Answers by Karen Funk

Working with an experience Realtor can help you navigate the tenants rights, preparing the home to sell, pricing it well and marketing it for maximum exposure. I have a list of vendors, from movers to cleaning crews. Tenants have rights and it's important to know what they are and how they pertain to your situation, what repairs( if any) that add value to the home and most importantly, a Realtor who understands how hard this has been for you and answers all your quaetions!

My first question to you is-does the brother currently living there agree to sell and are you both on title or co-executors of the estate? This is important as there needs to be a legally binding document such as a will or you're both on title, to assure an equitable split. A Realtor can evaluate the current market value of the home, get it listed and sold in a timely manner. It's hard selling the family home and a good agent will make for a smooth process!

Depends on when you are actually taking possession. If the seller is to remain in possession after close of escrow (rentback), then you should wait until the date the seller is to vacate the home and do your walk through then. You want to be sure there was no damage done during the sellers move as well as check that items to be included in the sale, are there. Once you've done the walk through, you can refund the seller's deposit or submit damages to be reimbursed, to escrow holder.

The seller agrees to pay a commission, usually a percentage of the final sales price, to the listing broker, who then agrees to pay a cooperating broker ( buyers agent) a percentage of their commission, spelled out in the listing agreement and on MLS. This fee is payment to the agents for representing either the seller or the buyer, and it's how we get paid when a house is sold, Like most everything else, the commission rate is negotiable at the time of listing, and is not a part of the purchase contract between seller and buyer and therefore not negotiated in the sale of the property.