6 Common Mistakes After Listing Your Home on Bainbridge Island – Part 1.

Disclosure Signatures

Disclosing material facts that might affect your Bainbridge Island property’s value is a fair obligation that’s understood by everyone. Yet properly disclosing all material facts won’t help you at all if an issue comes up later but you can’t prove the disclosure. A good agent will double- and triple-check all the signatures, but at the end of the day, your peaceful sleep at night is only protected when you also take care to keep complete copies of the paperwork with all signatures accounted for.

Earnest Money 

Ah — the thrill of getting the first offer! After readying the property and listing your home, when an offer comes quickly, you’ll be tempted to say, “Where do I sign?” But slow up: getting a great offer is just the first step. Part of being a prudent seller is scrutinizing the offer and buyer to gauge the likelihood that the deal will close. The amount of earnest money should demonstrate the prospect’s sincere intent to buy…not just their desire to tie up the house while they make up their mind!

Exclusions

Want to watch warm feelings ice up in a hurry? Try surprising your buyer with the last-minute news that you intend to take your coveted washer/dryer (or heirloom chandelier, or custom closet system) with you because you forgot to exclude them. It’s part of my job as your agent to go over the more obvious items when listing your home in Bainbridge Island, but even so, it’s ultimately up to you to make sure your intent is known. Trust me - I’ve seen more than one sale go south in the eleventh hour over some unbelievably minor items.

Coming next week, I’ll flesh out more of these most common pitfalls. Of course, listing your home with me means you won’t need to worry: I make it my job to keep an eye out for all of them. If you’re thinking of listing your home on Bainbridge Island, call me today!