Selling a Home Checklist

Getting ready to sell your home is a big deal, and while it can come with many benefits, it can also potentially come with many downsides if you do not prepare appropriately. Follow this checklist to make sure you have done everything you need to sell your home with minimal financial and legal risk:

1. [ ] Get your home ready for sale

   • Long before you put your home up for sale, you should start doing what you can to make your home presentable for potential buyers. This means cleaning and renovating your home, making any repairs as necessary to make it as appealing as possible.

2. [ ] Perform profitable renovations

   • There are some renovations you can do relatively easily and cheaply to increase your potential sale price. This may include things like replacing light fixtures, installing new thermostats, and other improvements that can make your home more valuable to prospective buyers.

3. [ ] Hire an agent

   • A real estate agent can help you with the process of selling your home, including helping you put your home up on public listings and helping you find potential buyers. Without an agent, you will be handling all of that yourself, which can be difficult and time-consuming.

4. [ ] Hire a lawyer

   • Real estate law is incredibly complicated, and trying to handle it by yourself is a great way to get in serious trouble. That is why you should hire a lawyer to help you get through the process of selling your home, including negotiating the contract of sale.

5. [ ] Determine your price

   • A key part to selling your home is determining how much you are willing to sell it for. Part of this will be dependent on market conditions, but you should also establish a floor to exclude anyone who refuses to pay a fair price for your property.

6. [ ] Take photos of your home

   • To prepare your home for listing, you should take photos of its interior and exterior. If you are confident in your abilities, you can do this yourself, but for best results, it is often better to hire a professional photographer. Many listings today feature videos, including drone footage, and virtual tours.

7. [ ] Get your documents ready

   • You should make sure you have all necessary documents ready for the sale before you put it up on the market. This means ensuring you have a copy of your deed, a bill of sale, land survey and a record of any disclosures you need to make by law.

8. [ ] List your home for sale

   • Once you have everything ready, it is time to put your home up for sale. An agent can help you create and post the listing, which will allow buyers to start seeing your home and begin making offers.

9. [ ] Pick the best offer

   • Once you have a number of offers, you should decide which, if any, you are willing to accept. This may mean taking the one who offers the most money, but you may want to consider other factors, such as the method of payment, closing date and any requirements the buyer wants to impose as part of the sale.

10. [ ] Fulfill any necessary contingencies

    • As part of the real estate contract, you may be required to perform certain actions for the sale to go through, such as allowing a property inspection or resolving issues that show up in a title search. You should also make sure the buyer fulfills their end of the bargain, such as by obtaining financing.

11. [ ] Put aside closing costs

    • As a seller, you are likely going to be responsible for a number of closing costs, including things like taxes and broker fees. Put aside this money beforehand so you do not need to worry about paying them when the sale goes through.

12. [ ] Make alternative living arrangements

    • Make sure that you do not sell your home, only to find yourself without a place to live. If you are moving into another home, that is likely not an issue, but if there is a significant gap between when you sell and when you move, you may need to find someplace to stay in the meantime.

13. [ ] Close the sale

    • When everything else is done, you can finally close the sale and collect the proceeds from the buyer. If all goes well, this should be a simple formality, although you should have a lawyer present in case something goes wrong at the last minute.

If you are selling your home, contact attorney John Zaher at 631-310-4655 or on his mobile phone at 631-375-8770, where he can be reached 24/7/365. He will review your pending sale, draft a contract and help guide you through the process while protecting your rights.