Home Sellers FAQ

WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE YOU TO SELL MY HOME?

Experience is the key to a successful listing and sale. A Realtor that is full-time and offers a full-service experience is a good choice. It’s nice if a Realtor is familiar with your neighborhood, but it means more if they have listed and sold all types of residential real estate, listed and sold in all neighborhoods, and listed and sold in all price ranges. This means that they have a real “feel” for the overall market and community and they have not limited themselves to one type of buyer. Langham-Dilmore Real Estate has sold well over 1000 homes throughout our decades of full-time real estate sales right here in the local area. Also, our technically advanced website attracts buyers because it gives people so much information to help them with their community and home search. Therefore many leads are generated on our listings. Also, it is important that the Realtor has an effective marketing plan and will be available to answer questions and concerns when asked. A Realtor needs to be a good listener. Langham-Dilmore Real Estate is ready, willing, and able to list any property for sale. We have the knowledge, expertise, and experience to assist you with all your real estate goals.

WHAT WILL MY EXPENSES BE?

We will provide you with a Seller’s Net Sheet to give you an approximate bottom line.
Most common expenses are the brokerage fee, documentary stamps on the deed, filing fees, and transaction fee.

HOW WILL YOU MARKET MY HOME?

There are many ways to market listings in today’s real estate world. We believe the most effective is internet marketing. As soon as you sign the required paperwork, your property will be entered in the Multiple Listing Service and then on to Realtor.com. We have several other syndication tools that reach buyers everywhere; such as Facebook, List Hub, Listing Boost, and others. Zillow is another popular avenue for marketing. We are Premiere Zillow Agents, and when someone sees your home advertised on Zillow, our information is shown and they call us for further details and showing appointments.
We also still believe in Direct Mail advertising. A “Just Listed” announcement will be mailed to your neighborhood and our database. Welcome Home, a local real estate magazine, is another vehicle that we use during peak season to spot light your home. A big advantage to you if you list your home with us is our highly effective and technically advanced website, www.WeLoveVeniceFL.com. Buyers and Sellers are drawn to our site because of all the information we provide to assist them with their home search and ease in navigating through the site. Buyers love to search for properties, bookmark favorites, receive real-time updates and a whole lot more. Of course, your listing is presented on the first page for the world to see. In addition to our Langham-Dilmore Real Estate website our company, Medway Realty, is a leading global internet marketing firm that is committed to showcasing all the office listings and attracting buyers from all over the world.

ARE OPEN HOUSES EFFECTIVE?

We believe in open houses. We discuss open houses with you at the time of listing. Of course, it is always the Seller’s decision if you want us to provide that service. It is also important to know that not all homes are in a location that would benefit from an open house. We would come to a decision together after discussing all factors.

HOW MUCH IS MY HOME WORTH & HOW IS THAT DETERMINED?

A Realtor should use several different methods to determine value. We provide a complete and detailed Comparative Market Analysis using MLS comparables of current listings, pending, and sold properties. We also consider the condition of the property, tax records, analyses of area market statistics, and most importantly, the seller’s motivation for selling.

WHO SETS THE PRICE?

After discussing all of the above information, Langham-Dilmore Real Estate will provide the seller with their recommendation and will agree with the seller. Everything in life is a compromise and we will always do whatever we can to accommodate the seller without putting the listing in jeopardy. A property that is overpriced will remain on the market longer and usually will end up selling for less than if we would have listed it correctly. Our Code of Ethics also prohibits a Realtor from overpricing a property just to obtain the listing. Although some Realtors do not practice this rule, we adhere to our Code of Ethics.

WHAT IS THE AVERAGE TIME FROM LISTING TO CLOSING?

We prefer to list a property for a term of 6 months. This gives us time to go through the entire process from listing to closing. It is always our goal to have the property sold in 90 days or less. Much of the success in the listing process is relevant to the relationship and communication between the Realtor and seller which includes accurate pricing of the property.

HOW DO I PREPARE TO PUT MY HOUSE ON THE MARKET?

This is a very important factor and sometimes the most difficult for a seller to understand. Curb appeal will bring buyers inside your home. Often when we are showing property to prospective buyers, they will decline to look inside a home if the outside is unattractive and uncared for. We will happily give you recommendations to help you get a quick sale in the shortest time at an acceptable price. That is our job! Just a tip…some sellers want to be ahead of the game and they choose to have a pre-sale home inspection so if any repairs are needed, they can do it before any buyer enters their home. Therefore no surprises and a smoother closing.

HOW WOULD YOU AS AN AGENT COMMUNICATE WITH ME THROUGHOUT THE LISTING AND BEYOND?

You deserve to have a Realtor that stays in touch regularly. We are great communicators. We communicate in all types of ways. We can call, email, text..whatever is your preference. We try very hard to get feedback from every showing and give that information to you as well. Your call is also welcome at any time.

HOW ARE SHOWING APPOINTMENTS SET IF I AM LIVING IN THE PROPERTY? WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PROPERTY IS VACANT?

With Langham-Dilmore Real Estate you will get a call for every show. You will personally hear from us directly…not a call center or someone you don’t know. If the property is vacant we don’t call you but we still try to get feedback from every showing and we will communicate that with you. If you reside in the property, we prefer you leave for the showing. A buyer is much more comfortable to look around and spend more time at the house if the sellers are not there. We will install a secure lock box at the home and the showing Realtor will use the lock box to enter. Each lockbox is programmed with the name and office of the agent and we are notified when they enter. We ask each agent to leave their card when showing so you can see that they have been there and already left. We care about our seller’s security very much. We do not want you to show your home to someone who knocks at your door if an appointment has not be made.

WHAT LISTING PAPERWORK DO I NEED TO COMPLETE?

We use an Exclusive Right To Sell Listing agreement that has been approved by the Florida Realtors and Florida Bar. We will go over the agreement and answer any questions you may have. Different types of properties have different addendums and we will provide whatever applies to your property. We will assist you with completing all the paperwork required. The information you might provide to us would include, deed restrictions, condo documents, deed, prior title insurance policy, survey, permits for any recent improvements, receipts for a new roof, a/c, windows, etc. This is all great information to show an interested, qualified buyer. If there is a trust or power of attorney involved, the title company/attorney will most likely require a copy.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT AFTER WE HAVE AN ACCEPTED CONTRACT?

The buyer has a short period of time to do all the inspections. When the inspections have been completed, the buyer may give you a repair request as a result of these inspections. Depending on the terms of the contract, you may or may not be obligated to do these repairs. If a mortgage is included in the contract, we will be looking for a mortgage commitment from the lender by the due date. It is very important that all contingency dates written in the contract are met by the due date. If not and all parties agree, we will do an extension for a short period of time. Once all the contingencies have been met, the buyer will move forward with a survey, title insurance, homeowner’s insurance and other items their lender or closing agent may require. The buyer should do a walk-through prior to closing to be sure that everything is ordered for closing. Buyers and sellers are often not physically at the closing. They will be sent all their closing documents by email and sign electronically or by overnight mail. Some documents may need to be notarized This is a very common occurrence. As a seller, you can have your proceeds electronically wired to your bank of choice.

CAN I WITHDRAW FROM THE CONTRACT AFTER WE HAVE AN ACCEPTED CONTRACT?

There are certain terms in the sales contract that could allow for either buyer or seller to withdraw such as with inspections, contingencies not met, etc. If a buyer or seller choose to withdraw from a fully executed contract, it might be best to consult with an attorney. We can not advise anyone on any legal aspect of a contract.

CAN LANGHAM-DILMORE REAL ESTATE HELP ME WITH THE PURCHASE OF A NEW HOME?

We certainly can and we would love to assist you with your move into a new home. Whether it be a new home in the area or a relocation to another city in Florida or anywhere in the United States, we can help and it would be our pleasure.

THE CLOSING…CELEBRATION TIME!!

The big day is here and everyone is excited about the closing. Langham-Dilmore Real Estate always attends their closings. Sometimes questions or situations occur at closing and it is very important that the Realtors be there to handle the situation. So rest assured, whether or not you can attend your closing, we will be there.