Seller's Guide

Not all homes are created equal and neither are all REALTORS®. What sets Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty apart is our dedication to the highest level of performance for our clients. The marketing of your property is of utmost importance. Our marketing plan aims to touch every possible prospect for your home through internet promotion, direct mail and focused distribution of information to agents in your area.

It has been reported that over 95 percent of all first inquiries regarding real estate are through the Internet. Therefore, we have placed critical importance on the use of both technology and fundamental applications to ensure you the most satisfaction throughout the process of marketing your property.

We have developed a comprehensive media campaign to introduce your property to the market. It includes direct mail to neighbors and past clients and email promotion to agents in the community who are most likely to have clients interested in your property.

Teamwork is a vital component of a successful campaign to sell your home. Your responsibility is to make sure that your house is in the best showing condition possible before we begin our promotion and advertising. We can assist you with a checklist of important details and the names of resources to help you complete any needed repairs.

Buying or selling a property is a complex transaction involving numerous parties and, commonly, conflicting interests. To reduce the possibility of misunderstanding or miscommunication between these parties, all negotiations regarding the purchase or sale of real estate should ultimately be reduced to a written agreement. When signed by all parties, this agreement should represent the entirety of the agreement between the buyer, seller and any other party materially involved in the transaction. The section below describes important areas of the written agreement, ultimately forming a contract between the two parties. You must read and UNDERSTAND the entire agreement prior to signing it. Your professional real estate agent or attorney can be invaluable in helping you understand the important details contained in this document.

According to the Purchase and Sale Agreement, the buyer can have your home inspected by a professional before closing. The contract specifies when the inspection will occur after the offer is accepted and that the closing is contingent upon a satisfactory inspection in certain cases. The buyer pays for the inspection, and the seller is advised to be absent during the inspection. NOTE: As the seller, you can market your home "as is," but the buyer may still have the property inspected.

A proactive approach to anticipating the inevitable will be time and money well spent. A pre-sale home inspection can identify potential issues and be a sales tool. A professional inspection report presented next to the disclosure helps inspire confidence in the potential buyer.

Identifying and correcting problem areas before the buyer's inspector finds them has some advantages. The repairs can be made at the seller's discretion and time frame instead of last-minute repairs scrutinized by the buyer. A pre-sale home inspection is part of the marketing costs of selling a home. The next best thing is staging the house for a home inspection. This is when the seller addresses common problem areas that an inspector will surely discover. Make these discoveries yourself and correct the issues proactively.

EIGHT WEEKS BEFORE MOVING

• Call several movers for estimates. Remember, on-site estimates are always more accurate.
• Be sure to get references from prospective movers.
• Once you've chosen your mover, discuss costs, packing, timing and insurance.
• Create a "move file" to store important information and collect receipts for moving-related expenses.
• Ask the Internal Revenue Service for information about tax deductions on moving expenses and what receipts you will need to keep.