Answers by Shayla Twit

Talk to the title or law firm who is closing your deal. If you're not yet under contract on a home, seek a reputable agent who can quickly and very accurately give that to you. Another option would be a lender if financing is involved. Lenders' fees tend to be the lions' share of costs on a settlement statement. Generally speaking your closing costs are about 3% of the purchase price +/- if there's financing or new construction versus vacant land. With cash deals it could be far less. In Florida, buyers tend to select and pay title. Sellers also pay doc stamps in FL which are 70 cents per 100 on the purchase price (this is a government tax on the sale). Sellers also provide buyers with a credit for Jan through the date of closing so that the buyers pay the full tax bill at the end of the tax cycle since they're in arrears in Florida anyway - each state may vary with these costs and customary negotiations. I hope that helps!

Do you think you'll save time selling it without a local professional? Hire a pro.

Is it a seller or an agent? If it's a For sale by owner they have 0 fiduciary duties like communicating, like a realtor would. You could knock on their door if they allow "soliciting" in the neighborhood. You could hire a local agent to proceed with a formal offer from an agent.

In FL local real estate attorneys usually say that they want no part of becoming a realtor in all that it entails. They oversee the legal portions of a contract and not all of the minutia that Realtors handle during a transaction. Why are you thinking it's an either/or? I highly recommend having both in your corner. Some people have a misconception that they'll save time or money or both and that's usually not the case. "If you think it's expensive to hire a pro, try working with an amateur."

I always say to refer back to the contract. I would have the attorney who was on the file (IF HE/SHE REPRESENTED YOU) look at it and advise. In Florida, the washer and dryer aren't embedded into either the As Is or FL FAR BAR contracts (we add them in) .... but if were to guess, I'd say that they mistook your "gift" as something you'd be responsible for; so silly if you ask me. They can buy a new set and have the appliance company remove the old ones as part of a regular new install. Awfully silly that a buyer would act this way - sorry!

Depends. Is this a primary residence? Or a second home or rental? If this is an investment property, consider a 1031 exchange. In Florida (my market) we have Homestead portability so that your new residence will have some of that exemption ported to the new home (albeit values may be higher or lower than the prior primary residence). I would look at not just your tax implications but overall risk reward ratio. I think it really highly depends on WHEN you purchased as well and how much equity you have. Is the "juice worth the squeeze." Typically anyone wanting to sell within < 5 years in this market can hope to break even, but you're in CA and I'm in FL - two vastly dfferent markets. ALWAYS SEEK OUT AN AREA PROFESSIONAL. someone who sells real estate FULL TIME!! :) Good luck

The same selling concepts apply. How creative are you getting with promoting it to the buyers? Are you showing them exactly what can be done onsite? Is it priced correctly? Are you offering commissions to buyers' agents? If so is it competitive with what agents are getting in your market? Where are you advertising it? I sold a lot on the beach this year - found the buyer. in less than 97 days. And another in only 20 days! PRICE matters. REACH matters. If I were you i'd interview agents as well if you get frustrated.

It's like anything, "you get what yo pay for." Likewise, "if you think it's expensive to hire a pro, wait until you hire an amateur." A GREAT hyper local full time top tier agent is worth their weight in gold. Remember it's not always about commission. Do they actually know the market? I say that because a great top tier agent can more than make up your Net Proceeds because they know your home's value and understands how to fight for your interests. It's not just price either. It's negotiating during inspections too. Overcoming those objections as they come up (or before) are also shadow tasks that the best of the best agents do that inhererently save our clients TIME, MONEY, EFFORT, GUESSING GAMES for you. You can hire a flat rate, a discount agent. Beware. Compare apples to apples. What are you actually getting. I would interview a few agents. Ask them for their Portfolio / Marketing Plan so you can compare side by side.

If you are on the deed as part owner of the property, yes. You would have to come to an agreement with the other owner(s) to buy them out and schedule that signing with the proper "powers that be," aka a real estate attorney or title company. I highly recommend attorneys as they charge the same but provide council. If you pick and pay they represent you in the state of Florida. it all has to be stipulated and agreed upon. The way some do it is either hire independent appraisers or have a few different realtors analyze and recommend a price. It depends on how you as owners prefer to decipher the real value.

Yes. As long as you disclose any known material defects, you can still sell a home with a cracked foundation (much like a new roof needed, new AC, new plumbing, or major external material defects to a neighborhood). Better to over disclose than not enough so you avoid the possibility of getting sued. The price would have to be reflective of said issues, as one would assume. Hire a strong agent who probably has the right vendor resources to guide you to a sale using facts and figures. I recommend that agent have a pre inspection done with the proper insured GC so that you can also use that in negotiations utilizing accurate estimates. Hope that helps!

I can see this slicing either way, however buyers in my market (Sarasota FL area) will discount far more than what the actual cost would be when they see small issues. Small issues get really big (and costly) to buyers in their mind even when they're not serious. $5,340 in cosmetic repairs could save you double and triple in the long run / net proceeds. Buyers think: time, money, hassle,..... perhaps coming from far away and maybe they just prefer a move in ready home. If there is an abundance of inventory, I would say that there is a stronger argument even moreso to do the work in advance. If, however, you have very very little or low competitive inventory, then you should get away with not doing some of this work. Positive First impressions and small updates will garner much higher than the $5,340 in costs to you now. She's not asking you to replace a roof or an AC unit.

Yes, unfortunately you do. With that update, the bank can deny the loan. And assuming your contract is contingent upon financing (job verification is an underwriting condition), you should be able to get your escrow deposit back. Tell your lender asap. You should have as open a dialogue and transparency with them as your team member as possible. There may be a way to save the deal if you're both communicative and can secure another position as quickly as possible. Sorry for the stressful situation!!

Depends on the loan. Safe to say that this is an FHA/VA/USDA type of government loan product that the buyer is utilizing? Typical Conventional appraisers would not require that type of work be done prior to closing. Refer back to your agent and the contract and/or legal counsel.

Could be an Adverse Possession issue. I'd have a real estate attorney look at the new survey for interpretation and legal advice.

Why are you worried about scaring away a buyer who is not serious about your home? If they're not serious why should you be?

I suggest an agent second opinion to walk through the home with you. It could be a smell, the decor, pets around during showings, owners hovering.... things that people generally feel very uncomfortable expressing directly to a FSBO. Working with an agent generally garners 5-10% higher gross profit on your proceeds. Have you looked into hiring a local pro?

"Time is of the essence." Page one on the FL contract will stipulate what day (and possible time) you're asking for a response by. That being said, some agents have an utter lack of high touch communication with their colleagues. It can be extremely frustrating. Some negotiations are quick, some are slower. The longest I've ever had was about 2 weeks. People need to sleep on price and terms (and will depend on days on market and the parties' overall motivation and or urgency). Be close with your agent and ensure they're doing all they can to protect you and your interests.

I always recommend driving around morning, noon and especially at night to really get a feel! Talk to neighbors. Explore any common elements / areas / amenities. Insert yourself into the lifestyle for a moment, an hour or a while.

I generally suggest buyers to negotiate the home first and foremost. Some of the minutia (furniture, furnishings and accessory items like patio furniture and mowers) can bog down the process. Allow the buyer to fall in love with the home and then negotiate that after the fact is preferred. THAT being said, we do sell a lot of fully furnished properties here so it's very common to all just be included in the sale. You can do a Bill of Sale too. Heck, I've had owners include cars and boats into real estate transactions too. The business can be "wild" at times!

Could be priced high. Could have major issues. But this varies wildly by market niche. I'd ask myself, "are there 5 others on the street or none." Is it the worst house in the hood or the best? Those facts matter a great deal. I'd start by talking to the owner or the listing agent to gauge feedback, history of offers as well as motivation of the seller.

START by interviewing three agents. HIRE who you you feel aligns with your ultimate goals and best interests in mind. Remember, it is better to work with one full time realtor than several, especially since you'll be required to sign either a Showing Agreement or a Buyer Broker Agreement prior to scheduling any private tours. Check out their online reviews. That person will be able to guide you from A to Z with ease.

Regularly but not LESS than weekly. That person should be sending you any active/pending/sold in your neighborhood to show they're keeping current with the market and ensuring you see those as an active seller. They should be showing you how many views you're getting online and on what platforms. You should be getting any updates on agent/buyer calls, showing feedback - and any marketing/ads that your agent has been doing proactively. Are they "circle prospecting?" Are they offering to host open houses? Are they posting your home on Facebook Marketplace and boosting those ads? There is so much we can do and communicate to our clients.

Do you sell real estate full time? What geographic areas do you specialize in? How are you different than most agents? What has your total volume been year after year on average in the last 3 years? How long are your listings taking on average to sell? What is the average list to sell price for your own listings? And how many of your own listings do you generally sell? What is your area ranking compared to other agents?

I can only speak for myself but: consulting, staging (as in using what you already have to stage) and/or virtual staging services, listing agent to accompany showings, chasing feedback, exclusive marketing opportunities, high level of communication, a rich database that the agent is able to tap into (both their personal contacts, past clients, and other resources that a discount agent simply wont have time to tap into), perhaps some will door knock, receive very unique opportunities to place your home in front of others, they'll have a healthier budget to advertise your property and more...

FIRST it depends on which contract you have. In Florida we use either an As Is contract (most common) or a "regular FL FARBAR" as agents call it. Look very closely at each and the inspection timeline. For purposes of responding, I will assume you had a 7- day inspection period on the As Is contract. BY the 7th day you MUST request any repairs in writing to the seller. BY the 7th day, in order to protect your escrow, you would also need to submit your "Cancellation of Contract and Release of Escrow" form to give the seller an option. IF that is really not the route you prefer to go (cancelling), you risk the seller just saying "no" and truly selling it as is. On the flip side, your agent can argue that xyz were neither known nor noted on the Sellers Disclosures and that if this falls through, that seller MUST disclose those now known issues to any future buyer OR remediate them with you - OR agree to a credit paid by the seller OR a partial repair list and partial credit (or some variation thereof). Hopefully that was helpful!

NOWADAYS appraisers aren't amending their price opinions like they used to; however it's always worth a shot. You can point out any "bad facts," or mistakes. I've had one recently where the appraiser pulled a comp that was nowhere near the subject property. It was a massive mistake. The buyer can pay the difference in cash at closing. The seller can agree to the appraised value. The parties can agree to some number in the middle. Or the buyer has the right to cancel, citing "loan denial due to appraisal." I had a buyer utilize their Physician Loan, the home appraised $27k lower. The buyer, in that case, elected to pay the cash difference, however the bank didnt even loan on the $27k less.... they loaned even LESS than the appraised value and I had never seen that before!!! They cited a "declining market" as the reason. Which was astonishing. First time in my 24 year career that I saw a bank loan LESS than the appraised value.

If there is a high number of listings in your neighborhood and the price offered is comparable to the others, you could offer a seller paid interest rate "buy down" to incentivize the buyer. If you're in a primary home (versus vacation home) market, that may be much more appealing than a beach community type of property for example where there are a higher percentage of cash sales.

First thing to look for is the inventory in your neighborhood or condo community. Are there a high number of listings? Then maybe not. Are there a high number but they tend to sell within a "reasonable amount of time?" May be an okay time to list. DO NOT listen to those who say that "listing in the summer months in Florida is not recommended." That is not necessarily true. I've had my best selling months during the summer in Sarasota FL for the last several years. Usually when a seller is ready is the best time - with the caveat that typically Aug and Sept arent the best months to start marketing a property in Florida. Hope that helps.

Ask your agent for their preferred painters. A great painter and realtor team can advise on this sometimes easier than a homeowner. A fresh set of eyes can quickly determine this with you!

Not necessarily. If you want convenience, dont want to juggle vendors/lawn/landscapers/pool cleaners etc and it's a manageable quarterly fee with a consistently healthy budget then it could work. Be sure to ask how often the fees have gone up and why. Ask the condo community about deferred maintenance. Going for the lowest HOA fee isn't always best. You want to be sure to understand the fiscal health of a community and the fluctuations in costs over time. A condo community that has strong reserves and structural integrity could be a winning proposition and ease of ownership for sure.

Algorithms will be all over the board. NOTHING beats a hyper local agent who has sold in your area or neighborhood. Zillow may be too low. I'm starting to see some of them off by thousands and thousands of dollars for my sellers. Do you really want to rely on a computer to tell you what your home is worth, one of your most valuable assets likely? Hire a pro. You know the old saying, "If you think it's expensive to hire a pro, try working with an amateur."