Many people believe they can save a considerable amount of money by selling their home on their own. In order to do this, you need to realistically assess exactly what's involved. Some key items involved are pricing your house, determining whether or not a buyer is qualified, developing and paying for advertising, obtaining basic real estate guidelines knowledge to prepare a real estate contract and addendums, and coordinating the details of a closing. These are serious responsibilities to take on and a mistake may cost you the money you're trying to save. O'Brien Realty sales professionals are trained with the knowledge and skills needed to sell your home quickly and with your best interest in mind.

The letters after a Realtor® name stand for Realtor® designations. Realtor's® are required to take a certain amount of continuing education classes each year to maintain their real estate license. Common Designations

CRB (Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager) The CRB program trains brokerage owners and managers to meet personal and professional challenges.
CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) CRS designees complete advanced study in residential listing and selling to meet established production levels.
GRI (Graduate, REALTOR® Institute) The REALTOR® Institute provides residential real estate professionals with a solid base of information for their practice.

The selling process usually starts months before a property is actually put on the market. It is a good idea to look at your home through the eyes of a potential buyer. This will help you decide what needs to be cleaned, painted, repaired or tossed out.

The type and amount of work depend largely on asking price, the time you have to sell, and the present condition of the house. Removing clutter and larger pieces of furniture may be all that is needed to have your house show well and sell quickly. Consult your O'Brien Realty sales associate for more information.

Professional renovators have found that, no matter how much you improve any given house, you're unlikely to sell it for much above the median price of other houses in the neighborhood. That's why you want to ask your sales professional's opinion about the viability of recouping the cost of any major renovation you have in mind before you start the work.

Simply put, the fair market value of a house is the highest price an informed buyer will pay, assuming there is no unusual pressure to complete the purchase. To get an estimate of fair market value, ask for a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) of your house. Click here for O'Brien Realty to provide one for FREE.

The open house is a valuable part of the marketing process, offering prospective buyers the chance to view houses in a low-pressure, "browsing" atmosphere. Your sales professional will give you a full report on open-house activity and offer a professional assessment of its results.

This situation can arise for any number of reasons. If you don't have to sell in order to buy a new home, consider the advantages and disadvantages of renting your old house. If you're being transferred before you've had a chance to decide on the new house, you may be able to obtain a short-term rental of your own while you're becoming familiar with the new area. Either way, an O'Brien Realty real estate professional can help by advising you how much you can expect to pay for rent in your new city, or what you need to charge for your current home to both cover your mortgage payments and take care of other costs you'll entail as a landlord.

A real estate sales professional is state certified to assist in the purchase of a home. A sales professional has a valuable source of information about market trends, communities and neighborhoods, and homes for sale throughout the area using the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

The first thing you should do is to begin focusing on what you're looking for in a home. You can start by establishing priorities in the following three areas: Location, Personal Tastes, and Budget.

There are many financing options available today. In addition, there are several calculators available, such as monthly payments. It is also beneficial to get pre-approval from a lending institution.

Renting offers a lifestyle that's nearly maintenance-free. That may appeal to you, but consider that renting offers you no equity, no tax benefit, and most likely no protection against regular rent increases. Several financing options hold special advantages for first-time buyers or families with limited cash reserves. FHA-insured and VA-guaranteed mortgages can minimize or even eliminate your down payment.

A few considerations to keep in mind are city services and location to employment and schools. As for individual neighborhoods within a village or city, there is no better source of information than your real estate professional. O'Brien Realty sales professionals know the people and the communities they serve, and they can help you find a neighborhood that fits your family's needs.

Obrienrealty.com has a special link to begin your search. The link is located on the relocation page under local school website icon

Yes. O'Brien Realty's search database is linked to the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) and RELO Home Search - which include as much as 90 percent of the homes listed in any given community - have made it relatively easy for buyers to access detailed information on homes for sale practically anywhere in the country. O'Brien Realty's Virtual Tour program allows interested buyers to expand their search from viewing property information only to viewing exterior and interior photos without ever leaving their home.

A professional home inspection is highly recommended. This type of inspection checks the home's plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical systems. The inspector also looks for structural defects such as a damp basement. Some other types of inspections to consider are radon and water quality.

Abbreviations are a necessity in real estate advertising because so much information must be communicated in so little space. Some common abbreviations and their meanings:

It is money paid by the buyer at the time of making an offer or entering into a contract to purchase. It is requested to show the buyer's good-faith intention to complete the purchase. Typically, you will be asked to write a check for one to 10 percent of the sale price.

1. The lender's agent will ask for your paid home insurance policy.
2. The agent will list the adjustments. These include the money you owe the seller (the remainder of the
    down payment; prepaid taxes) and what the seller owes you (unpaid taxes; prepaid rent).
3. You will sign the mortgage. This gives the lender legal rights to the property if you don't make your
    payments.
4. You will sign the mortgage note (the promise to repay the loan in regular monthly payments).
5. You will get title from the seller in the form of a signed deed.
6. The lender's agent will collect the closing costs from you and give you a settlement statement of all
    the items you have paid for.
7. The deed and mortgage will be recorded in the town or county Registry of Deeds.