Jessica Fauteux

The best way to sell your home quickly is to pay attention to the competition around you. Assess the pricing and condition of the other homes that are on the market and position yours to be the most desirable. You cannot have your cake and eat it too, so if you do not want to do much fixing up, you may need to sacrifice some when it comes to pricing. If you hire me as your real estate agent, I will draw up several scenarios for you to choose from and make recommendations specific to your home for a speedy sale.

A contingency is something that protects the buyer and gives them an out in the event things don't go well for them. Common contingencies include home inspections, well/septic inspections, HOA/condo document review periods, appraisal, and financing contingencies. A contingent free contract has huge benefits for sellers. If you have no contingencies in a contract, your likelihood of having a contract fall out prior to settlement is very unlikely. Certain contingencies may be more worrisome than others to sellers depending on the market, their home, and their specific situation.

I recommend contacting a top producing realtor for an appraiser referral. Family law attorneys, probate attorneys, and lenders may very well also have great recommendations for this.

Yes, you can absolutely negotiate closing costs with a seller.

This is your house, and not your Realtor's house. You may list it for whatever amount you wish. It's wise, though, to have a price reduction plan in place if it does not sell for your desired price. If a property sits on the market for a long time at the wrong price, this can actually cause you to get less money than you would have if you priced it right from the beginning. You also would be marketing it to the wrong people, and may be assisting your neighbor in selling their house instead of your own! (Remember to pay attention to competition when pricing.) Even if you drop the price to the right place later, by then, your property would be stale on the market. I recommend interviewing multiple realtors to see if you get different opinions on pricing strategy. If multiple agents offer the same recommendation, they probably know what they are talking about. You can also pay an appraiser to give you an extremely accurate number that can help you justify your price to buyers. With all of that being said, when my clients want to price higher than I do, I let them with caution. You might get that shoot for the moon number!

This question would be best answered by a lender who is licensed in many states. I am happy to refer you to a great one!

Home warranties can be great, but they can also be not great. Ask what is covered and what isn't covered? How much is the deductible? How long will you need to wait for repairs if you make a claim on a weekend? Usually home warranties cover appliances, sump pumps, and HVAC systems. They usually last a year and almost always raise their prices when you go to renew. The downside to a home warranty is that you do not usually get to choose the people who do the work on your house.

This is a great question for a CPA! Please let me know if you would like a recommendation for this.

This is negotiable. Usually, buyers are in a place of throwing tons of money at a house in closing costs and down payment while the seller is making money, so it is always helpful to the buyers if the seller pays. Remember that while the buyer's agent works for the buyer and is a fiduciary to them, they also have skills to assist in keeping a deal together, which can benefit everyone in a transaction, especially in a FSBO situation where there is no other realtor involved.

I recommend buying basic stainless steel appliances that are cost effective when selling. You will not see a great return on higher end appliances.

Absolutely use a VA loan! It's an awesome loan! The only disadvantage to a VA occurs when you are in competition up against more competitive terms.