Kevin Vitali
Selling your home is probably going to be the largest transaction of your life. Like most home sellers, you will want to make the most of your home sale.
Smoke detectors save lives. In Massachusetts and other states, home sellers are required to get a smoke detector certificate of compliance before the sale of a home.
The Massachusetts smoke detector laws ensure that the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly.
Make sure you set your smoke detector inspection right after you get an accepted offer on your home. If there are any issues you will have time to fix them.
During COVID 19 not much has changed. Buyers are still buying and sellers are still selling.
Selling a home during a pandemic still requires the basic three principles of selling a home.
Now could be a great time to sell your home. Prices are high, multiple offers are occurring everywhere interest rates are low, giving home buyers more buying power.
Open houses have been a staple of the real estate industry forever. But for many modern agents, the low effectiveness of securing a buyer from a open house is extremely low. As a matter of fact industry statistics show less than 3%,
So should you have an open house? Whether you have an open house or not, is not going to alter the outcome of the sale of your home.
The truth is most open house attendees are not there to buy your home. As a matter of fact, most of them can't even close on your home in the next 60 days. So why would you want to take the time to clean your home, pack up the family and find somewhere to go for 4 hours, while a bunch of strangers use your home for some alternative purpose?
There are risks that come with having an open house that include theft and other unsavory motives as well as now you have to worry about COVID-19.
When selling a home it is important to be aware of fair housing laws. Selling a home is about real property and not people. Watch what you say and do.
Federal Law has 7 protected classes, Massachusetts Law adds 8 more protected classes.
You have a good shot of violating fair housing laws when you start talking about people.
Married people, single people, some one who goes to church, someone who doesn't go to church, a person in a wheelchair, a man, a woman, a transgender, a child, a family with children, a tenant on public assistance...... the list goes on.
It is very easy to violate fair housing laws when talking to home buyers with out even realizing it.
Know the fair housing laws for your state.
In the recent red hot, real estate market, we have seen buyers competing heavily for desirable homes. One way buyers are trying to tip the scales in their favor by writing a "love letter" to the seller of a home.
It is not unusual for a buyer to talk about who they are, their family, why the home is perfect for them and even include photos.
The danger for a seller is it puts you in a precarious position. If you happen to choose one buyer over another because of the letter you are probably violating fair housing laws.
Even if there are no protected classes of people involved it still opens you up to liability. Anyone can make a fair housing claim against you. Fair housing claims are expensive to defend.
My advice is reject the buyer's love letter and choose an offer based on terms and conditions only.
What do you need to know about Covid-19 and selling your house? There are two things... keep everyone safe and provide great marketing materials.
Lots of experts provide solid information about selling a home. This is a twist on that idea by offering advice on things NOT to do when you sell a home.
30-60 days to a smooth closing provides a closing checklist for home sellers. Get to your closing with as few hassles as possible.
Are you thinking it's time to sell my house? Here's 17 home selling myths that need are busted. Get the real info you need to sell your home.
Kevin Vitali is an Associate Broker for Real Broker MA LLC in Haverhill MA.
When it comes to working with Massachusetts home buyers and sellers, every sale or purchase provides a unique set of challenges.
He has served the residential real estate community as a full-time agent for over20+ years and brings the experience of 100's of transactions to the next purchase or sale of your home.
Kevin serves: Northeast Massachusetts, Merrimack Valley, North Shore and Metrowest including the following communities and the surrounding area- Amesbury, Andover, Billerica, Burlington, Chelmsford, Dracut, Groveland, Haverhill, Lowell, Melrose, Merrimac, Methuen, Middleton, North Andover, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Wakefield, Wilmington, Westford
