Considering selling your home? Well here is a checklist that can help you stay on track, while you prepare to go on the market!
Selling your home can be a daunting task, but with a simple checklist, it can be much easier. This checklist is for those who aren’t quite sure where to start but know they are ready to sell their home. Then when you are ready you can use the HOME VALUATION page to begin the process or feel free to reach out to the CONTACT US form as well.
Who to talk to if you’re selling your house:
Your Real Estate Agent – Selling your home can be stressful and confusing – this is why many choose to work with a realtor. A Realtor will not only help guide you, but they will facilitate the transaction making things go as smooth as possible. Also note that realtors, despite having fees are likely to get you more money for your home than you could if you chose to sell it yourself. Finding a great realtor in the Seacoast doesn’t have to be hard! If no one you trust can recommend a realtor to you, the next best step would be to look at the top real estate agencies in the area. Look to see which firm sells the most in that town then either utilize their website to find an agent you think you may want to work with or call the office and they can help set you up with someone. If you choose to interview multiple firms, make sure to ask each company how they will market your home! One reason why Carey & Giampa Realtors is a top-selling firm in the Seacoast NH area is that we market properties like no other firm on the Seacoast.
An Accountant, Tax Attorney, or Financial Planner – For the average home sale this probably isn’t necessary, but if your home was an investment, the money leftover you plan to do something with, or there are questions regarding tax implications then you may want to sit down with a financial professional prior to listing your home.
How to get your home ready to sell:
A basic checklist of things you should do prior to going on the market may include things like:
- Repaint rooms that are bold colors or non-neutral colors. Dark rooms can be a big turnoff for Buyers. If painting isn’t an option at least paint any blemishes on walls, ceilings or trimboards.
- Remove all personal photos and clutter. Personal photos not only can be a secuity issue, but they can also distract buyers from looking at a home. Remove things on the fridge and bathroom/kithcen counterrops that are not necessary for daily use.
- Replace or remove anything that is broken (i.e. blinds, windows, lights, etc.)
- Clean all rooms! – One of the worst things Buyers can see is dust on dressers, on ceilings fans etc.
- Wash windows. The objective is to make a house look nice and bright, cleaning windows can amplify light and showcase the beautiful surrounds outside.
- Trim any overgrown bushes outside, cut the lawn for photos and maybe the first big open house. Remove any outdoor debris. Make sure outside of the home has no rot or paint touch up areas (especilally on the front side). Sometimes it helps to add a fresh batch of mulch in areas, as well as adding flowers to pots and beds etc.
- If you have pets make sure to remove pet food and water bowls and food containers, toys, beds etc. for photos and all showings. Just because you like pets doesn’t mean the person buying your home does.
Paperwork for selling your home:
There may or may not be a lot of paperwork involved with selling a home and every home sale is different. But for the most part, there are some basic forms that every seller in New Hampshire will need to have.
- CMA – This is your compartive market analysis. This isn’t paperwork persay, but it is a report that shows similar properties that have sold in your area and will give you an idea of what your property is worth.
- Marking Plan – This is something you should ask every agency you interview for. Many will say “We market a lot online” which bascially means, they spend no money to market you home. They put it into MLS and let it feed to Zillow, Realtor.com, etc. Yes, these sites are great, but our Agency Carey & Giampa does a lot of print marketing, and I can tell you I have personally sold many homes from the paper, yes, even in 2021.
- Property Disclsoure / Condo Rider – The Property Disclsoure is a form you will fill out that basically has you explain eveyrthing you know about the home to any potential Buyers. One thing to note is to be careful filling this out. You want to be very careful as any incorrect information is what can get you sued. Leaving sections blank that you don’t know is allowed. The Condo Rider is similar and only for Condominiums. It asks basic questions about the condo such as who’s the president of the assocation, what are the fees, what is covered within these fees etc.
- Additional Documents – You will also want to located any manuals, surverys, mainteance records etc. at this time and hand them over to your agent. These documents can help explain systems to Buyers, show Buyers that something was replaced recently, or just provide valuablae information that you may have to track down at some point in the sale process.
- Purchase and Sale – This is the form you will get when a Buyer has decided to put an offer in on your home. Your realtor will go over this with you and explain it all to you. I would recommend reviewing this a few times prior to signing everything as sometimes things do get overlooked.
- Closing Disclsoure & Deed – These will be the last two things you sign before the property changes posessions. The Closing Disclsoure will outline all the debits and credits to the Buyer and the Seller. The Deed is the new Deed for the property showing the transfew of ownership from one party to the new party.
This will be a journey, no doubt, but if you get organized prior to the listing of your home it will make things go much smoother for you. You can use the CONTACT US page to send us a message with any questions. If you think you are ready to go you can go to the HOME VALUATION page to start the journey of listing your home!
