Not every offer is an ideal offer. For example, if an offer is high but the individual has a questionable ability to gain financing, you will do good to accept a slightly lower offer with one that has solid financing. This will save you large quantities of time and energy. Now you have an offer from a buyer that has met all the requirements and that you and your Realtor are comfortable with. Now you and the buyer will sign a Purchase Agreement (or Purchase and Sale Agreement) in which all legal and conditional terms are settled on. But this is only still the beginning in closing the sale. The whole thing can still go south depending on the outcome of the home inspection and how this aspect is handled.

A professional house inspector will do his job and will likely recommend to the buyer that they ask the seller to fix or repair this or that. Most often, this kind of request is small and easy to accommodate, but there are times when an issue surfaces that gives the buyer a reason to head for the nearest exit. This is the only time a buyer can legally back out of the sale after the Purchase Agreement has been signed, so it is crucial to the sale that this inspection be handled with much care. Once the home inspection is done and buyer and seller have agreed on the likely adjusted terms, the next step is for the buyer to acquire the loan. At this point, you as a seller have nearly made it through the obstacle course.

The closing process is a detailed and lengthy stretch of legality. It is best for you to have an experienced lawyer who is specialized in real estate law. They will go through the process of making sure every party, especially you, is getting a fair deal. As the seller, this is one point where you will actually have very little to do except wait until the process is over and receive the check. All hurdles have been leaped, all obstacles overcome. Selling a piece of real estate is a long and detailed process, but it is made up of a series of simple steps that make it look more ominous than it really is.

Assuming the pros and cons have been assessed and the decision is made, the initial foundation of your sale has to be set. Sell it yourself or use a real estate broker? Unless you are closely tied to the home sales market and know its finicky nature, the best decision is to go with a broker who knows the ins and outs of selling a home professionally. The common misconception using the FSBO method (For Sale By Owner) is that the seller will save a ton of money by not paying a high commission to a Realtor. Often, the reverse is true. By selling a home by yourself, you often end up spending a large sum of money on advertising, promoting, and in the end (when the home sits for extended periods of time) become gray-haired and aggravated. FSBO sellers have to deal directly with buyers, handle the paperwork, and juggle various negotiations.

A real estate agent will professionally and knowledgeably handle every aspect of your home’s sale, from paperwork to negotiation. All you have to do is accept or decline. Once that decision is behind you, the next step is to get your home ready for sale. Will you be living in the home or live elsewhere during the sales period? Regardless, it is ideal to spruce the place up. A buyer’s first impression is gold when it comes to landing a good sale. Walk around the property and pretend you’re seeing it for the first time. Repair or touch up any eyesores, trim the hedges and mow the grass. Do the same inside and in each room. No room is too minor to receive attention. Follow the COC rule: Clear Out Clutter! Also address any safety issues that warrant attention.

Now it’s time to begin the journey of selling your property. Don’t be afraid of the word “journey”-it’s natural to become suddenly apprehensive at the feat you’re about to take on. Just understand that it is a process involving multiple steps, which individually are very simple. Begin by listening to sound advice from your broker and price your home based on research and not out of sentiment. Your broker will take care of advertising your property and once these initial steps are taken, it’s time to wait for potential buyers to make their move. One easy mistake a seller makes in the beginning is polishing up the house and property in the beginning, but failing to maintain that clean-cut look. Stay on top of the yard work and the dusting inside. Be ready in case a buyer needs to see the house at the drop of a hat. Do this, and the next step is waiting for the offers to come.

The experience of selling a home or other piece of property can be a very emotional one and charged full of feelings and often times hasty decisions. From setting the price to making a sale with the help of an experienced real estate broker, there are many things you as the seller must do in order to accommodate a fast sale, as well as a list of things to avoid. Everything must be considered, inside and out. Cleanliness, disrepair or wear, and maintenance all need be addressed. And that is only the beginning. Once everything has been cleaned, repaired and maintained, the list continues!

Beginning with the outside of the house is a good way to avoid the blunder of messing up a potential buyer’s priceless first impression. Humans are emotional creatures and although we like to think we balance everything together, we’ll still have a reaction to the first thing we see. The obvious things to consider are issues like the landscape of the property and condition of paint on the house. These things need to be attended to and immediately done: cut the grass, trim the hedges, remove weeds, repair loose hanging gutters, etc. There are some other things to consider. When you still lived there, did you have a nice birdbath in the front yard? Or a few comfortable ferns planted by the house? Things like these are easily replaced, and if you leave them in the landscape it can make the buyer feel comfortable and at home. As long as everything is simple and clutter-free, making the property pleasant and well maintained is an added bonus.

There are a great many things you can do inside the house to maximize your chance for a sale. Though the outside first impression is crucial, the battle is won or lost inside the house. Of course, like outside you’ll want to do the obvious: replace stained carpet, add fresh paint to the walls, etc. Make sure there are no odors whatsoever in the house. If necessary, open windows and air it out before a showing, closing them before they buyer arrives. Make double certain that there is no space or room that is cluttered with anything at all. Leaving behind a small decorative side table or vase with flowers is a good way to break the “emptiness” of the atmosphere. Also, make triple sure the bathrooms and kitchen are ultra clean and spruce them up with neatly folded hand towels and minor accessories. These small amenities will also make the buyer envision the space as a home rather than an empty box. Keep lights on and open curtains-let the light in! Also, don’t forget to keep the thermostat set at a comfortable temperature. Showing a house in the heat of summer with an air conditioner that isn’t running is not likely to make the buyer feel like staying very long.

In the end, keeping the home maintained, clean and (can’t emphasize this enough) clutter-free is key to a fast sale. But the little things matter just as greatly. Don’t be stingy in regards to leaving behind something decorative that makes the space stand out. If necessary, spend a few dollars on a few new decorations if you can’t part with your family birdbath or heirloom vase. These items, especially hand towels and potted plants, are inexpensive but add a substantial touch to the overall ambience of the home you’re trying to pass along.

Making a list of “to do’s” while preparing to sell your house or other property can be quite lengthy and cause you to act hasty when setting a price. A reasonable price is key to both buyer and seller experiencing the best sale possible. Regardless of the length of time you’ve owned your property, it is good to do the necessary research to know its current market value. There are invariably a lot of things to consider when setting a price for your property. Questions that need to be answered initially could include: How big is the house? What are its specs? How big is the lot? Location? Other questions to consider will often include topics dealing with the economy and the time of year you’re trying to sell the home.

Spring is typically the best time of year to sell a house, as late Fall and Winter are usually slow times for real estate sales. Economic depressions or slumps can greatly affect the sale of a piece of property. If you can, wait until the market picks back up to a healthy rate. But it is unavoidable at times, and you may need to sell the house quickly. One of the easiest (and most important) ways to set the price of your house is to review the sale prices of homes in your area within the last twelve months. This is the best way to gather an accurate snapshot of what your home should be expected to net. And listen to your real estate broker. They will be experienced and provide sound judgment in helping price your property.

Regardless of the price you come to decide on for your property, the place itself should be in top order. Remember, the nefarious “first impression” is 80% of the potential buyer’s opinion of the property. Go above and beyond when it comes to taking care of the lawn and hedges. Paint the house if necessary, or do any needed repairs. The same goes for inside. Take for granted that you’re jaded when it comes to the appearance of your home. They are your memories and sentiments after all! Your memories don’t mean much to the buyer, however, so don’t be afraid to replace carpet or paint over a child’s former bedroom. Also in regards to setting your price in comparison to others in your area, don’t forget that your home may or may not feature certain amenities that could add to the value of your home. Does your property have an added large storage building on the back? Does it have a swimming pool? What about that new deck you put on last summer? These are questions that need to be considered when adjusting your idea for a price.

Setting the right price for your property in the beginning is crucial. If you set it too high, the house will sit and become stale in the advertisements. If you lower the price, buyers may see that as a sign that the property was being listed for too much and the new lower price may still be too high. On the other hand, if you price it too low, it will sell fast but you’ll lose some greatly desirable net profit. Location, time of year, economic conditions, amenities and actual house/property specs are all very serious factors when considering a final price. Don’t forget to think with a cool mind and have an open ear to the professionals who have been there many times over.

Selling a house, in all its steps and strategies, is an often times grueling process that will make you want to pull all your hair out! One of the most frustrating aspects of home selling is the inspection of the home after an offer has been made and an agreement contract has been signed. Although this can be hard to deal with and may result in the buyer backing out of the deal, it is nonetheless important and necessary. After all, once the inspection is complete, you as a seller can feel confident in yourself and your integrity for the product you’re passing along to someone else.

At this point in the process of selling your home, an offer has been accepted and the agreement is signed. Now the buyer has hired a professional inspector to come to your property and look it over with the proverbial ‘fine toothed comb’. His job is to come in and look at every aspect of the property and point out any potential issues that may need attention or repair. He will be able to spot things the untrained eye may not catch (or want to see) and will be brutally honest in his report. The whole idea of the inspection is so that the buyer and his lender are protected in the case that something serious isn’t found that seriously changes the value of the property.

The home inspector will go inside and out, from room to room looking at many things. He will look at the electrical system, making sure it is up to code, and the same for plumbing. He will check to make sure there is no dangerous chemicals or issues like lead paint or asbestos sticking around. He will also check things like safety prevention (fire alarms and such) and look over the heating and cooling systems, windows, roof and foundation. The best thing to do is to stay out of his way and realize that no house is perfect-he’ll likely have something to say! Rule number one: Don’t argue with the inspector! In fact, it is ideal that you allow your realtor to be the one to follow the inspector around. They will know the best way to stay out of the way and offer assistance when requested. Since it is easy to be overly sensitive about your own property, it would be easily possible to become frustrated with the inspector and his comments and end up irritating him to the point where his final analysis is worse than it could have been.

In the end, the inspection (which seemed like it took a week) will be over and you’ll get a copy of the report. The buyer will of course request that anything the inspector saw that needed attention should be fixed before moving further. At this point, it is between yourself and the buyer to negotiate those terms, get them in writing, and if there is anything that needs to be fixed or repaired, do it timely. The inspector will need to return to examine the final result and the sooner he comes and goes, the better. All of this could lead to a delayed closing, which is the ultimate thing to avoid. Be polite and patient, repair anything as soon as possible, and the sale will be on track to a quick close!