| When Ann sells your home...
As a real estate professional it is my job to make selling your home a much easier process than you might expect. To enable me to help you get the best possible price for your personal or investment property, there are steps that will need to be followed.
Your Personal Interview with Ann
This is probably the most important step. During the first meeting I will preview your home and make note of any special amenities. At the second appointment you will be presented a complete market analysis of your home and market area. You will be advised as to what, if anything, needs to be done to your home to guarantee the highest possible sale price and to compete effectively with other homes currently on the market.
Listing Your Home
There are many listing forms that will need to be completed to give me and the rest of our team at Christopher J. Barrett Real Estate permission to facilitate the sale of your home. When the listing agreement is signed, Ann and the Christopher J. Barrett team go into action!
1. The For Sale sign will be prominently placed. A lock box will be placed on your property if you agree, and listing feature sheets will be placed inside your home.
2. In accordance with the real estate commission’s standards, your home will be measured to ensure the accurate square footage and room dimensions.
3. With your input, your property will be listed in the MLS ( Multiple Listing Service).
4. Interior and exterior photos will be taken of your home.
5. Flyers and color feature sheets will be generated and placed in your home.
6. Your home is featured on our company web site.
7. Your home will be added to my print and Internet advertising.
8. Christopher J. Barrett Real Estate agents will preview your property.
9. Showings of your home will be scheduled by our main office where all showings are centralized.
Showing Your Home
Showings will generate the most important thing for a home seller – a contract! Although it is inconvenient to keep your home presentable at all times, it is when you least expect it that you’ll get a call saying someone want to see your home, “in 10 minutes.” When a buyer is interested in seeing your home, our company appointment center (Centralized Showing Service) will notify you at the telephone number you designate. Our operator is required to verify the credentials of the agent that is interested in showing your home. We ask that you make every effort not to be present when you home is being shown so that the buyer can feel comfortable exploring your home, looking into closets and cabinets and trying to imagine actually living in your home.
After each showing, I will contact the agent who showed your home to ask for feedback from the prospective buyer who toured your home. Feedback and opinions will be shared with you. You will also have the option to view this feedback on line. If there is a second showing, I will contact the agent and attempt to facilitate an offer on your home. Anytime buyers are at your home for an extended period of time, please feel free to contact me and I will contact the agent.
Offer to Purchase On Your Home
When an offer to purchase on your home is made, I will contact you immediately and inform you of the terms of the contract. If you plan to go out of town, remember to leave a contact number with me or my listing partner. Experience dictates that we should expect a negotiating process – either verbally or in writing. Once the terms are agreed upon, the agent will finalize the offer and present it to me with earnest money. I will then contact you for your signature.
Terms to Watch for in a Purchase Contract
1. The closing date. See if the date the buyer wants to take title is reasonable for you.
2. Date of possession. See if the date the buyer wants to move in is reasonable for you.
3. The earnest money. A sizeable deposit is usually a good indication of a sincere buyer.
4. Fixtures and personal property. Check the list of items that the buyer expects to remain with the property and be sure it's acceptable.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. The contract expiration date. See how long you have to make a decision on the offer.
Once You Are Under Contract
Just when you think, “Finally, I don’t have to vacuum everyday and make up the beds!” your buyer will want to conduct the home inspection. This is where the buyer insures that the home is in good condition and does not require any immediate repairs. The agent will schedule the inspection and you will be notified with the dates for the appropriate inspections. You can expect to be contacted with the schedule for the applicable inspections:
Basic Home Inspection will cover built-in appliances, electrical system, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, roof covering (flashing, gutters), doors and windows, exterior surfaces, structural components (foundation, columns, chimneys, floors, walls, ceiling, roof), porches, decks, fireplaces, flues, crawl space and attic ventilation systems.
Radon Gas, Septic, Mold and/or Pool Equipment may also be included.
Repairs that the buyer requests and you agree to do must be satisfactorily completed prior to the closing.
Appraisal and Review Process
The buyer’s lender will contact me to schedule an appraisal of the home. This is done by appointment and usually takes about one hour. As the home seller, you will not hear the results of the appraisal unless your home fails to appraise at the sale price. This is truly one call that I hate to make.
Closing Day!
This is the happy day! Your part should take about thirty minutes. You will likely review the settlement statement with me prior to closing, so you will be familiar with the figures involved in the transaction. If you are unable to attend the closing, arrangements can be made for someone to execute the settlement statement on your behalf. . Technically, a closing in Massachusetts is at the time the deed is recorded with the Register of Deeds. You are generally given the proceeds from the sale at the closing.
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