Selling Your Home - How to prepare your home for sale

Sherri C Parker is meticulous about presenting her listings correctly. It is important that the seller and Sherri confer about these items. Her are some tips from Sherri:

Inventory your stuff. Can you have a garage sale? Can you put some of your stuff in storage? The buyer wants to walk in and pretend as though they live there, not you.

You may want to have the inspections ready for the buyer in advance. A contractor inspection or WDO (Wood Destroying Organism) inspection will alert you to potential problems that may arise. You have the opportunity to repair items in order to bring a higher sales price.

Have everything picked up while your home is for sale. When the REALTOR® calls with a showing appointment, it will be less of a trauma to prepare the house for showing.

Before the showing, please turn on all of the lights, play music and leave the house. If you have pets, please take them with you. A barking dog is irritating to the buyer. You certainly don't want your cat to escape by accident, especially if the agent doesn't know he's in there.

Please do not be present at the showing. Contrary to some people's belief, the seller does not need to be there to answer questions. The buyer and the selling agent should be the alone. The selling agent knows their buyer and will show the home. There will be time for questions later, especially after the negations are finished.

When the offer is received by the REALTOR®, she will call you and deliver it in person if possible. Usually you have a limited time to respond, so think carefully about what you can accept and make those needs known. The realtor will bring a sellers net sheet which is the proceeds from the sale. Think about what you need to move. Accept it if it works for you.

During the inspections, keep all access clear. The inspector needs to have access to the attic space, electrical panel, floors and windows and doors.

The home should be clear of seller's furniture and personal items prior to closing. The contract states that the home should be "free and clear of trash and debris". When you come to the closing table, bring the keys and the garage door openers. You will sign the deed when the purchaser delivers the funds and you both sign the closing statements. Enjoy your move to your new home. Rest assured that the transaction has been nurtured by the competent hands of your REALTOR®.

Typical Costs of Selling Your Home Are:

• Your mortgage payoff
• Success fee
• State stamps on deed
• Title insurance
• Closing fee
• Tax proration

What the REALTOR® Actually Does

Evaluate the value of your home compared to recent homes that have sold and homes that are pending. The home is NOT necessarily worth what you have into it or what the neighbor is asking.

• Present the facts to you
• Create the listing agreement and have the sellers sign it
• Take photos
• Make duplicate keys and place them in a lockbox so that other agents can access the home
• Make appointments with the seller regarding showing the home
• Follow up on showings
• Meet with the sellers regarding the offer
• Help the sellers to negotiate the offer
• Negotiate with the other agent
• Coordinate the contracts with the title agent
• Coordinate the inspections
• Monitor the mortgage application and the process of the loan
• Educate the sellers in the procedures they can expect during the last part of the sale
• Gather the closing documents and go through them with the sellers
• Attend closing and answer questions
• Be sure that keys are transferred