrow. Local area and state laws can vary, which is why enlisting the assistance of a CENTURY 21® Agent is sound advice.
In general, the closing process begins with the acceptance of an offer. Prior to closing, all conditions of sale (also known as contingencies) must be met. The most common – and obvious! – is the buyer's ability to secure a new mortgage.
A title company is usually hired to conduct a search for any recorded documents that affect the deed to the property. Examples include easements, liens, tax assessments, covenants, conditions and restrictions, and homeowner association bylaws. The buyer and lender must approve the preliminary title report prior to closing.
Once the conditions of sale have been met and the preliminary title report has been approved, all parties will agree to sign closing documents. The preliminary title report then becomes the final title report, on which any applicable title insurance is based. After the documents have been signed, notarized copies will be forwarded to the lender, funds will be released, and the sale will be recorded at the local recorder's office.
TIP: Closing is also the time when "adjustments" will be made. For instance, suppose you've pre-paid taxes four months in advance. At closing, you will be compensated by the buyer for the prepayment
Selling your home can be challenging and emotional, but it doesn’t have to be traumatic. Here are some tips to
Tips for Your Move
Whether you have moved once or a dozen times, it never seems to get any easier. Here are some hints that we hope you will find helpful as you prepare for moving day.
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Make agreements with buyers about possession of the home and moving date.
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Start planning early. From the moment you decide to put your home up for sale, start sorting through your current possessions. Toss (or give away, sell at a yard sale or online) anything that you don't want to take with you.
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Make a list of important items you will need to buy for your new house, such as drapes, blinds, shower curtains, etc. Having these things with you on the day you move helps you settle in more comfortably.
Start packing early. Anything that you are sure you will not be using before moving day should get boxed.
TIP: Organize like items together and mark every box and carton. This makes it easier if you find you need an item before you move, and much simpler after you move. Unpacking tends to be a gradual process--this simple step will help you find the items you need when you need them. help get you off on the right foot.
