Some people think that all they need to do to put their home on the market is call their Davie REALTORS. Those people will have a harder time getting their home sold quickly and at a market price. If you want to sell your home with the least amount of stress, make sure you check the home seller guidelines below.
-
Divorce your home.
If you’ve lived in your home for relatively long period of time, you’ve probably grown fond of it. While you have reasons to move, you may still hold your existing home close to your heart.
This will make the entire selling process more difficult, and at times, impossible.
For example:
- You’ll need to prepare your home to sell. Your agent may recommend that you trim or remove that bush that is blocking the natural light in your living room, or remove the flocked wallpaper that is making the master bedroom look dated. If you are so in love with your home that you can’t make those changes, you’re severely limiting the success of your home sale.
- You’ll need to set a market price. You may come up with a value for your home based on all the hard work you put into it. If that figure doesn’t agree with the true market value (often sellers are overly optimistic), you’ll price your home out of the market and suffer the consequences.
- You’ll need to keep a cool head during negotiations. If a low offer made on the house insults you, you may overreact and miss a real opportunity because you can’t negotiate objectively.
Consciously stop thinking of your home as “yours.” Once it goes on the market, it’s just a product you’re selling. And, you can look forward to your new home becoming your next love.
-
Find anything that is wrong with your home.
You know about many of the things that need to be fixed in your home. Those things may include peeling paint, scuffed floors or very worn carpeting.
There may well be some problems that you’re not aware of. And, that’s a problem.
In the State of Florida, there have been lawsuits about hidden problems. The Florida Supreme Court ruling indicated that if there are problems that affect the value of the property that aren’t readily seen, the seller must disclose them to the buyer.
Another ruling by the First District Court of Appeals indicated that the same ruling noted above also applies to homes that are sold “as is.”
That means that you could find yourself in the middle of a lawsuit if you don’t check on the condition of your home. The only safe way to do that is to arrange for a pre-listing inspection. That inspection will point out anything that must be addressed, or at the least, disclosed to a buyer.
Your sale will go much smoother if you fix any problems found. Your agent can help you determine which things you might be able to leave for the buyer to address, and which will be deal breakers.
-
Decide on what you want to take with you and what you want to leave.
We’ve talked about the difference between personal property and fixtures before. Just to review, in the State of Florida, there are three terms you need to know:
- Real property: Things that are affixed to the land such as homes, sheds, and so on
- Personal property: Things that aren’t affixed to the land such as cars, boats, or jewelry
- Fixtures: Things that are affixed to real property (meaning the house) and are considered to be included in the sale
The problem is that gray area where there are fixtures that you consider to be your personal property. A lot of confusion, frustration, and sometimes lawsuits, can occur if you and your agent aren’t clear about fixtures that you consider to be personal property and want to take with you.
Here’s an example of something you might want to take with you:
- You probably don’t want to take all the doorknobs in your home – do you? But, if your dining room chandelier has been in your family for generations, you’ll certainly want to take it with you. A buyer may assume that it is a fixture and it will be staying with the home. That’s when conflict will arise.
Often, the best thing to do as the seller is to replace those fixtures you want to take with you before you list the house. If that doesn’t happen, then talk to your agent about how to let the buyer know if there are fixtures that you are excluding from the sale.
The same type of communication should take place for things that you might typically take with you, but you don’t want them. Let’s say that you’ve purchased a new refrigerator that fits perfectly into the kitchen in your new home. You should let the buyer know that the refrigerator is included in the sale.
This isn’t the end of the Home Seller Guidelines
These are just a few of the things that should appear on your “Home Seller Guidelines.” Don’t miss part two of this series.
And, if you are thinking of selling your home, make sure you work with agents who know all about how you can make the sale of your home a happy one. Contact us at 954.242.8030 or send an email. We’ll use our market knowledge and skills to help you sell quickly and at the highest market value!
