When I was in 3rd grade one of my favorites authors was Shel Silverstein. He had a collection of funny poems that not only entertained you but had a message behind it. One of those poems was called Whatif. It was centered around a child laying in bed who couldn't sleep & his/her mind begins to let a bit of paranoia or whatifs invade it. What started as small thoughts of things that could happen to him/her quickly snowballed into pretty outlandish concerns that realistically could not happen.
That's pretty much how the whatifs play out most of time. Small fears quickly grow into a monster of fears if left unchecked by a level head. When buying or selling a home many people lay awake in the quiet hours of the night and let those fears in a real estate transaction overwhelm them and snowball.
Most buyers especially first time home buyers worry about how much the mortgage of the house will be and will they be able to afford it. Whatif the closing cost changes at the last minute to an amount they can't cover and they lose the contract and earnest money. Whatif the homeowners association is to stringent with their covenant, codes & restrictions requiring everyone to paint their house purple. Whatif the school they are purchasing a home in is not the one they wanted for their children. Whatif the ac unit doesn't work or the roof caves in on them the day after closing. Whatif aliens from the planet Lunstra in outer space move in next door and ask to borrow sugar every other day.
Will you get the whatifs as a buyer or seller in a home sell, (sure you will.) However, there are ways to keep many of them at bay and limit those restless nights. One way is having a great team around you to help you navigate the sell. Most agents are going to walk you through the process and explain some of the whatifs that could happen & ways to work through them or avoid them all together.
As a buyer many of the problems such as the last minute changes to closing cost and fees are a thing of the past. Nowadays disclosures must be seen 3 days prior to closing so their are no surprises. You can also ask the lender to give you an estimate of your mortgage amount for that approval price. Love a particular home in an HOA community? You and I can request those covenants, codes & restrictions to look over and ask questions about the rules before you make a final decision. For your protection as a buyer I would also recommend a home inspection which can give you better insight on the condition of the home your purchasing. You will have time during the contract period to do your due diligence such as checking out the schools and the community.
As the seller if their are concerns about leaving that chandelier or any sentimental or valuable pieces there's and answer for that to. Lets make sure to elaborate on the sellers disclosures what items are staying with the home and which ones aren't. Your realtor will also instruct you to get a mortgage payoff which is different from your mortgage balance.Your mortgage payoff will include a total fee of what is owed to close out the remaining loan. Low ball offers may come remember you can choose to decline the offer or counter the offer. You can also choose to negotiate other terms in the offer that will help keep your bottom line in check. Appliances that go crazy because your selling can be remedied by a sellers home warranty which can be placed on the home when selling it. This home warranty can also be transferred to the buyer at closing.
You got whatifs? I have heard most of those whatifs before by many of my clients. Being a number 1 agent for over 17 years I can help you sleep better at night by showing you how to overcome them.
Now about that alien next door from the planet Lunstra who keeps asking to borrow sugar...
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