Category: Home Selling

  • One of real estate’s biggest myths

      Reader Question: The relo counselor is telling me I will lose the relocation benefits if I list my home for more than ten percent above the average of two appraisals. This seems like one of real estate’s biggest myths. Their argument is this rule will ultimately help the home sell at a higher price, which…

  • Six tips to resurrect a failed negotiation

    Reader Question: We have a failed negotiation. A buyer has an accepted offer on a home, and a home inspection has revealed several items that are defects. The buyer’s attorney delivered a letter to the seller’s attorney stating that all work discovered in the inspection has to be completed by the seller. The seller has not…

  • Three explanations for shocking HOA exit fee

    Reader Question: ​We are in the closing process of selling our home. We just learned from our agent that the title company received an invoice for eleven hundred dollars from the company that manages our homeowner association (HOA). This is a shocking HOA exit fee. We checked around with friends that have moved out of…

  • How to pick the best real estate agent from three finalists

    Reader Question: We want to pick the best real estate agent from three finalists. Each agent chose three different comparables, and there is a thirty percent difference between the best price and lowest price when including all nine comparables. This difference equates to over $60,000. How do we know which estimate is the most accurate comparison…

  • Six tips to establish your home’s listing price

    Reader Question: We are going to sell our home. We asked three agents that were recommended to us by friends and family to look at our home to establish our home’s listing price. We wanted several opinions on our home’s value. Each one of them has a different opinion, and there is a sizeable difference…

  • Should we sell to a home flipper?

    Reader Question: We are planning to sell our home and asked a handyman to give us an estimate of the costs to fix several issues that are likely to cause a buyer to offer less money. He did provide us with a detailed estimate of the cost and also offered to buy our home as…

  • Four simple tips to improve home inspection outcomes

     Reader Question: We just lost a buyer over two inconsequential discoveries by the home inspector. Our agent told us the buyer was edgy, and were afraid they would inherit more problems in the future because the discovery created the impression we hadn’t taken care of the house. We have had other friends with inspection issues.…

  • Agent tells home seller not to attend the home inspection

    Reader Question: We accepted an offer on our home. The contract is subject to a satisfactory home inspection. Our agent called to set up a time for the inspection and asked us not to attend the home inspection. She asked that we not be home. My thinking is that if there is some discovery made…

  • What should a home seller disclose in the condition report?

    ​Reader Question: What must a home seller disclose and what are we not obliged to disclose? We are preparing to sell our home and want to know. ​What does the seller’s condition report cover and where does a homeowner’s responsibility to disclose end? ​Monty’s Answer: ​Most every state has laws and requirements for a home seller…

  • Our agent’s home pricing is confusing

    Reader Question: Our agent’s home pricing is confusing. The area we live developed with colonial style homes that all look the same. Our home is a craftsman style home that is custom-built. We built our home with branded concrete siding, expensive composite decking, and custom maple cabinets with built-ins throughout the home. We have heated…

  • Four tips to reduce home seller anxiety

    Reader Question: ​We are experiencing home seller anxiety. We have a contract on our home pending only an appraisal. Our closing date is two weeks away. The buyer asked for an inspection of the property. We also granted his request for an engineering inspection. Both of these inspections were satisfactory. He has had an hour-long,…

  • Four tips to find the perfect real estate agent

    Reader Question: My husband and I will be selling our third home soon. We want to find the perfect real estate agent. In all of our past buying and selling transactions, we have experienced some degree of angst somewhere in the process. After three purchases and two sales, we want everything to go smoothly from…

  • Six steps to take with a low-ball offer on your home

    Reader Question: Our home is for sale for $284,900. It has been for sale for two months. We just received a low-ball offer for $245,000. We are very disappointed and stunned with the offer. We feel like telling them to get lost. How should we deal with this situation? Monty’s Answer: The offer is about…

  • Eight red flags in a real estate listing presentation

    Reader Question: We are going to be listing our home soon to take advantage of the spring market. We will be taking your recommendation and interviewing multiple agents, and we expect they will each have a strong listing presentation. Do you have any specific comments for us that may help us spot gimmicks or questionable…

  • Two big reasons why home sellers shop agents

    Reader Question: We put up a “for sale by owner ” sign over a year ago. We had a couple of low offers. We then contracted with an agent for six months, in which we had showings and critiques. We were one of the finalists with three interested buyers. They all chose other homes. We…