9 DEADLY MISTAKES HOME SELLERS MAKE # 4

DEADLY MISTAKES HOME SELLERS MAKE – #4

Selling the most expensive asset that most families own is serious business, not something to be taken lightly.  It can be a highly stressful process and costly mistakes are easy to make.  In order to net the most from the sale it takes careful planning and some work on the seller’s part.

Based on our years of first-hand experience, we have compiled a list of the 9 Deadly Mistakes Home Sellers Make to help home sellers avoid them.  As the old proverb says, “forewarned is forearmed.”

A copy of the list is available at no charge to anyone who requests one by e-mail.

DEADLY MISTAKE #4 –

Forgetting about health and safety issues

Be up front and disclose to your Realtor any problems with the property.  The chances are that the problems are going to be discovered anyway.  A decade ago, health and safety issues were rarely a part of the typical real estate transaction.  Today, however, it is common for inspections relating to health, safety and even environmental concerns to be part of most sales contracts.  Moreover, in many states, the seller must disclose to the buyer any knowledge of existing property problems.  In many cases these issues have been or can be factored into the home’s listing price.

Lenders are more cautious than ever, requiring copies of every inspection report and demanding that every problem be corrected before the loan will be funded.  So, disclosing problems and getting them corrected is the fastest way to get your home sold.

A good listing agent has two jobs.  First to sell your home and get you the highest possible net proceeds.  Second is to do so in a way that will not end up in litigation six months to a year after the sale because the buyer was not told everything about the property.