With the new year, you may want a fresh start in every aspect of your life. This may go to the extent of wanting a change of scenery, and thereby selling your current home to accomplish this. Well, you must understand that getting the ball rolling on your home sale, so to speak, is much more comprehensive than simply posting a “for sale” sign in your front yard. That is, if you want a streamlined and successful purchase and sale process, you must take certain preparative steps. Please read on to discover the initial measures you must take before listing your house on the market and how one of the seasoned New York City purchase & sale attorneys at Zimmet Law Group, P.C., can help equip your property to be visited by prospective buyers.
What are the first steps before listing my house in New York?
Arguably most importantly, you should first check that you are up-to-date on your mortgage payments and property taxes, not to mention that there are no liens or judgments currently placed against your property. After all, you cannot close on the sale of your house until all of this is cleared up. If you are confident in your financial and legal position, you may then reflect on whether you wish to sell your house independently or through a licensed real estate broker. Of course, we recommend that you retain our services, and we may guide you through the rest of these preliminary steps:
- Make mandatory repairs to your house to correct safety concerns, habitability issues, and any code violations.
- Make optional cosmetic improvements to your house to hopefully boost its curb appeal and asking price.
- Hire an appraiser to conduct a comparative market analysis of your house and set a fair asking price.
- Collect necessary legal documentation to show a prospective buyer before closing on the sale.
What legal documents should I prepare before showing my house?
As mentioned above, certain legal documents are necessary to have handy before opening your house to showings. This is because missing paperwork is one of the most common causes for delays and other critical issues in the purchase and sale process. With that said, you should take the time to gather the following types of documentation:
- The deed and title to your house, so you can confirm that you own the property and have the right to sell it.
- The mortgage payoff statement, so you can confirm the exact amount required to pay off your mortgage by a certain date.
- The satisfaction of mortgage document, so you can confirm your lender’s lien is cleared once the debt is paid off.
- The Property Condition Disclosure Statement, so that you can confirm the known defects or conditions in your house.
- The recent survey or boundary plan, so that you can confirm the lot lines, easements, encroachments, utility configurations, etc.
There are many other types of documentation worth preparing. To conclude, no matter what specific real estate matter you are currently dealing with, a competent New York City real estate attorney from Zimmet Law Group, P.C., is willing and able to step in and facilitate the process. Retain our legal services today.
