Legal Steps to Take Before Selling Your Fort Wayne Home
Once you’ve decided on selling your Fort Wayne home there are legal steps you need to take to make sure that your interests are protected. No matter the reason for selling your Fort Wayne home, there are a number of steps you should take before you get started to help make sure your sale go smoothly.
Follow these three legal steps before you put your home on the Fort Wayne market.
Take Care of Any Liens or Debts
Take the time to find out if there are any liens or debts against your Fort Wayne home and take care of them. There are number of different ways liens, debts and encumbrance can show up such as: federal, state, or local tax liens, child support or alimony that’s been missed, failure to pay homeowners association dues, civil court judgments and general unpaid debts.
Liens, or debts against it, will show up on the title search for the home so do not try to hide them as they will only end up costing you more money in closing. The last thing you want is for your sale to fall through due to something you could have handled at the beginning, so clear up all debts from the onset.
Get Everyone on the Same Page
If you own the Fort Wayne home with others through inheritance, marriage or even a domestic partnership, you need to be sure that all involved parties are on the same page before selling your Fort Wayne home.
You need the consent of all owners and how assets will be divided before you get started. It’s even a good idea to draw up a contract that clearly outlines the goals and wants of all parties involved so that you have a record should issues arise that could cancel the sale.
Sit down with an experienced real estate professional to draft a home sale agreement that will clearly define the allocations of proceeds from the sale and the responsibilities of all parties involved.
Prepare the Paperwork
Get all of your important documents associated with the Fort Wayne home’s value in order before the sale. Have the surveys, appraisals, deed, evidence of liens, comparable sales in the Fort Wayne area, proof of repairs and renovations, ready to be presented to your agent and buyer.
You want to be open about the value of your Fort Wayne home; leaving information out will only come back to haunt you later on.
No matter what reason has prompted you begin selling your Fort Wayne home, you should take the necessary precautions when preparing to do so. Take the time to make sure all of your interests are protected and that all legal loose ends have been handled and squared away.
The last thing you want is for your sale to fall through at the last minute because you were not diligent about what needed to be done.