Topanga Home Info - Hints for Home Sellers

Price it right. Your Realtor can prepare and explain a detailed market analysis of your neighborhood to help you make your decision. If you need to move quickly, set a price at the lower end of your property’s realistic price range.

Get your house market-ready for at least two weeks before you begin showing it. Your Realtor can use this time to set up a marketing campaign so that your property hits the market with a fresh flourish.

Be flexible about showings. It’s often disruptive to have a house ready to show on the spur of the moment, but the more often someone can see your home, the sooner you’ll find a seller.

Be ready for the offers. Decide in advance what price and terms you’ll find acceptable.

Don’t refuse to drop the price. If your home has been on the market for more than 30 days without an offer, be prepared to lower your asking price.

Get rid of clutter. Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier. Clean out the garage.

Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.

Keep everything extra clean. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates. Mop and wax floors. Clean the stove and refrigerator. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.

Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows.

Put higher wattage bulbs in light sockets to make rooms sparkle, especially basements and other dark rooms. Replace any burnt-out bulbs.

Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression. Small problems, such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet, may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well maintained.

Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.

Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.

Clean your gutters, eaves and outdoor patios.

Walk up to your house as if you were a buyer and take a good look. Anything else that would make it fresh? A buyer gets ONE first impression.

The closing date. See if the date the buyer wants to take title is reasonable for you.

Date of possession. See if the date the buyer wants to move in is reasonable for you.

The earnest money. Look for the largest earnest-money deposit possible; since it is forfeited if the buyer backs out, a large deposit is usually a good indication of a sincere buyer.

Fixtures and personal property. Check the list of items that the buyer expects to remain with the property and be sure it’s acceptable. Anything that is fixed to the property is usually assumed to be going with the property.

Repairs. Determine what the requested repairs will cost and whether you’re willing to do the work or would rather lower the price by that amount or credit the buyer for an amount to do the repairs after closing.

Contingencies. See what other factors the buyer wants met before the contract is final—inspections, selling a home, obtaining a mortgage, review of the contract by an attorney. Set time limits on contingencies so that they won’t drag on and keep your sale from becoming final.

The contract expiration date. See how long you have to make a decision on the offer.

A real estate transaction is complicated. In most cases, buying or selling a home requires disclosure forms, inspection reports, mortgage documents, insurance policies, deeds, and multi-page government-mandated settlement statements. A knowledgeable guide through this complexity can help you avoid delays or costly mistakes.

Selling or buying a home is time consuming. In this current, transitional market, homes in our area have stayed on the market for an average of 114 days. And it usually takes another 60 days or so for the transaction to close after an offer is accepted.

Real estate has its own language. If you don’t know a CMA from a TDS, you can understand why it’s important to work with someone who speaks that language.

REALTORS® have done it before. Most people buy and sell only a few homes in a lifetime, usually with quite a few years in between each purchase. And even if you’ve done it before, laws and regulations change. That’s why having an expert on your side is critical.

REALTORS® provide objectivity. Since a home often symbolizes family, rest, and security, not just four walls and roof, homeselling or buying is often a very emotional undertaking. And for most people, a home is the biggest purchase they’ll ever make. Having a concerned, but objective, third party helps you keep focused on both the business and emotional issues most important to you.

REALTORS® are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, a trade organization of more than 1 million members nationwide. REALTORS® subscribe to a stringent code of ethics that helps guarantee the highest level of service and integrity.