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The Home Selling Process, What to Expect

 

There are a Lot of Moving Parts to Sell Your DFW Area Home

So you've read through the Home Sellers Preparation Guide, and you've selected a Realtor, determined a fair market price, and have staged your home. In fact, your home's curb appeal was so appealing, you've received your first offer – now what?

The following gives you a step-by-step explanation of the Home Selling Process and what you can expect:

 

 

Receiving an Offer

Once a buyer decides they would like to buy your house, an offer will be presented. Review the entire offer taking note of what is being presented, so you can accept, counter or reject the offer outright. Once you accept and execute your offer, changing anything will take the consent of the other party. 

Your offer, though not limited to this list, should include the following:

  • A legal description of the property
  • The offering price
  • The down payment
  • Financing arrangements
  • A list of fees and who will pay them
  • Amount of the deposit
  • Inspection rights and possible repair inclusions
  • The method of conveying the title and who will handle the closing
  • A list of possible personal property items, appliances, and furnishings the buyer wants to stay with the home
  • Special Seller Exclusions, the seller wants to retain that would otherwise convey to the buyer.
  • The settlement date
  • The all-important lender pre-approval letter - This letter can either validate the quality of your offer or substantially undermine it.
  • Any relevant contingencies and Addendum(s)

Remember, time is of the essence with real estate, and responding too slowly can cause a buyer to pull their offer. If you have any questions or concerns, they need to be discussed with your agent as quickly as possible. Agents will be working to ensure that the buyers' financial qualifications are legitimate before recommending acceptance of your offer and reviewing said written offer to ensure it is free from mistakes that could invalidate the contract should a dispute arise.

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Negotiating an Offer on Your Home

Most offers to purchase your house will require some level of negotiating to come to a win-win agreement. It would help if you were well versed in the legalities of the real estate contract used in your area. In addition to legal issues, you will need to understand contract basics, including what each contract clause means to you and your buyer, what you will net from your home's sale, and what areas in the contract lend themselves easiest to negotiation.

Some of the things that you may have to negotiate on are:

  • The offer price
  • Amount of Earnest Money to bind the contract
  • Financing considerations and general strength of the offer
  • 3rd Party Financing Condition Addendum, type of loan, length of time to qualify considerations, and what that ultimately means to a seller
  • Lender quality considerations the seller needs to be made aware of, and why that matters.
  • Closing costs requests
  • Noted repairs added to the original offer and how to respond
  • Appliances and fixtures the buyer wants to include in the offer.
  • Actual Seller Move-out date
  • Seller's temporary leaseback considerations for up to 60 days from the closing date, depending upon the parties' agreement.

To really gain some insight into why potential buyers are pursuing your house's purchase and how they might proceed in the negotiations, it is important to know as much about the buyer as possible, especially their motivation for buying. Once both parties have reached a point where there is an agreement, you must still be reasonably certain that you have a legally binding contract of substance that can close escrow.

It is the agent's duty to provide experienced advice about any offer received its potential hazards, as well as strengths and merits. He or she will review the written offer to make sure that you thoroughly understand what the buyers are offering and what they are asking for in return. It is your Realtor's® primary responsibility to protect your best interests as your listing agent throughout the escrow process.

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After You Sign Your Contract

Once you have accepted an offer to sell your house, you will need to make a list of all the things you must do and a list of all the things the buyer must do to proceed successfully to closing. The property may need to be formally appraised, surveyed, inspected, and repaired. Depending on the specifics reached during the negotiations, you may pay for all, some, or none of these items. If there are problems with the property, the terms outlined in the contract will dictate your next step. Depending on the contract, you or the buyer may decide to walk away, open a new round of negotiations, or close.

Your agent can save you time and money by assisting and even coordinating all the necessary items that must be done to finalize the sale. Your agent will be directly involved and keep you informed about the results of each action and what effect, if any, it will have on the sale of the property. He or she will also help you coordinate any actions you must take to keep the sale moving forward. Some sales go smoothly, and some require a lot of work to get to the closing table. Either way, your agent will prove to be a valuable resource for you.

  • Allowing inspections, and buyer access during the buyer's option period
  • Negotiating the Buyer's Option Period Repair Request, offering options, cash instead of repairs, etc.
  • Issues found by buyer's inspector, how to get professional opinions on suspected deficiencies
  • Dealing with unknown storm-related damage, namely roof issues with insurance providers
  • How to get receipts and pay ahead if work can't be completed before closing
  • Obtaining critical HOA for permits when necessary for repairs, like roof and fence and landscaping
  • How to prepare for the "appraiser's visit with receipts for recent improvements, and other contracts in support of value, if there were multiple offers.
  • Strategies as to how to deal with a low appraisal, mistakes by appraisers. Since CFPB was created in 2009, Appraisals have been a mess.
  • How to keep scheduled closing on time to prevent the last-minute panic

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Pre-Closing Preparation

A few days before the closing, you will want to contact whichever entity that is closing the transaction and make sure that all of the necessary forms and documents have been prepared and will be available to sign on the appropriate date. It would be a shame to get this close to selling and have the deal fall through because of a document not being at the right place at the right time. You should also begin to make arrangements for your upcoming move if you have not done so.

Your agent can save you time and money by ensuring that all of the necessary documentation is prepared for closing. They will also make sure that all parties have done what they need to do so that the closing can proceed at the date and time planned.

You will need to schedule with all your utility providers a shut-off date.

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Closing

This is where ownership is legally transferred to the buyer. As the seller, you will need to be prepared to give over any necessary documentation regarding the property. Depending on the arrangements made during negotiations, you may be required to have done something specific to close. Be sure and read all the documents. Mistakes are more common than you might think.

Your agent can save you time and money by being present during the closing to help explain the process and forms to you and make sure everything goes as planned. By being present during the closing, they mediate any last-minute issues that may arise. Something always seems to come up!

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Post-Closing

Congratulations on the successful sale of your home! Hopefully, everything went smoothly, and you will be vacating your house in the time frame you had anticipated. You should make a list of all the items you will need to complete before turning your former property over to the new owners.

  • Disconnecting utilities: Gas, Electric, City, Phone, Internet, Alarm.
  • Agreed upon items that need to be conveyed to the buyers.
  • Landscaping contacts
  • Pool Service Contacts
  • Garbage Pickup day

The professional team at Askins Realty Group, McKinney, TX, will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding selling your DFW area home. Please find out how you can save thousands with our Market Leading Low Cost to 100% Commission FREE Move-up. Please email or call 972.529.2394 (Local Office)

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Contact a Local ARG™ Agent To Find Out More About Protecting Your Home Equity

Winter 2023 DFW Area Home Seller's Guide

 

 

Fill out the Form Below to Instantly Obtain, via email, your FREE Copy of ARGs Home Seller's Guide. If You Need Immediate Help? Call us at 972.529.2394 It's Your Choice to get the Facts About how you can Pay Less Sales Commissions and Net MORE Money When you SELL with us.

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