Resources for Sellers

Do you want to be sure you are getting the best possible service on your real estate listing? The home selling process can seem overwhelming. Browse below for some hints on how to sell your home fast.

Selecting a REALTOR^®

• Ask friends and family members for referrals.
• Pay attention to designations. This is how you will know in what a real estate agent specializes. You may be interested in these designations:
• ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative)
• CLHMS (Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist)
• CRP (Certified Relocation Professional)
• CRS (Certified Residential Specialist)
• SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist)

 

There are dozens of designations agents pursue for continuing education, so find one that fits your needs.

• If you've found the general area in which you'd like to move, do an informal survey by driving through neighborhoods, viewing realtor yard signs. Seeing the same name pop up time after time may indicate that this person is a specialist in the area.
• Once you have your list narrowed down to three real estate professionals, schedule interviews. Agents may ask to meet at your home if you are selling. If you are buying, expect to meet the agents at their offices.
• If selling, ask the agent how he or she would establish a price. Request a Comparative Market Analysis, also called a CMA, which shows the actual market value of similar homes in the area.
• If selling, ask the agent how he or she would market your property.
• Ask the agent how often you should expect to hear from him or her. Know how and when you will communicate to avoid unrealistic expectations. Pay attention to the agent's office hours and whether or not you will be invited to access them via a cell phone, pager or e-mail.
• Ask how long the agent has been in real estate. While time alone is not the only indicator, it does say something if he/she has been earning a living in real estate sales for a long time.
• Pay attention to the agent's listening skills. Does he or she cut you off before you've finished a sentence? The only thing worse than looking at houses you have no interest in because the agent has not listened carefully to your needs is having your home on the market too long because the wrong buyers are being targeted.
• Ask the agent what his or her fee structure is. Do they require a percentage of the sales price, do they work for a flat fee, or will they be paid by the seller (if you're the buyer)?
• If you are unsatisfied with the agent's plan or personality, thank the agent for taking the time to meet with you, and repeat the process with another agent. It is time-consuming to meet with multiple agents, but it will save you time and a lot more than that when you find the right one.
• There is a difference between a typical real estate office and Realty Executives. At Realty Executives you can expect results and a better home selling experience. Our Executives are a select group of seasoned real estate professionals with the experience, skills, and knowledge to provide excellent customer service to you. Executives average more years in the real estate profession and, typically, represent more buyers and sellers than the average real estate agent.

 

 

Glossary of Moving Terms

 

ACCESSORIAL SERVICES: Services, other than transportation, performed by the agent at your request (packing, unpacking, extra pickup, etc.). Charges for these services are in addition to transportation costs.

 

ADVANCED CHARGES: Charges for services of third parties engaged by moving companies at your request, and added to your charges reflected on the Bill of Lading.

 

AUXILIARY SERVICE (SHUTTLE): If the assigned over-the-road van is unable to make a normal pick-up/delivery because of physical constraints or conditions and a second, smaller vehicle is needed, this is considered Auxiliary Service. Physical constraints include situations such as a narrow road, bridge restrictions, low-hanging power lines, inclement weather and/or the inability to park the moving van within a reasonable distance of the pickup/delivery site. Charges for the service are assessed to you at a flat tariff rate.

 

BILL OF LADING: The receipt for your goods and contract for their transportation and declared valuation. Your signature acknowledges that your household good can be loaded on the van and “released to the carrier.”

 

BINDING ESTIMATE: An estimate that specifies in advance the exact cost of moving, based on all services determined necessary at the time the estimate is prepared.

 

BULKY ARTICLE: Items such as boats, snowmobiles, golf carts and campers usually carry a bulky article charge to compensate the hauler for the difficulty of loading and unloading such articles, and their unusual bulk or low weight density. In some cases, a “weight additive” is applicable.

 

CLAIM: Statement of loss or damage to any of your household goods while in the care, custody and control of the carrier or its agents. All claims for loss or damage must be filed and received by the carrier within nine months from the date of delivery

 

COD (CASH ON DELIVERY): Shipment where customer pays moving charges at destination before delivery. For COD shipments, payment is required in cash or traveler’s check, money order, cashier’s check or credit card. If you use a credit card, you must arrange this prior to your move because authorization is required before loading. Personal checks are not accepted.

 

CONSIGNEE: The person to whom the shipment is to be delivered.

 

DECLARED VALUATION: Customer’s declaration of the value of possessions being shipped, thereby establishing the carrier’s maximum liability for loss or damage to the shipment. The interstate motor carrier provides various released rate tariff levels of valuation options from to which you may choose to release your shipment. If no value is declared on the Bill of Lading, the liability is then controlled by the tariff under which the shipment is being handled.

 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT): The federal regulatory agency that, through the Surface Transportation Board within the DOT, governs the interstate transportation industry, including movers of household goods.

 

ESTIMATE: An “educated guess” as to the van space requirements, weight of household goods and cost of the move determined by the agent’s physical survey of shipment; the form on which the survey information is recorded. Estimate can be binding or non-binding depending on the circumstances of your move.

 

EXPEDITED SERVICE: For an additional charge, allows specific delivery date to be requested.

 

EXTRA STOP: If you require an extra stop at either your origin or destination, other than the main pickup or delivery points, an extra charge is assessed. The amount is determined by the tariff.

 

FULL-VALUE PROTECTION: A valuation option that does not incorporate depreciation as a factor in the settlement of a claim for loss or damage.>

 

HIGH-VALUE INVENTORY: Items of “extraordinary value” such as antiques, coin collections and jewelry, included in a shipment. Items worth more than $100 per pound are articles of extraordinary value. We recommend that you transport these items yourself.

 

INVENTORY: The list and condition of your household furnishings, including the number of packed containers prepared at origin and checked off by you at delivery.

 

NON-ALLOWABLES: Items that should not be included in your household goods shipment, including hazardous materials such as poisons, corrosives, explosives and flammables, perishables such as refrigerated and frozen foods, unless special arrangements are made; and other items prohibited by law.

 

ORDER FOR SERVICE: The document authorizing the moving company to transport your household goods.

 

ORDER NUMBER: The number used to identify your shipment. It appears in the upper right corner of the Bill of Lading and on the Estimate/Order for Service. The customer should provide it when contacting the carrier.

 

ORIGIN AND DESTINATION SERVICE CHARGE: A hundredweight rate that applies based on the weight of the shipment and the location where the shipment is picked up and delivered; compensates the carrier for basic handling and servicing of the shipment.

 

OVERFLOW: Articles to be shipped that are left behind due to insufficient space on a van, to be loaded on a second van for transportation and delivery.

 

THIRD-PARTY SERVICES: Services, such as connecting or disconnecting appliances, performed by someone other than the carrier at your request or as required by federal, state or local law.

 

UNPACKING: Per your advance request, removing your goods from containers and placing them on a flat surface, as well as the disposal of such containers and packing materials. If ordered, unpacking service must be performed at the time of delivery unless requested otherwise.

 

VAN OPERATOR: The driver of the vehicle carrying your household goods.