As you prepare to sell your home, we appreciate the opportunity to assist you in one of life's most important events.

Most real estate companies offer one level of service. We believe you should expect more. Our exclusive Full Service Marketing System represents our ongoing reliability and service, and our commitment is to meet and exceed your expectations. Below are outlined some of the key components of the home selling process.

In addition, we will provide a comprehensive guide to preparing your home for sale.

This is also a good time to gather all your paperwork that you will need to expedite the closing once you have an acceptable offer. As a Realty House can provide you with a list of these items. In addition you may wish to begin the process of selecting a local Real Estate attorney to represent you once you have an accepted offer on your home. If needed, we can provide you with a list of local attorney's that specialize in real estate.

What should I list my home for?

There are many factors that affect the list price of a home: location, condition, amenities, supply and demand, and local and global market conditions. As a Coach Realtors sales associate I will assist you by providing a thorough market analysis of your home so you will be able to come up with a realistic, competitive pricing strategy on your home.

What is the Property Condition Disclosure Act?

An important new law entitled the Property Condition Disclosure Act took effect on March 1, 2002. Most sellers of one-to-four family residential housing will be required to provide potential buyers with a completed and signed property condition disclosure form. Failure to provide the form will result in a $500 credit to the buyer at closing. Regardless of whether the sale is broker-assisted or for sale by owner, sellers will have to provide potential buyers with the 48-question form covering a series of general, environmental, mechanical and service items. The form must then be provided to a buyer prior to the buyer signing a binding contract of sale.

Full Service Marketing and Personally Customized Service.

At Realty House our goal is to, not simply sell your house, but help you realize the best price obtainable for your property. To help you achieve this goal we have developed our Full Service Home Marketing Plan.

During the market analysis presentation we will explain every aspect of the selling process to you. Once you list with Realty House we will begin managing the sale of your home with implementation of our marketing plan .

The relationship between you and your Realty House Lic.Sales Personis the key to the successful sale of your home. Your home and needs are unique; therefore your sales person won't use a pre-designed plan to sell your property. Your sales associate will listen to your goals address your concerns and use their knowledge and experience to create a custom plan that will effectively result in a sale.

A Buyer is Ready to Present an Offer!

When an offer is presented, Realty House will advise and help you to obtain the best possible price and terms. Understanding the standard forms and the many transactional issues is key to negotiating the best terms to meet your individual needs. Making sure buyers are pre-qualified is of utmost importance in negotiating a successful sale. Realty House will promote your interests and assist in developing a clear and binding transaction.

Typically, Realty House will present you with an Offer to Purchase that has been initiated by the buyer through their agent. This offer is made in writing and will include:
The amount the buyer is willing to pay
Mortgage amount, if any
Closing and occupancy dates
Contingencies, such as obtaining a mortgage, building inspections and pest inspections to include where appropriate (but not limited to): termite, pest, radon, water potability, well, lead, septic, oil tank, etc.
Any personal property specifically included or excluded
If the offer is not acceptable to you, further negotiations may be necessary to reach terms agreeable to both you and the buyer. Because counter-offers are common (any change in the offer can be considered a counter-offer) it is important that you remain in close contact with your Realty House sales person during the negotiation process so that proposed changes can be reviewed and responded to quickly.

You have an acceptable offer!

Typically….when you and the buyer agree on terms:
The buyer immediately applies for financing and arranges for building, pest and additional inspections where appropriate.
You arrange with your attorney for the drawing of the formal Contract of Sale, based on the agreed terms; the buyer must select an attorney to review the contract and arrange for signing.
The Contract of Sale should include, among other things, the following:
Purchase price
Amount of mortgage, if any
Mortgage contingency, if any
Quality of title to be conveyed
Date of possession
Itemized list of personal property included in the sale
Itemized list of personal property excluded from the sale
Satisfactory building and pest inspection, and additional inspections where necessary
The Contract of Sale is reviewed by the buyer (with attorney) and signed, usually within 10 business days of acceptance of the offer. It is exchanged with a check from the buyer to the your attorney with 10% of the purchase price. If 95% financing is applicable; the check would customarily be for 5%. After you have signed the contracts, the buyer's attorney will arrange for the title search and other preparations necessary for the closing and passing of title.

Between Contract and Closing

Throughout the transaction, you will need to closely monitor the progress of all contingencies to make certain that all deadlines are met. On the day of closing, the buyer will have a "final walkthrough" to make certain that the house is left in "broom clean" condition and has been thoroughly vacated.

What to expect at the Closing

The closing is a formal process where all parties sign all of the necessary paperwork, needed to complete the transaction. Title to the property is transferred from you to the buyer. The buyer receives the house-keys and you receive payment for the house! From the amount credited to you, the title representative subtracts the funds to pay off the existing mortgage and other transaction costs. Deeds, loan papers, and other documents are prepared, signed and ultimately filed with local property record office.

After the closing