How Does A Seller Decide Which Offer To Accept ?

The market has definitely perked up this spring already and we are seeing more multiples offer than before.  With multiple offers on homes it has changed the dynamic of how buyers are and should be submitting offers.  Not every home with multiple offers will result in a bidding war, so I want to take the time and explain give you a quick overview on what factors of your offer will be taken into consideration by the seller.

Financing:

• Cash Deal: This has more than one benefit to the Seller, but normally the offer will be significantly lower than what the list price is because of the simplicity of the deal.  First it can close right after the title has cleared because there is no bank involved.  Second, it is usually in "Sold As Is" which means no work will be done to it.  The buyer is still permitted to do the home inspection but you will be much less likely to have anything repaired or replaced. 

• Conventional Loan: This refers to the terms, there will be a larger down payment with this loan and the appraisal might be a bit easier. Since there will be no PMI included in the mortgage payment it will increase what the buyer can afford by monthly payment.  From a sellers point of view the term itself is better because the buyer is putting down a large amount down of 20%.  

• FHA Loan: This again refers to the terms, with a smaller down payment this is often where we see buyers asking for a "Sellers Concession".  For a buyer with this loan there will be PMI that will need to be accounted for, and the appraisal must be handled carefully so that the loan to value comes in where it is needed to.  

• VA Loan: This is a tough sell for a Seller because the buyer does not have to put any money down.  When I have a buyer who is using a VA Loan I suggest still putting down the same amount as what would be due for an FHA Loan to show the Seller your commitment, and you can receive that money back after closing.  

Additional Financing Terms:

• Sellers Concessions: The easiest way to explain this term is it just like taking a cash advance from the mortgage to have your closing costs included.  There is 2 points of view for a seller with this.  First is if the home is going to appraise for $10,000 - $12,000 more why shouldn't they find a buyer willing to pay that.  Second is that what if the home does not appraise will their buyer still be able to purchase the home, or will the deal go bust! 

• Using Gifted Funds: This is something very common with first time buyers, they will count on "gifted funds" from friends or family.  Buyers must check the guidelines of the bank in which they are using about what amount of money can be gifted, and what information they will want and need from the "gifter".  Many times buyers think it can simply be written as "gifted" and that be it, but each bank works differently you should let your agent speak with your Mortgage Representative to be clear on those terms.  

Conditions: 

• Buyers With Homes To Sell: When a buyer has something they need to sell, it puts the seller at risk.  First the funds from the buyers are more than likely coming from proceeds of their sale.  This means that not only does the seller need  things go smoothly with their home, but they are dependent on an agent who is not working for them to push the other deal through quickly and smoothly.  Secondly, timing with this kind of sale is very important because the buyers will only have about a week window after one home closes to get into the other which puts the sellers in a position where the buyers timeline is much more important than theirs.  

• Buyers With Nothing To Sell: Obviously it is better because the sale is not dependent on any major factors aside from their homes appraisal going smoothly.  It also means that the timeline will have less in the way of deadlines aside from the normal mortgage commitment time which is usually between 30-45 days from contract.  

• Home Inspections: First let me say no matter what the case is, spend the time and money to get a home inspection no matter how many offers are on a property.  It is your way of knowing exactly what your getting yourself into, if you want to move quickly and don't want to spend the money ($500 - $750) at least have a licensed contractor check it out.  Depending on what repairs or replacement you want done, can change the mind of a seller on which offer to take.  If another offer comes in $5000 less they may go with it simply because of what conditions the offer is based on.  

The most important piece of advice I can give anyone who is starting their search is to make sure you have an agent who is working for you.  If the home is aggressively priced they should know it and be able to point you in a direction that will get you an accepted offer the quickest so that you don't lose out.  To see more about how to decide on what to offer, and what the process is look here. 

The Top 5 Tips For First Time Homebuyers !

I decided to spend a moment and focus on buyers for a moment.  I have a lot of information for my sellers, but when it comes to working with buyers I would have to say first-time home buyers are my favorite.  Perhaps I like the "challenge" but it is a different kind of reward when you hand someone the keys to their very FIRST new home ! 

Get Your Finances In Order

Before you start working with a buyer broker, getting a mortgage pre-approval is a must.  I have seen too many homebuyers starting looking before they find out what they can afford.  The result is disappointment that you may have looked at some wonderful homes that turns out does not fit into your budget.   Most licensed brokers will have reliable, and attentive mortgage brokers they work with that they will be able to refer you to. 

Know The Language 

Know the terminology of real estate, you want to understand what brokers are talking about.  Short sales vs Foreclosure, there is a very big difference.  You want to be sure even when you are looking without an agent you have a good understanding of what everything is.  You need to understand the difference between Listing Agents, Buyers Brokers, and disclosure.  Listing agents obviously list the house, and work for the sellers.  Every first time home buyer should work with a Buyer Broker, they will provide you with information about the homes in the neighborhood your looking for, make sure everything the seller is representing is true !

Find A Good Buyers Agent

This is the most important part for a first time home-buyer, you are going to be depending on this person to help you make a life changing purchase.  You need someone who is okay with having to “hold your hand” so to speak during the process, not because you need it but it is a resource that is available to you.  I once stayed in a closing with my first time buyers for 5 hours, it was a short sale and the bank was having its own issue with paperwork which held us up.  Before leaving the attorney, pulled me aside to thank me for staying and explaining what was going on to his clients.                  

Decide What You “Must Have” And What You Would “Like To Have”

I had a home buyer once tell me that she would never purchase a ranch they would never give her the space she needed.  For the most part she was right, almost every single home that was a ranch would not meet what she needed to have.  Before we began looking I asked her to make me a list of her “must have”,  and “like to have list”.  Must haves are the number of bedrooms, a school district, or a price range.  These are things that if they did not have them it would be impossible to move to that home.  Fireplaces, pools, central air, these are all things that you would like to have but, you could live without.  These lists are different for everyone, in this clients case the home she purchased ended up being a ranch.  If we had limited the search she would have missed out on her “perfect home”. 

Should I Spend The Money To Have A Home Inspection?                                                                                                                                  

Absolutely. The $200 to $500 that a professional home inspection costs could be the best money you ever spend on your house. Not only does the home inspection seek out any defects (and gives you some peace of mind), the home inspector will often give you tips on maintaining and repairing your house. See the section on Home Inspections for tips on what to look for and how to choose a home inspector.

For more information on Buyer Brokerage Take a look at my virtual presentation ! 

Steps To Getting That Home Under Contract !

I wrote a blog about a year ago, about what to offer for a home when your using comparable homes to base your price on, but I am finding more and more buyers wanting to base their offer on strictly their opinion of what they think the home is worth.   Because of this I decided that it was time to write a blog explaining HOW you go about deciding on what your first initial offer on a home should be from the very first step !

Now, again if your buying the home through the listing agent unfortunately they may or may not go thru the trouble of doing this with you.  This is again another reason to use a buyers broker, this way you have your own agent to educate you on what a home is really worth ! If the home is overpriced the comps will show you that, and if it is action priced your agent will be able to clue you in so you don't lose the house because of a low offer that is quickly outbid.

Step 1 

• Once you have gone and viewed them home and decide you like it, take the time and go back a 2nd time - look through the house thoroughly to see if there are any items you have questions about, if there are 2 refrigerators than make sure it says there will be 2 in the listing, these are things that if overlooked can cause you stress and anxiety later on in the process.  You will get the chance to have a home inspection after you have gotten an accept offer prior to going to contract to look for any issues with the foundation, electrical, plumbing ect.

Step 2 

• Make sure that you have your pre-approval in order and your agent has a copy of it, make sure you also have the funds available that will be needed.  Check with your mortgage broker and review what your closing costs will approximately be.  The reason why is because IF you are going to need a seller concession (cash advance on your mortgage), you must let that be known to the seller upfront.  All of this paperwork will need to be sent out when you present your offer so have it ready for your agent prior to submitting your first offer ! 

Those first 2 steps should take you only 1-2 days to complete, this is something that is really 

very simple but I am seeing more and more buyers who are doing these things after 

they submit an offer and than have to scramble to figure it all out ! 

Step 3

• Go and meet with your Buyers Agent, in their office - yes I said in the office, Why ? Because you can't review comparable homes if your leaning on the trunk of a car ! Hopefully you and your agent have been discussing the value of homes in the area, so that you will at least have an idea of what the value is worth.  

• IF a home is priced at its fair market value than you can safely offer 7% less than what the listing price is, most homeowners & Realtor will want to not or recommend going less than 3% - 5%. 

• IF a home is priced above fair market value than you will want to start around 5% less of what the fair market value is NOT what the listing price is - these homeowner can take sometime to get an accepted offer and sometimes you may have to walk away for a week or 2 and let them sit with no offers in sight and than go back to them.  
• IF a home is priced below fair market value than you will not want to put in an offer quickly, and around 3% less than the listing price if you are really not comfortable paying the list price.  These homes are priced to sell which means they will more than likely get numerous offers if you go in extremely low it will be easy for another offer to be a better deal for the homeowner.  

Notice that all three categories refer back to FAIR MARKET VALUE, you must look

 at the comparable homes that have sold in detail to figure this out since very rarely will 

you find a home that is an exact match to the home your looking at ! 

Step 4 

• Hopefully the process of getting an accepted offer went smoothly, the moment you get a accepted offer you will want to get a home inspector into the home within a day or two of your accepted offer.  You should let your attorney know so they are expecting the contracts, can review them and have them in case the home inspection turns up items that need to be addressed & than properly put into the contracts if need be.  

Step 5 

• Your offer is accepted, home inspection is complete, and the only thing left to do is sign your name on the dotted line ! Don't leave much time between these things happening remember a homeowner can go with another offer even if yours is accepted, until you sign your name on the dotted line the house is not yours ! 

Steps 4 & 5 should be completed within about a week, the longer it 
takes for you to complete these items you are leaving a window for the
 homeowner to receive a better offer !

Next weeks blog will be specifically about what things in a home are worth when you are determining the fair market value of a home that is on the market.  

Listing Agent Friend or Foe ?

I often reference Buyer Brokers in my blogs it is time for me to write a very specific blog about it.  I happen to quite often sell my own listings but my advice to anyone who is just beginning their search is to take the time and find a broker to work for you specifically.  

Listing agent friend or foe is something that I am always asked, and it really does depend on the broker.  I have been the listing and selling agent on quite a few of my own listings, but I am very upfront and honest about what that means.  In the end there will be no way to know which you have gotten friend or foe until it is too late, once you place an offer with a listing agent there is no going back to change it. 

Look at it this way, why would you pay someone who you only likely met once for finding a house you found on your own? If that isn't enough reason for you than take a look at some of the other reasons you should hire yourself a broker! 

There are a few very specific reason why you should hire your own buyer broker.  

• Your Paying For It - In every real estate transaction their is a Listing Agent & Selling Agent, the commission for both of these agents is decided when the home is listed.  Obviously the listing agent is just that, and will collect their share of the commission no matter who sells it.  The selling agent should be your Buyer Broker, but if you don't hire one than the listing agent now becomes selling agent as well and collects the commission for both.  

• Your Own Expert - Unless your a real estate agent, their is certain information you will not be able to obtain.  This is information you will need and want to know before you even place an offer on any home ! When putting in an offer you want to be fully informed.  How long has it been on the market ? How many owners has it had in the past 10 years ? Is it overpriced or action priced ?                                                                                                                                

• Someone To Do The Work - Ask anyone who has bought a home the hardest most time consuming part is finding the house.  There are so many homes on the market that those late nights looking thru MLS and Trulia you may get what I call "Click Finger" it is where you are scrolling thru so many homes you begin to overlook the new ones because your just clicking away.   An agent who is working for you will be looking for you, this way when a listing comes onto the market that fits what your looking for they will reach out to you, and email you the listing which guarantees you will not miss out on anything. 

• Your Middle Man - Your own broker means you can openly speak your mind about a home, and get an unbiased opinion.  The listing broker wants to sell that listing, which means he is of course biased to his own listing.  Sometimes when you walk into a house you may know right away it is NOT for you, your own agent can be the middle man to get you out of the home quickly but politely with no awkward moments! 

• Your Middle Man -  What about those houses that don't have any pictures online.  You don't particularly like going into these houses blind.  Guess what your own broker will either A. Be able to preview you them for you or B. Get the agent to send over pictures for you to see.  

• Your Representative - You will still attend open houses when you have a buyers broker, more than likely they will be holding their own open houses so they will be unable to accompany you. The old saying "Have your people, call my people" can be a great benefit.  A buyers broker will prevent you from getting calls from all of those listings agents trying to sell you on their own listings.  Just leave your agents card with them, and they will contact your agent directly ! 

The steps to finding your broker are quite simple, you call or request information online from local buyer brokers in your area.  I would recommend finding someone who is familiar with your area, and that you mesh well with.  When you meet with them it is you interviewing them, ask them the questions that are important to you, remember you don't need to pick the first one who comes in to meet you.  Here are a few tips on choosing your broker. 

• How many buyers are they currently working with ? 
• How often do they take their buyers out to look at homes ? 
• Do they send you listings, what tools do they have to help you in their search ? 
• How many mortgage companies are they familiar with, as well as what kind of financing are the familiar with ? 
• How quickly did they answer your request for information ? 
• What kind of follow up did they do after your appointment with them ? 

The process of buying a house can be long and stressful. My best advice would be to make your life a bit easier and find yourself a buyers broker before you begin seriously looking.  You are paying for a buyers broker when you purchase your new house so why wouldn't you use one? 

Now I am going to give you some examples of where having a buyer broker on your side is important.  

Example #1

Seller Joanne has her home listed for $375,000 Buyer Marie is interested in purchasing the home.  Seller Joanne Listing Agent agrees to take a offer from  Buyer Marie as long as she signs the disclosure explaining that it is his listing. He mentions it has had quite a few showings and is expecting other offers he insists that the home is worth the full $375,000.  Buyer Marie budget tops out at $360,000 but does not want to lose the house so she puts in her highest and best offer to get the home.  

Now your probably asking what is the problem with that ? Well, no where in that did anyone look out for the buyers best interests.  Now lets look at how that would happen if their was a buyers broker involved.  

Marie's Buyer Broker Rich checks to see how long the home has been on the market, it has been there for almost a year with no price adjustments.  Broker Rich runs the comparable sales of homes in the area and finds they are not worth a $375,000 asking price it is much closer to the $350,000 mark.  He meets with Marie and they come up with a reasonable first offer, and after a bit of negotiating and sharing of the comparable homes Marie is able to get the home for $349,000 ! 

Now does this happen all of the time NO, but it is the risk you take whenever you buy a home but don't have your own broker.  Now money isn't everything but lets look at another example, this having to do with functionality & safety.  

Example #2

Buyer Marie finds a wonderful home and Seller Joannes home has been on the market and is happy to have an offer.   Sellers Joannes Broker is the only agent involved, and takes the offer and gets the home into contract.  He explains the Seller Joanne has filled out the Property Disclosure pamphlet so there is no real need for a home inspection, and the market is moving quickly in that area.  Buyer Marie does not want to waste anytime this is the perfect house, and opts to skip the home inspection.

Buyer Marie places her fair offer and closes getting the home for a reasonable price.  After moving in she finds that the renovations that had been done over the years were not quite up to standards.  Although the Central Air was properly installed the electrical was never upgraded to handle the CAC and the other appliances in the house.   Luckily Marie finds this issue and upgrades the electric to be able to handle the CAC and the appliances.  While upgrading the electric she finds that not all of the outlets are up to code, and there was a non-GFI outlet in both bathrooms as well as the kitchen, which posed a fire hazard.  After about $15,000 in electrical work Marie is finally able to use her CAC and all of her outlets safely and without issue.  

Why Should I Use A Real Estate Attorney ?

It is time for another blog directed for both the buyers and sellers at there whose home is either on the market, or are thinking about doing so.  The one thing everyone must be prepared to do is find an attorney that they like, and trust.  Don't just pull someone out of the phonebook, either ask your real estate agent for a referral to one that they have worked with before.  If you are a buyer, than you should be working with a buyers broker so your agent will be able to refer you to one as well.

Not all states require the use of attorneys during the purchase of a home, but even if you are buying a home out of state I always  recommend you use a attorney to protect yourself from entering into a contract that is not in your best interest.  That being said, it is time to get to the point of this blog which is why you should be using a REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY, notice those 2 words in the beginning says real estate.  There is a saying, you can only do one job well.  Attorneys can do many different things divorce, elder law, criminal law, family, ect.  and each one of these areas have its own set of rules and quirks.  Do not use an attorney who does not specifically work on real estate transactions, and I don't mean someone who does them whenever they are requested to.  You should be using someone who does it every single day, because you want this attorney to know absolutely everything they may need to to help you during this transaction.

I happen to be very lucky and we have quite a few attorneys who are on our preferred attorney list, and they have only earned a place there because 1.  They are real estate attorneys and 2. Our clients have told us what a wonderful experience they had working with them.  We do not add attorneys to our list and let them stay there just because, if we get complaints they are removed.  A common mistake is that people choose their attorney based on price, and I understand the concern over the money when your making such a large purchase but take into consideration that a good real estate attorney can cost anywhere from $800 - $1200 for the entire transaction, it is well worth it.  Plus many general practice attorneys will charge a higher rate, or even an hourly rate for your file so you will end up spending quite a bit more if there is even the smallest hiccup.

I have worked on some very hard deals, and the only reason they closed was because of the  options that the Real Estate Attorney offered to them, at the same time I have had attorneys almost kill a transaction over something completely avoidable just because they weren't aware of a simple resolution.  Sometimes after the bidding is done, and the attorneys are involved your agent will need to step back in and play the middle man, you should never feel pressured by your agent but understand they are trying to be the glue that keeps you on track to either buying or selling your home and that is what you hired us to do!

Let me give you an example of the difference in what COULD happen during a transaction where a Real Estate Attorney was not involved.

A deal is made and signed by both buyers and sellers. 
Seller agrees to close within 30 days on a cash deal, but the house will be sold as is.
Buyer agrees to close within that time frame, and agrees to the contingencies which go along with a cash transaction.

Attorneys are contacted and asked to send out the contracts to both parties.

Contracts come back and buyer is "requesting" home inspection with repairs to be made, and/or credits and adjustments.
 
You are always entitled to a home inspection but homes that are being sold as is, mean exactly that AS IS.  Non real estate attorneys will often overlook this and send out a standard contract, and it will start a un-needed disagreement.  This is something we commonly see with estate sales, short sales, and foreclosures.

The sellers opt to not sign into this contract because it does not meet the terms of the original agreement that was made, and the agent is not due to check in with the attorneys for another day or 2 and is not contacted regarding this hiccup.

Now if a real estate attorney a few things more than likely would have gone differently because

• The attorney would have taken specific notice to the terms/closing time and checked with his/her clients regarding what was being represented in the home and what was not. 
• The attorney would have been in direct communication with the agent which would have allowed the 3rd party mediator AKA The Realtor to review original terms of the transaction with his/her buyer eliminating the problem in a timely manner before it escalated.
• If the issue was something simply fixed this can sometimes be done via a verbal agreement that does not require money held in escrow.  

Please keep in mind this is just an example, sometimes transactions where non-real estate attorneys were used have gone thru with no issues at all BUT this is a big decision you are making.  Would you go to your general practitioner if you were having a heart attack ? No you would go to a emergency room, sure the GP might be able to help but what if it doesn't ? This may seem extreme, but you have no idea what it is like to see someone lose their dream home! 


There are 3 circumstances that you absolutely, positively must use a real estate attorney.

• Cash Deals: These deals can be tricky because they have very specific terms as far as what is being represented and your closing date.  

• Short Sale/Foreclosure: Banks are hard to deal with, and in this case it is who you are not only buying your house from, but it is also whose financing your loan.  There must be a direct line of communication to the banks, your lawyer needs to be educated on what these processes are.  

• Estate Sales:  This is where it gets tricky because there is usually more than one seller, it usually involves family members who are not familiar with the what is legal on the home and what is not, plus the condition is not always all that great.  It also comes down to how the home is titled and who needs to be present for the closing, and what paperwork is required.  

Now for those of you non-believers lets also look at another reason why you need to use a Real Estate Attorney, and it has nothing to do with the Attorney or his knowledge.  An attorneys staff is also important, they are usually the ones drawing up the contracts and who is contacting all the parties involved.  Keeping with the Dr analogy if you were having a heart attack, and the nurses assistant told you to just go home you would end up in quite the pickle but she may assume it was just a bit of heart-burn, even though she meant no harm it can cause a big problem for you! 

Sellers On The Move !

I recently wrote  a blog for the buyers to give a breakdown of what you should be doing after your offer is accepted, and what they will need to do.  This blog is directed for what the SELLERS need to begin to do and prepare themselves for.  Most would think that the sellers have the easy part, they just sit back and wait for the closing to be set but I am finding for every educated seller there are more that are not really clear on what they need to be doing.

Just as a buyer has things they need to be doing, you as the homeowner also have things you need to be doing like packing, or finding your new home.  Homeowners who are buying a new home are usually diligent about getting their search underway before their current home is even in contract. I am finding more homeowners that either A. Already have a home and do not require a purchase or B. Homeowners who are opting to become renters are often unsure of when they are supposed to make their move and what will be happening after they have accepted an offer.

Disclosure & Home Inspections 
I did write an entire blog about the home inspection process for sellers, but I wanted to touch base on it again just for a moment.  The two most important rules to home inspection are:

1. DO NOT try and hide or cover-up anything in your home, it will make you look secretive and cause the home inspector to search harder to make sure they didn't miss anything.  Things that you may consider a big deal, may not be to your potential home buyer.  An example of this is lets say you have one leaky faucet, so you decide to shut off the valve completely obviously the home inspector is going to check, and with the valve completely turned off they may think it is more than what it actually is.

2. BE REASONABLE, if one home inspector finds an issue I can guarantee you any other that comes into your home is going to find the same one.  These are trained professionals and although your Realtor will be there to protect you we are by no means experts in home construction.  If there is a safety, or structural issue you can not expect a potential buyer to just take your word that it isn't a big deal, and they can live with it.  If they have gone thru the process of spending money for someone to protect them from buying a home that they will not be able to handle you must respect that.  You do have options, you can ask for a 2nd opinion from a licensed professional who works specifically on that issue (ex: Electrician, Plumber, Roofer) to give an estimate for repair or confirm that the point the inspector made was not one that should have caused so much concern therefor making it a non-issue for the buyer if they are comfortable with that.  If the professional confirms with the inspector that something must be done to rectify the issue you still have options you can either repair it, or credit the buyer so that they can have it repaired prior to moving in.


After you have completed and negotiated through your home inspected, you as the homeowner must make sure that everything you needed to disclose has been done.  If you "forgot" to mention and illegal add-on or that you are taking that dining room chandelier now is your last chance to clear the air.  Everyone is human, and sometimes things will slip your mind when you are signing your listing agreement and answering your agents questions.  Sometimes these things are what can make or break a deal, just because you may see it as not a big deal the only person who can truly tell you if it is important or not is your agent so be sure to be open and honest about these things.  Nothing is worse than having a wrench thrown into a deal that could have been avoided not only does it cause fixing by your agent, it could very well cause you to lose your buyer!


Signing The Formal Sales Agreement
This is not always required but for my clients I always like to have all parties sign the original sales agreement to have it on record.  This agreement does not only include the purchase price and the down payment it also includes your on or about closing date.  It seems to quite often be overlooked but we as Realtors need to begin making a real point of explaining, and than re-explaining what this date means to your homeowner.  The on or about date is 90% of the time what your attorney will put in the contract if you think for any reason you need more time than that date, make sure you inform your Realtor as well as your Attorney.

If the buyer is purchasing another home this date won't just effect you and your buyer, but it effects the buyer of their current home.  The effect of a closing date being drastically changed can cause them to lose their buyer, which puts your deal very much in jeopardy.  Just like a buyer must respect that the home is yours and they can not push you out, you must also respect their time and situation.

When you receive an offer on your home we will tell you if the buyer has anything he/she needs to sell, in the case where the buyer does not we will point out the fact that this is a good buyer because they are not being held back by anything.  This also means though that this buyer is more than likely renting and will need to give notice, which makes that on or about closing date very important.

This is a very important date to your buyer, if they are renting they will be in a position of potentially being homeless if the closing does not happen in a timely fashion of this date.  You may be thinking that no landlord would ever put someone out on the street but it is very much a possibility.  Your buyers can be penalized for overstaying there welcome and that can cost them anything from an additional months rent, to a daily charge which can become costly quickly.

Signing Your Contract
This needs to be done in a timely fashion for 2 reasons.

First is that there are plenty of homes coming onto the market, and what if a better one comes along and your buyer falls in love with it? They are not required to stick with your deal until your contracts are fully signed and if you are dragging your feet than you can not have hard feelings if they move onto the next one.

Second, is because unless you changed your on or about date the clock has begun running towards your closing date.  Your buyers need that contract to put in for their mortgage if you hold off it will take them longer to obtain the mortgage commitment which generally takes 6-8 weeks. You must respect that they need to move just as you do in a tight time frame because there is a lot to be done in that time frame.

Closing
I always keep my homeowners very much informed about the progress their buyers are making towards closing, because in order to be fair to all parties involved communication is key.   Without proper communication things can turn bad, very quickly and make the experience unpleasant for all parties involved, including the Realtors because unfortunately are usually the messengers that will carry your bad news to your buyer.

If you are purchasing another home you should be constantly checking progress on that deal  this way if there is any unexpected delay you are able to communicate this to your realtor who in turn can inform the other agent.  This respect needs to go both ways, if your buyer has hit an unexpected snag they must also communicate this, so that you are fully informed.

Now this may seem silly BUT when you listed your home your agent will have asked you where were you going after your home sold, if you told us you were moving to your 2nd home that is where we think you are going.  If over the course of the listing changed your mind you have to inform us we are not mind readers, and we will find you a rental but only if we know you need one.   Finding a rental for anyone whether it is a 1 bedroom or a 3 bedroom is a task, because not every apartment is available for immediate occupancy.

You have to respect that your buyers have given someone notice that they are leaving where they are currently living, someone might be moving in the day they leave so even a day or two delay can become a big issue when left till the last minute.  Just like they can not be unreasonable regarding their moving in, you can not push things to their limits and expect the buyer to be happy about it.

I did mention communication, respect and fairness quite a bit in this blog, which I don't normally focus on but these are 3 things that can help prevent ripples from turning into tidal waves of frustration.   Whether your selling or buying a home it is a huge decision and as Realtors we chose to do this, and it is my opinion we should always try our best to make sure you are informed of even these basic guidelines to ensure things go smoothly.