Selling a house is way more complicated than it seems to be. You have to take care of every in and out for ensuring a profitable deal. Of course, you’ll decide the price to sell your home but, still, you may fall in the pitfall of hidden costs and lose a handsome amount of money. Therefore, before you proceed to put your home for sale, you must be familiar with basic home selling issues and legal ramifications.
Here is a detailed list of hidden costs of selling a home in NY…
Pay Off Mortgage
If you have had taken a mortgage loan for buying a home then, it is crucial for you to pay it off prior thinking of selling the property. Legally, you can’t sell your home without paying your pending mortgage payments. The buyer might sue you for a fraud deal in future. To avoid such complications, we suggest you first complete your loan and then only think of the other way around.
Property Taxes
There are so many cases filed against homeowners in NY who didn’t settle the property charges and sold the home linearly. However, the law states that you can’t enforce the buyer to pay the property taxes on your behalf. Once you sell your house then only he/she would be responsible for paying property taxes. Similar to the mortgage loan, you must clear out any outstanding property taxes.
Deed Transfer Tax
Since you want to sell the property in NY, you will be subjected to deed transfer tax or realty transfer fee. Most people get confused and consider it as property tax. Whereas, it is altogether a different entity that the government levies upon the seller as a part of the home selling process. When the buyer and seller agree on a fair market value of the home, they need to contribute some percentage of it to the government. Its value varies according to the states. For instance, you’re selling the home at $500,000. The government may ask you to pay 1% of the total amount. In another state, they may ask for a 2% share.
Estoppel Letter for HOA
If you are a member of Homeowner’s Association (HOA) then, you will require an estoppel letter or certificate from their end mentioning you’ve cleared all the pending dues or payments. The letter should include the name of the homeowner, their address, a brief description of the property, and the date of clearance of pending fee along with the authorized signature of HOA board member. Here, both the seller as well as the buyer is liable to pay the default fee. Therefore, speak to the buyer before finalizing the price of your property.
Home Inspection Charges
Sometimes, what happens is, people, ask for too much money while selling the property and end up disappointed. The reason is quite simple – Nobody will pay according to your expectations. Parameters like your neighborhood, condition of your house, and amenities it hold play a pivotal role in determining the fair market value of the property. Therefore, for deciding a fair market value of your house, you should hire a home inspector.
Attorney Counsel Fees
If you don’t have much knowledge about what legalities needs to be done while selling a home, it becomes imperative to contact an attorney counselor. They can help you understand the legal matters involved in selling a house in NY in details. Don’t be stressed about the fees because it is a plus point for you. An experienced attorney will ensure your documents are processed in the correct way. Furthermore, you can impart the perspicacity to your friends and relatives whenever they face a similar situation in the future.
Home Preparation Costs
In most cases, home sellers expect that the buyers would pay for the repairing and maintenance costs. To be honest, there’s nothing wrong in that. But, when it comes to negotiating the price of the home for sale, homeowners demand a high amount. This practice is not right. Homeowners should understand that the closing costs are directly proportional to the home selling price. So, as a home seller, if you’re asking for basic repairs, you’ll have to deduct its prices from the final market value of your home.
Closing Costs
All the above-discussed points fall under the closing costs. One needs to go through the entire process for closing a fair deal. However, if you feel that this procedure is exhausting and byzantine, you can simply contact an experienced real estate agent in NY. From handling the paperwork to listing your property for sale to closing the deal with 100% profitability, they assist you through and through.
Real Estate Company in NY
There are thousands of real estate companies in NY who claim to close the deal within a few days. Howbeit, that’s just an advertising gimmick. Don’t fall in the honey trap of fraudster real estate firms and choose a reliable and trustworthy real estate company like ‘Elite Properties’. After serving in New York for almost a decade, ‘Elite Properties’ is counted among the top-notch real estate facilitators in New York. Transparency is the main feature that drives their business. Therefore, you can approach their team for a hassle-free home selling experience in NYC.
The Bottom Line
A crystal-clear communication with the buyer and maintaining a fair practice in terms of fulfilling necessary legalities is the key to getting a favorable home selling deal. Furthermore, the guidance of an experienced real estate company such as ‘Elite Properties’ can also prove fruitful. Take your time and decide your plan of action. We wish you all the success.
Perhaps you don’t have money to take care of your existing home or pay your property taxes. Maybe you are struggling to meet the routine expenses and need a pronto solution to get over it. You might have thought about selling your distressed home many times but still never took any step due to the emotional attachment you have with the home. This is where you’re mistaken. To be honest, wasting time in analyzing the situation won’t do anything. A stitch in time saves nine. Therefore, you should sell your distressed home as soon as possible and utilize the money to buy a new property in NY.
How to Proceed for the Home Selling Journey?
Here are some distressed home selling tips that you must think upon before listing your property for sale.
Right Pricing is Essential
In the first place, you need to decide on a proper value for your home. Keep in consideration that distressed properties are sold at lower prices than the market rate. However, you need not intentionally lower down the price because almost every buyer bargains while buying a property.
For instance, you want to sell the property for $400,000. Now, if you ask for the exact amount to the buyer, he/she will definitely bargain. You’ll be lucky if someone’s ready to pay the price you wish for. But its probability is 2 in 10. So, tell the buyer slightly a high price to get a favorable deal. We suggest you do thorough research of the distressed house prices in NY and fix a selling price which would get you a price at least nearby to the marginal profit.
Focus on the Best and Repair the Rest
Your house might not be in good condition but, you can still sell it easily. For that, you’ll need to do homework. Simply make two lists comprising the best and worst features of your home. The best feature list is your weapon to manipulate the buyer to pay you a decent price. At the same time, the worst things list will also be helpful in the home selling process.
See, you can’t expect the buyer to pay a high amount until and unless your home has all basic facilities such as good flooring, drainage system, and proper electrical wirings. So, whatever falls under your worst features, try to repair them. If it’s very costly, then, leave it. Otherwise, make sure you’re providing all basic necessities. Having said that, keep your focus on explaining the best features of your home to the buyer. Convincing the buyer in a positive way will definitely prove fruitful.
Cleaning Can Work Wonders
It’s totally okay if you can’t invest much money in repairing your property. But you can surely clean the house by wiping down the kitchen cabinets, mopping up the old floor tiles, and getting rid of clutter in the porch area. A clean and tidy house will leave a good impression on your homebuyer even if your home lacks other things. Can’t even afford to hire a cleaner? Do it yourself! It won’t be a cake walk but, you’ll definitely save a lot of money. Simply buy vinegar or bleach solution and garbage bags for cleaning and organizing your space. It won’t cost you much. You can further involve your friends and family to do the needful.
Honesty is the Best Policy
So, you have made two lists, and you’re confident you’ll sell your distressed house like a pro. But, is there anything that you don’t want to disclose to your buyer? It could be anything, like your neighborhood is not that good or commutation is a problem in your area. If there’s something worth telling which you want to hide because you want to sell your property, you’re heading in a wrong direction. Dishonesty is never acceptable whether in a relationship or in a business deal. It could happen that your buyer gets to know such things from outsiders and he/she cancels out the plan of purchasing the distressed property. So, it’s always good to maintain transparency.
How Can Elite Properties Help You to Sell Your Distressed Home Quick for Cash?
If you want to sell your house fast for cash, you can contact Elite Properties. It’s one of the trust-worthy real estate companies in NY. Experienced real estate agents at Elite Properties have helped thousands of people in NY to sell their distressed properties in a hassle-free manner. They take care of everything right from managing essential repairs to property listing to legal paperwork to making a fair offer.
Final Word
It’s natural to have an emotional attachment towards your home. But, if you look at the bigger picture, someone else will get a shelter because of you. There’s no greater satisfaction than seeing someone happy because of you. Follow the above-mentioned steps, keep a positive attitude, and prepare your distressed home for sale without any tussle. We wish you good luck!