Selling Your House: Nolo's Essential Guide

Description

Make the real estate market work for you! Whether your local real estate market is super-heated or sluggish, there are steps you can take to reach the right buyers, pick the best offer, and ultimately get top dollar for your home. NAREE award winnerSelling Your House: Nolo’s Essential Guide will take you through the process from start to finish. And, you’ll learn how to do it all in the shortest possible time. Real estate expert and best-selling author Ilona Bray gives you the inside scoop on: setting a price that will attract buyers finding the right real estate agent safely opening your home to visitors determining which repairs and upgrades pay off making legally required disclosures to buyers evaluating purchase offers, and negotiating and closing escrow successfully. Provides tips from industry pros―including real estate agents, attorneys, home stagers, and more―as well as stories from home sellers. The 4th edition also includes changes in industry practices resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cover Title Page Table of Contents Introduction: What’s Ahead in Selling Your House 1: First Steps: What You Can Do Right Away to Get Ready to Sell No Need to Wait: Start Fixing and Decluttering! Assessing Your House’s Best Features Aiming for a Particular Sale Date? What Else Is for Sale in Your Area? How Much Will You Spend to Sell Your Home? 2: Getting Expert Help: Hiring a Real Estate Agent, Lawyer, and Accountant Hiring a Real Estate Agent Hiring a Real Estate Attorney Hiring a Tax Expert for Advice on Your Home Sale 3: Prep Work: Preinspections, Repairs, and Improvements Root It Out: Inspect It Yourself Hiring a Professional Home Inspector To Fix or Not to Fix? Skipping All Repairs: Selling “As Is” What About Remodels or Home Improvements? 4: Telling Buyers What You Know: Disclosure Laws What’s on the Typical State Disclosure Form How Far Should You Go in Disclosing? Your Real Estate Agent’s Obligation to Disclose Home-Related Information When and How to Give the Form to Prospective Buyers Legal Liability If You Disobey State Disclosure Laws Federal Lead Disclosure Laws State Laws on Location of Sex Offenders 5: Spiffing Up Your House: Decluttering, Cleaning, and Staging First, the Basics: Declutter, Depersonalize, and Clean Dress-Up Time! How Staging Works Should You Hire a Professional Stager? DIY Staging Outside: Maximizing Curb Appeal DIY Staging Inside: Room by Room Ta Da! Finishing Touches Before a Showing 6: Pricing Your House to Sell—and Sell High Step One: Take Your Local Real Estate Market’s Temperature Step Two: Evaluate How Well Located and Desirable Your Home Is Step Three: Determine Your Home’s Market Value At Last, Set the List Price: High, Low, or In-Between? 7: Websites, Open Houses, and Other Marketing Tools Knowing Your Audience Maximizing Your House’s Online Exposure Other Ways of Getting the Word Out Financial Incentives for Buyers 8: Receiving and Evaluating Offers When and How You Will Receive Offers What the Buyer’s Offer Will Look Like I Like That One! Choosing Among Competing Offers Evaluating the Financial Parts of the Offer Evaluating Offer Contingencies and Terms Evaluating the Buyers’ Agent Back and Forth: From Offer to Contract Making Multiple Counteroffers Signing the Purchase Contract 9: Demystifying Your House Sale Contract What You Should—Or Shouldn’t—See in Your Purchase Contract Adding Your Own Contract Terms and Contingencies 10: Keeping Up Momentum, From Escrow to Closing Taking Care of the House While Under Contract Getting Past the Appraisal Contingency Dealing With Buyer Delays in Removing the Financing Contingency Dealing With the Inspection Contingency Dealing With the Title Contingency Preparing for the Buyer’s Final Walk-Through Dealing With Damage to the House While Under Contract What If You Need to Back Out of the Deal? What If the Buyer Backs Out? The Big Day: Your House Closing 11: Selling Without an Agent: Smart or Scary? FSBO—The Way to Go? Oops, the Buyer’s Agent Wants a Commission! Doing Your Own Marketing and Advertising Receiving an Offer and Negotiating a FSBO Deal Index Book Registration