FAQ

A professional Realtor ® will assist you in making confident decisions and save you time during your Real Estate transaction.  They will provide market information, negotiating expertise, transaction guidance, resources and much more.  As a professional, I study the market daily to identify opportunity and trends that will enable you to understand value and navigate the transaction from beginning to end.

The commission paid to the Realtor® in a Real Estate transaction is a negotiation.  

Change is constant and Real Estate is not exempt. Understanding the changes and their impact on you make representation by a licensed Realtor® more important than ever before.  As a buyer, the negotiation of your contribution to transaction fees will be an important part of your discussion with your Realtor®. Working with a well-qualified and experienced Real Estate Professional will guide you through the steps of your purchase and negotiate an appropriate contract for your purchase.

The commissions paid to the Realtors® involved in the sale of your property are a negotiation.  As a seller you will want to strategize with your listing agent to determine commissions and fees that you are willing to pay within the contract. Changes in the Real Estate market, your goals and buyers outlook will play a role in this discussion and the strategy that you ultimately engage.

Sellers may opt to perform a home inspection as a systematic approach to preparing their property for sale.  The inspection report will give you a punch list of items that will need to be repaired prior to listing the property.  This is a case by case decision based on the individual situation and should be discussed with your realtor to identify the pros and cons of performing a pre-listing inspection.

It is recommended that all buyers have a home inspection once a contract is agreed upon. Your purchase contract will provide for an inspection period during which time you will be able to perform any type of inspection that you feel necessary.  This inspection will provide you with valuable information about the condition and functionality of the components of the home so that you can identify areas of deficiency that will need to be addressed.

Home inspectors are a third party vendor hired to perform an inspection on the property.  The buyer or seller hiring the inspector is responsible for the inspectors fees.  Most inspectors have an a la carte menu for their services and the consumer can choose which services are needed.  You may choose to perform any type of inspection that you feel necessary including specialty inspections such as septic, roof and pool inspections.  Each vendor hired will have a separate fee for the services provided.  Referrals to inspectors are available or you may choose to work with any service provider that you choose.  It is always recommended that you choose a licensed and insured provider.

Mortgage lenders will typically require an appraisal in conjunction with a mortgage loan application.  Cash transactions do not require an appraisal and it is up to the buyers discretion to have an appraisal performed.

Appraisals are ordered through your mortgage lender on a financed purchase so it is best to ask your lender at the time of application.

Cash transactions, you will order your own appraisal through an appraiser of your choosing so it is important to ask each appraiser that you are considering a full range of questions about their services including price.

The actual appraisal of the property does not take very long ranging between 30 minutes to an hour.  The time to fully research the comparable properties and the features of the home happens at the appraisers office and can take 10 days on average.  The result is a comprehensive report that explores all of the details of the property and the value associated with each feature.

The time to close on a real estate contract depends on the time frame negotiated in the contract. A cash contract can close very quickly and as soon as all parties are ready.  Closing a cash deal in two weeks is common.  A financed purchase is about 30 days on average and the time frame can be slightly shorter or longer depending on the needs of the buyer and seller.

I encourage you to contact me with any additional questions that you might have.