There is often a joke among realtors and sellers alike that selling a home is easy! Getting someone to love a home, piece of cake, but getting a stress free closing on a home, that’s the tough part.
With so many beautiful sights, hiking, and low population density the Bitterroot valley practically sells itself! However, getting someone to fall in love with a home does not mean everything seamlessly falls into place. If you’ve ever bought or sold a home you are well aware of this I’m sure. Below I will detail some helpful tips to get your home sold with a stress-free closing. I go over some important selling aspects such as who is involved, paperwork needed, buyer and seller duties, and lastly how I can help alleviate some of this stress.
Paperwork checklist for a Stress-Free Closing
Paperwork and How They Can Create a Stress-Free Closing
Most of the paperwork nowadays can be filled out and signed online. This means less stress for our clients and creates more accessibility. However, I also make time to sit down with clients and explain in detail all the ins and outs of each document if need-be. I know not everyone feels comfortable signing online and I am always willing to accommodate! Here are a few of the major documents that go into a sale.
Buy/Sell agreement:
A buy/sell creates a written agreement on all aspects of the sale. It will cover details such as purchase price, earnest money, contingencies, title companies to be used, agents involved, and of course all the deadlines to be met. This is by far the longest document you will sign throughout the entire sale. When going through a buy/sell it is most important to note the purchase price and the contingencies. Talk to your real estate agent about these two aspects as they are the most stress-inducing aspects of a sale. Oftentimes sellers will accept offers with slightly lower purchase prices if they do not include many contingencies in order to ensure a stress-free closing.
Owners Property Disclosure:
A property disclosure is an honest report from the sellers on the condition of the home. The seller will provide all known issues with the home and disclose them to the buyer. These can cause stress if not addressed before the buy/sell is written. Ask your agent to provide you or your potential buyer with a property disclosure prior to making any offers. This ensures both parties are well informed and helps avoid stress down the road.
Listing Packet:
Oftentimes buyers get so excited about a home that they forget to check out crucial aspects to the home such as covenants, taxes, or property boundaries. Ask your agent to provide you with a listing package that should include a well log, covenants, tax history, septic information, and a plat map of the land.
Stress Causing Issues & How to Combat Them
Inspections: Most buyers will require an inspection before purchasing a property. These inspections can cause stress if an unknown or expensive issue appears.
Stress-Free Closing Tip: Sellers should consider having an inspection done prior to listing their home to help prepare for any unwanted stress. Sellers should also be completely transparent on issues they know of and disclose them on a property disclosure.
Appraisals: Any buyer needing a loan will be required by their lender to have an appraisal done on the home under contract. If the appraisal comes in under value the lender will often not allow the buyer to borrow more money than the home was appraised for. This can cause the deal to fall through and earnest money to be returned to the buyer.
Stress-Free Closing Tip: Price our home correctly and talk to your realtor about the local comps. Your realtor can provide a price range that homes in your area sell for.
Financing: Obtaining financing is a common contingency for buyers to put in a buy/sell. If a buyer cannot obtain financing for any reason it can cause the deal to fall through.
Stress-Free Closing Tip: Only allow pre-approved buyers to view your home while it is on the market. It can also be helpful to review your buy/sell with your agent for dates on financing contingencies.
All of these tips provided above have been a huge help for my past clients.
However, the most beneficial stress-free tip is to have an agent who can navigate all these difficult times for you. Please feel free to contact me anytime for more information on how I can help make the entire process of buying and selling easier. I am always available to you.