Seller Info
What I will do for you
Recent Home Sales
Getting the highest price
Closing Costs
- Complete a comparative market analysis that will compare your home's value to that of your neighbors.
- Compile a comprehensive plan detailing all the efforts I will employ to sell your home, including Internet and local media.
- Present your home to as many qualified buyers as possible getting your home maximum exposure.
- Help you stage your home and generate curb appeal to ensure you get the highest price.
- Assist with obtaining offers and help you in negotiating the best deal as smoothly as possible.
- Help you find your next home and answer all of your questions about the local market area, including schools, neighborhoods, the local economy, and more.
What are homes selling for on your street? Use HomeRadar.com to find out what neighborhood homes are selling for, free of charge, or choose a more detailed analysis of the value of your home.
Getting the Highest Price for Your Home
Curb appeal is key and could make a difference whether people stop and take a flyer, or drive right by. Here are a few tips to increase the curb appeal of your home. Staging your home is important. Many buyers will stay in your home longer if it's staged appropriately. I have compiled some ideas to present your home in the most effective manner.
- Title insurance fees depend on the sales price of the home.
- Broker's commission is a full-service fee and will cost anywhere between 5% to 7%.
- Local property transfer tax, country transfer tax, state transfer tax, and state capital gains tax are the charges that you'll pay for the privilege of selling your home. Credit to the buyer of unpaid real estate taxes for the prior or current year are variable and depend on when you close and when your taxes are due.
- FHA fees and costs are all fees are now negotiable between an FHA buyer and seller.
- Home inspections fees are in some circumstances paid for by the seller and include pest, radon and other inspections.
- Miscellaneous fees can accrue from correcting problems noticed during the home inspection.
Refinancing
Refinancing your home can be an excellent way to bring down your monthly mortgage payment, raise cash, or consolidate debts with high interest rates. However, you need to do your homework before deciding to refinance. One important factor is the difference between current interest rates and the rate of your original loan. You also need to take into account the amount of time it will take to recoup the costs of refinancing.
When should you refinance?
Some common reasons homeowners refinance include:
- Lower monthly mortgage payments
- Convert an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) to a fixed-rate mortgage
- Raise funds for family expenses (i.e. college tuition)
- Pay off high-interest loans
- Home improvements
The old rule of thumb is that you should refinance your home if interest rates fall more than 2 percent. That's because refinancing usually involves most of the same closing costs (loan origination fee, prepaid interest, etc.) as the original loan. For anything less than 2 percent, the savings on your monthly mortgage payment might not be significant enough to be worth your while.
Savings vs. time
For some homeowners, though, the 2 percent rule is not as important as the time needed to break even on the refinancing. For instance, if it costs $3,000 to refinance a house, and the monthly mortgage payment is lowered by $90, it would take almost 3 years for the savings to cover the costs of refinancing.
If all the information (survey, title search, etc.) for your old loan is still current, however, the lender may be willing to waive many of the fees. In addition, you may be able to roll the closing costs of a refinance loan into the new note. In other words, you don't avoid the closing costs, but instead pay them back over time along with the rest of the loan. If you consider this option, be sure to calculate the potential savings vs. the expense of paying off a higher principal balance.
Keep in mind that refinancing usually lengthens the time it takes to pay off your house. If you are 3 years into a 30-year mortgage and then refinance with a new 30-year loan, you'll end up making payments on the house for 33 years. Nevertheless, if the monthly savings are substantial enough, you still could end up paying much less over the long haul with the new loan.
Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs)
Timing can also be a factor in switching from an ARM to a fixed-rate loan. For example, rising interest rates might influence you to covert your ARM into a fixed-rate loan if you plan to stay in your house for several more years.
Conversely, you may plan to move in a year or two, and find a lender who is willing to offer you dramatic interest rate savings with an ARM. In this case (and as long as the closing costs are minimal), it might make sense to switch from a fixed-rate loan to an ARM.
Equity
Refinancing with a new loan doesn't mean you have to give up all the money you've paid towards your old mortgage. With each payment, you build up a certain amount of equity in a property--which is the amount you've paid on the principal balance of the loan.
For example, if you have a $100,000 loan at 8 percent, you would build about $2,800 worth of equity in the first 3 years. Thus, if you refinanced, the new loan would only amount to $97,200.
Raising cash with home equity loans... use caution
If you've built enough equity, you can refinance in order to take cash out of the property. Perhaps you need money to pay off your credit cards, add a new bathroom, or cover the costs of braces for a child. Regardless, lenders will typically allow you to borrow against the equity you've built in your house, plus appreciation (often up to 75 percent of the current appraised value). These types of loans are also called home equity loans.
Be cautious, however, of lenders offering 100 percent or 125 percent home equity loans--their rates are often markedly higher than traditional lenders. In addition, any amount you borrow that is above the market value of the house is NOT tax deductible.
Talk to your lender
With all the different types of refinancing loans available today, you should take some time to shop around and speak with several lenders before making a decision. Be sure to discuss all the expenses and benefits, as well as what will be expected of you, in advance. The more you educate yourself, the better your chances of finding the right refinancing package.
Closing Costs
The bundle of fees associated with the buying or selling of a home are called closing costs. Certain fees are automatically assigned to either the buyer or the seller; other costs are either negotiable or dictated by local custom.
Buyer closing costs
When a buyer applies for a loan, lenders are required to provide them with a good-faith estimate of their closing costs. The fees vary according to several factors, including the type of loan they applied for and the terms of the purchase agreement. Likewise, some of the closing costs, especially those associated with the loan application, are actually paid in advance. Some typical buyer closing costs include:
- The down payment
- Loan fees (points, application fee, credit report)
- Prepaid interest
- Inspection fees
- Appraisal
- Mortgage insurance
- Hazard insurance
- Title insurance
- Documentary stamps on the note
Seller closing costs
If the seller has not yet paid for the house in full, the seller's most important closing cost is satisfying the remaining balance of their loan. Before the date of closing, the escrow officer will contact the seller's lender to verify the amount needed to close out the loan. Then, along with any other fees, the original loan will be paid for at the closing before the seller receives any proceeds from the sale. Other seller closing costs can include:
- Broker's commission
- Transfer taxes
- Documentary Stamps on the Deed
- Title insurance
- Property taxes (prorated)
Negotiating Closing Costs
In addition to the sales price, buyers and sellers frequently include closing costs in their negotiations. This can be for both major and minor fees. For example, if a buyer is particularly nervous about the condition of the plumbing, the seller may agree to pay for the house inspection.
Likewise, a buyer may want to save on up-front expenditures, and so agree to pay the seller's full asking price in return for the seller paying all the allowable closing costs. There's no right or wrong way to negotiate closing costs; just be sure all the terms are written down on the purchase agreement.
Prorations
At the closing, certain costs are often prorated (or distributed) between buyer and seller. The most common prorations are for property taxes. This is because property taxes are typically paid at the end of the year for which they were assessed.
Thus, if a house is sold in June, the sellers will have lived in the house for half the year, but the bill for the taxes won't come due until the following year! To make this situation more equitable, the taxes are prorated. In this example, the sellers will credit the buyers for half the taxes at closing.
The Listing Contract
Also referred to as a listing agreement, the listing contract gives a licensed real estate professional authorization to act on your behalf in the sale of your home. Listing contracts come in all shapes and sizes, but there are characteristics which are common to all. Among the elements of any valid listing contract are:
Writing - All real estate contracts must be in writing.
Employment - The listing contract is a personal services contract between you and the broker. It contains all of the terms and conditions of employing the broker and authorizing the broker to represent you in marketing and selling your home.
Compensation - For any contract to be valid, there has to be compensation. The listing contract will specify the amount and timing of payment to your broker. Typically, payment is an agreed upon percentage of the sales price, payable at closing. It is important to note that your obligation to pay your broker may not absolutely depend on a finalized sales transaction. For example, if the broker finds a bona-fide buyer who is willing to pay your asking price and agree to the terms you have offered, but you get cold feet at the last moment and decide not to sell, the broker has done his job and is entitled to be paid under the terms of the listing contract.
Title - All listing contracts will ask who has title to the property. Property can't be sold unless everyone with holds title interest in the property are part of the sale.
Termination date - You shouldn't sign any listing contract without a specific termination date. The most common duration is 180 days. If the contract has an indefinite duration such as until sold, or no duration specified at all, dont sign it. The listing contract is a legally binding document and you don't want to get locked into one with no clearly defined termination date. If the contract expires before your home sells and you still want to keep using the same broker, you can simply sign a new contract.
There can be and often are other elements to a listing contract. As with any legal document, you should read the listing contract very carefully and be sure you understand exactly what you are agreeing to before signing. If you have any questions about your listing contract it would be wise to consult a lawyer for clarification.
Types of listing contracts
A listing contract is an agreement between you and a licensed real estate broker authorizing the broker to represent you in selling your home. By far the most common type of listing contract is the “Exclusive Right to Sell”, but there are several other types.
Exclusive Right to Sell Listing
This is the most popular type of listing with sellers and brokers. Under a right to sell listing contract, the broker is the only one authorized to sell your home. If another agent finds a buyer, your broker earns a commission. If you find a buyer on your own, your broker still earns a commission. This arrangement gives your broker the most incentive to spend time, money and energy marketing your home. Especially to the other agents in the area who can show your home to their buyer clients. Only with an exclusive right to sell agreement can you expect to get a full service marketing effort from your broker, since it is the only listing type that assures a broker will get paid for his marketing expense and efforts when the home sells.
Exclusive Agency Listing
This is similar to the right to sell listing, with the significant difference that you reserve the right to sell your home yourself and not pay the broker a commission. The broker only gets paid if your home is sold through a licensed real estate professional. If you find your own buyer and sell the home yourself, you pay no commission. On the face of it, this might sound like an attractive arrangement. But it's not a popular listing type with brokers, and for good reason. Under an exclusive agency agreement, the broker is exposed to the risk of putting forth considerable effort and expense marketing your home, only to come away empty handed. The attraction to the seller of this type of contract of course, is the possibility of finding their own buyer and not paying a commission. This puts the seller and broker in competitive roles, which usually isn't in the best interest of either party. Since the broker stands a good chance of not reaping any reward, it's unlikely that any effort or expense will be put into marketing an exclusive agency listing.
Open Listing
The open listing is a non-exclusive contract. It gives the broker permission to show potential buyers your home, and the broker will only earn a commission by bringing in a client who buys the home. Since the open listing isn't exclusive, sellers can sign these listing agreements with as many brokers as they want. The bottom line with an open listing is that no broker has any incentive to market the home at all. They won't even place the home on the local MLS service with an open listing. Further, it's up to the seller to field all phone calls and coordinate all showings etc…. Generally, the only people who use open listings are FSBO's (for sale by owner) who are willing to pay a partial commission to an agent for finding a buyer. You shouldn't expect any marketing or advertising at all with an open listing contract.
Showing Listing
Also called the “one time” agreement. This is an agreement whereby a FSBO agrees to let an agent show the home to an interested client and pay a commission to the agent if that showing results in a sale. The purpose being to prevent a seller from letting an agent show the property, then deal directly with the client, to avoid paying any commission.
Curb Appeal Checklist
- Inspect the outside ground. Remove any building materials, scrap wood, discarded household items, etc. from the property. Store garbage cans in the garage.
- Check the home from the roof line down.
- Is the roof free and clear from obstructions and moss?
- Are the gutters clear and neatly hung?
- Are the windows clean and free from obstructions (such as overgrown bushes or trees)?
- Are bushes, trees and shrubs neatly pruned?
- Inspect the condition of the paint or siding?
- Is it time to power wash the siding?
- Is touch up paint needed?
- Is the front door in good shape?
- Do flower beds need an upgrade?
- Are plants neatly pruned?
- Is the bed free and clear of weeds?
- Is the bed properly mulched?
- Are flowers in bloom?
- Keep the lawn neatly groomed.
- Is the lawn free from weeds?
- Is the lawn free from grass clippings?
- Is the lawn neatly edged?
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STAGING YOUR HOME CHECKLIST
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