Sell
Selling a home is 2nd largest decision you may ever make. Buying the home in the first place was probably your first largest decision.
Depending on your situation, you might be trading up or down for a larger or smaller home. You might be unloading the home and liquidating yourself. You could be relocating, divorcing, selling an estate, investing or simply moving on.
What you should know is that selling a home is the same process for everyone regardless of your reason for selling: You need one willing and able buyer to see the value in your home.
Here are ten simple steps to selling your home and working with your real estate professional.
Step 1: Get a Free Market Analysis from 3 different real estate professionals from three different real estate companies and evaluate the marketing plans of each.
Step 2. Choose a real estate broker who has the appropriate level of expertise you desire and someone who understands your wants, needs and goals. Then price it right, price it to sell. Your best marketing dollars come from the first 30 days of your home being on the market. Make a good first impression using the data from your market analysis.
Step 3: Make the house presentable and keep it in show room condition.
Step 4:Promote, Promote, Promote the house to your friends, neighbors and co-workers. Decide on a marketing plan with your real estate professional with the “right” mix of Internet exposure, word of mouth marketing and traditional advertising methods as Harmon Homes, the newspaper, just listing cards, flyers, brochures, broker’s open and open houses, etc.
Step 5:Make the house accessible. Be prepared to show it on short notice. Add a lockbox to the property. When the house is being shown leave the home and allow the clients to walk around freely with their agent. All questions should be directed to your Broker, but answer questions about schools systems, neighbors and transportation system.
Step 6: If you priced it right and did all of the above, be ready to accept a reasonable offers. Evaluate a buyer’s ability to perform financially and look at closing dates/items included in sale or other terms in general that might influence the sale.
Step 7:Listen to all reasonable requests or change of terms that can take place during your review process (in NJ, you have a 3 day period to have your contract reviewed by a real estate attorney) and while you are under contract. Finalize terms before and after home inspection.
Step 8: Apply for the certificate of occupancy weeks before your closing date. This is the town’s inspection of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Evidence of all closed permit (assuming you conducted any home improvements in the first place). Some towns evaluate the condition of house and can be strict. So ask your Broker if there is anything you should fix or repair.
Step 9: Allow yourself time to clean up the home and empty the house several days or weeks before your closing date. Ask for a final water or gas reading and turn off utilities in your name.
Step 10: Settlement. Debts and credits are calculated several days before your closing. Plan to be accessible on the day the buyer signs off on his or her documents. Turn over the keys.
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