Price

Depends on the market and the buyer, but generally the price offered is different from the asking price.

Deposit

The deposit shows the buyer's good faith and will be applied against the purchase price of the home when the sale closes. Your CENTURY 21 Realtor will advise you on the suitability of the amount of the deposit being offered.

Terms

Includes the total price the buyer is offering as well as the financing details. The buyer may be arranging their own financing or may ask to assume your existing mortgage if you have an attractive rate.

Conditions 

These might include, but are not limited to: subject to home inspection, subject to buyer obtaining financing or subject to the sale of the purchaser's property.

Closing or Possession Date

Generally, this is the day the title of the property is legally transferred to the new owner(s) and the transaction of funds finalizes

what you'll need to prepare for your appointment:

• Plan of Survey or Building Location Certificate

• Property Tax Receipt

• Mortgage Verification

• Deed or Title Search

• Utility costs, info about transferable warranties (if available)

• Info about outstanding contracts (alarm, hydroloans etc.)

• Dates or renos or upgrades (and receipts if available)

• Spare set of keys

• Alarm codes

• Pet safety instructions

Exterior

• House exterior in good repair

• House number easy to read

• Eaves troughs, soffits, fascia and downspouts in good repair

• Garage/carport clean and tidy

• Litter picked up

• Cracked or broken window panes replaced

• Lawns, hedges cut, garden weeded and edged

• Walks shoveled and salted

• Boot tray inside the front door

• Doorbell and door hardware in good repair

• Porch and foyer clean and spacio

• Chipped plaster and paint touched up and repaired

• Doors and cupboards properly closed

• Leaky taps and toilets repaired

• Burned out light bulbs replaced

• Squeaky doors oiled

• Mirrors, fixtures and taps cleaned and polished

• Seals around tubs and basing in good repair

• Floor cleaned, garbage containers emptied

• Inside of closets and cupboards neat and tidy

• Appliances cleaned

• Countertops neat and polished

• All lights turned on

• Air conditioner turned on (weather permitting)

• Fresh air in the house

• Fireplace lit/furnace on (weather permitting)

• Halls and stairs cleaned

• Drapes opened during daylight

• Carpets freshly vacuumed

• Fresh flowers in various rooms

• Jewelry and valuables locked safely away or taken with you

• Valuable property (such as art objects, vases figurines out of reach, out of sight or locked away)

• Pets absent or contained during the showing (pet messes indoors or out cleaned up)

Missing the Right Buyer

You may think that interested buyers can always make an offer, but if the home is overpriced, potential buyers looking in a lower price range will never see this home. With the abundance of information available online, buyers are well educated about the market they are shopping in and can quickly ascertain an appropriately priced home versus an overpriced home. Those buyers will not waste their time viewing homes not priced within a suitable range. Those who can afford a home at your asking price will soon recognize that they can get a better value elsewhere.

The Results of Overpricing

Many sellers believe that if they price their home high initially, they can lower it later. Often, when a home is priced too high, it experiences little activity. Gradually, the price will come down to market value, but by that time it's been for sale too long and some buyers will be wary and reject the property. On occasion, the price is dropped below market value because the seller runs out of time, then the property sells for less than it's worth.

The Importance of Early Activity

As soon as a home comes on the market, there is a flurry of activity surrounding it. This is a crucial time when a Realtor and potential buyers sit up and take notice. If the home is overpriced, it doesn't take long for interested parties to lose interest. By the time the price drops, the majority of buyers have moved on.