When Your Property is Listed

Multiple Listing Service – Within 24 hours, your home is entered into the computer system, alerting participating offices of the availability of your home, and your signed listing agreement is sent to the Cape Cod and Islands Multiple Listing Service.

Fact Sheet – A fact sheet including pictures will be prepared about your property for prospective buyers and Realtors. This information serves as a valuable reminder of your home to buyers.

For Sale Sign – These signs are customary in our area for easy identification by buyers and other Realtors.  If a buyer calls on a sign, they have already accepted the neighborhood and the home’s exterior.  Many home sales have resulted because a potential buyer saw our sign and called our office! They are the most effective marketing tools.

Open House – If it would be beneficial to the marketing of your home, an Open House will be scheduled for brokers and/or the public.

Advertising – Your home will be placed on the various websites outlined in our Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) presentation and advertised in those newspapers and real estate publications which have proven effective in attracting buyers.

Buyer Screening – All potential buyers are financially qualified prior to showing your home.  This is important so we do not intrude upon you unnecessarily.

Cooperating Offices – Realtors from other offices will, of course, wish to show your house.  This may be short notice, although we do our best to give plenty of “advanced warning”. We encourage their showings, and an agent from our office will accompany them.

Written Offers – When a buyer makes an offer on your home, we will explain all aspects of the offer and will negotiate the terms on your behalf.

Upon Acceptance – When you have accepted an offer to purchase, we will work with the buyer and/or their agent in arranging for inspections, draft and negotiate a mutually acceptable Purchase & Sale Agreement, and coordinate closing details with attorneys and lenders.

Seller’s Responsibilities

 Once your home is under agreement, there are details that must be addressed in order to close.  Because there is often cost involved, it is advisable to wait until we know that the Buyers have a financing commitment before we arrange for the required inspections.  The Buyers will arrange for a home inspection at their cost,
but you must take care of the following inspections:

Septic – Now that we have established that we prefer to wait for the Buyer’s commitment letter before initiating inspections, we are going to make an exception.  Because a failed septic system will require engineering and remediation, it is best to have the inspection soon after listing your home.  Title V of the State Environmental Code became effective on March 31, 1995.  It requires of the Seller that the septic system be inspected within two years prior to the day of sale.  A copy of the inspection report must be submitted to the Buyer and the local Board of Health. The closing attorney will require it when the papers are passed. You will need to contact a certified inspector to conduct the inspection. We will help you obtain the certification.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors – The fire department requires that smoke detectors be inspected prior to closing.  Houses and condominiums built after 1975 must have hard-wired systems so that when one detector sounds, all must sound in sequence. If you have an older home, battery-operated detectors are acceptable. However, if you have a hard-wired system, you cannot replace a broken detector with a battery-operated one, nor can you add battery detectors in required locations. Simply put, one hard-wired, all hard-wired.  The fire department will also check that your house number is prominently displayed on the front of the house.  As of March 31, 2006 all housing units that have enclosed parking or equipment such as boilers, furnaces, or hot water heaters powered by gas, coal, oil, or wood will be required to have a working CO detector. These too will be inspected by the fire department.

To arrange for an inspection, an appointment must be made with the local fire department, and an inspection fee must be paid.  Someone must be present to meet the inspector. Should the first inspection fail, there is an additional fee for re-inspection. We will help you obtain your smoke and carbon monoxide inspections.

Wells – The Town of Sandwich requires both the quality and yield of wells be tested prior to transfer of title.  In Sandwich, it is the responsibility of the homeowner to obtain, and pay for, the testing.  To have both tests done you should call a well specialist. We will help you obtain this certification.

Deed – A new deed must be drawn to transfer title of your home to the Buyer.  Let us know if your attorney will draw the deed, or if we should arrange for the closing attorney to draw the deed.

Tax Stamps – One of the biggest expenses at closing will be tax stamps.  Barnstable County charges $2.28 per thousand and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts charges $3.42 per thousand, for a total of $5.70 per thousand dollars of the sale price.  Example:  If your home sells for $500,000, the tax charged to you at closing would be $2,850.