Shopping for a Lender Before Buying Your Home

Some things are a given in buying a home in Tallahassee, and elsewhere. There are always going to be fees, fees, and more fees in a real estate transaction. However, we can minimize the fees significantly by shopping around when looking for a mortgage loan. When shopping for a lender, look for not just interest rates, and terms, but also look at lender fees.

There are three categories of fees that constitute a real estate closing in Tallahassee, and elsewhere:

1. Lender fees are the fees that a lender has control over. They can be presented as multiple fees, such as origination fees, administrative fees, transaction fees, processing fee, tax service fee, loan setup fee, funding fee, and others. There can also be one fee, covering all the fees, so when you are out comparing lenders, you can compare a total lender fee package with other lenders’ fees.

2. Third-party fees are fees that the lender does not control, however, may be able to negotiate the best deal on your behalf. These fees include appraisal, inspection, title, survey, and others.

3. Then, there are the prepaids, such as prepaid interest, and prepaid taxes.

Where to buy Tallahassee Real Estate

Buying a home in Tallahassee is a comfortable experience since there are so many beautiful parks, many trees all over this community, such as the evergreen pines, oaks, and others, and hills. Yes, Tallahassee, Florida has hills, which is something not typical in much of Florida. There are many new and older established neighborhoods in Tallahassee, and Leon County, with many ranch styles homes.

To better understand how to look for Tallahassee real estate to buy, consider
the four Leon County, Florida, real estate zones:

Northeast Tallahassee and Leon County,  is where the majority of residents live, and is the biggest zone
geographically, and the zone with many lakes. Leon County has over 60 lakes, many
located in neighborhoods. Northwest Tallahassee is where you find many established
single family home neighborhoods with ranche styles homes, as well as traditional style
contemporary, and some colonials here and there. Also, in this zone, homes tend to have
more square footage, typically over 2000 square feet of heating and cooling area.
Most single family homes in this zone are over $230,000.
Some of the attractions in northeast Tallahassee, Leon County include golf courses,
Maclay botanical gardens with a lake for summer swimming and boating, and
Tallahassee Little Theater. There is also Governors Square Mall, the largest shopping
mall in Tallahasse.

Northwest Tallahassee and Leon County
is a smaller geographic area that includes lower price ranges versus the northeast, a big mix of single family homes, townhomes, duplexes, and apartment communities. This is
ideal for the many Florida State University students that ocupy this zone, as well as many
first time homebuyers. There is beautiful Lake Ella park, kind of a central point in
Tallahassee close to Tallahassee Mall, and the many shopping establishments in the area.
Lake Ella is a popular place to walk, run, picnic, feed the ducks, and attend festivals.
At the northern end of northwest Leon County, is Lake Jackson, one of the two largest
lakes in Leon County, Florida, with fishing, boating, parks, and picnic facilities. There are
newer neighborhoods of single family homes in the area with three bedrooms, and two
baths and many homes under $200,000.

Southeast Tallahassee, and Leon County, 
Includes older Tallahassee homes, built in the 50’s, and include the traditional ranch style
homes.  There are also new single family home subdivisions with contemporary home
styles, and good price ranges for first-time homebuyers. There is also the enormous
Southwood planned urban development offering its own town center with eating
establishments, a coffee shop, a brand new YMCA, and more businesses to come. This is
a newer community in progress of further growth. There are many tradtional home styles here, but it is not a ranch style home community. Many of the homes are two-story, and the price ranges in Southwood tend to be higher than many other areas of
Leon County, but, you get a lot for your money: community recreation center, with
swimming pools, parks, walking trails, lakes, many community events, and festivals. You
will want to see Southwood to get a feel for all that is offers.

Southwest Tallahassee, and Leon County,
Here you have many apartments, and townhomes for the big student population for
Florida State Univerity, and Florida A&M University. This is where the bulk of the area’s industrial complexes are located, and there is a lot of commercial locations. There are fewer single family homes and parks in this zone. However, the big attraction, besides the
two universities, is the Tallahassee Natural History Museum, which has a zoo focussed on
local wildlife in the natural environments. There is a lot of walking at this vast park. The
area’s airport is also in this zone.

I can tell you a lot more about Tallahassee and Leon County as well as its real estate market. Just let me know.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Blvd, Suite B103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Cell 850-339-5753  Blog  http://KennethFach.wordpress.com
Web  http://KennethFach.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.

How to shop for a mortgage lender for your Tallahassee home

Some things are a given in buying a home in Tallahassee, Florida, and elsewhere. There are usually going to be fees, fees, and more fees associated with a real estate transaction. However, we can minimize the fees significantly by shopping around when looking for a mortgage loan.

Lenders can offer a one-bundled fee guarantee, or can offer many confusing, irritating fees. When shopping for a lender, I look not just at interest rates, and terms, but also at lender fees. The fees can be significant or minor, but typically, the buyer will need some money to cover the closing costs associated with getting a mortgage loan to buy a home. I would look at an online lender more than an established lender in an offline building structure,  since the costs will probably be less to you, the consumer, and less to the lender. After all,  brick and mortar has a high cost, and the cost passes down to you the buyer.  In fact, I have seen a great deal on a home, but the buyer went with a lender that offered  a not-so-great-a-deal on the mortgage end of the Tallahassee real estate transaction. The lender fees would be so unnecessary if the lender had been an online lender, without an elaborate network of office buildings and overhead.

There are three categories of fees in a real estate closing, whether in Tallahassee, Florida, or elsewhere:

1. Lender fees are the fees that a lender has control over. They can be presented as multiple fees, such as origination fees, administrative fees, transaction fees, processing fee, tax service fee, loan setup fee, funding fee, and others.  Lender fees can also be presented as one bundled fee, a guaranteed fee that will not increase ever. That is the
kind of lender I would use. Just like I would prefer a fixed rate mortgage over the potential risk of an adjustible rate mortgage, with the uncertainty of interest rate fluctuations. I like price guarantees in real estate transactions since real estate
presents big money.

We are often confused by the many different things we have to pay for when getting a
mortgage loan.   When you are out comparing lenders, you will find it much easier to compare lenders with one bundled fee instead of comparing many fees from one lender with many fees from another lender, which of course, take so much precious time.

2. Third-party fees are fees that the mortgage lender does not control, but however, may be able to negotiate the best deal on your behalf. I would ask the lender about this. The buyer does have input into many of the third party fees, and who does the work to charge them.  These fees include appraisal, inspection, title, survey, and others. These third parties are necessary to a real estate transaction to protect all parties to the deal, and are often required by law as well.

3. Then, there are the prepaids, such as prepaid interest, and prepaid taxes. Although you can compare lenders by interest rates and lender fees, it is not reasonable
to compare lenders by escrow items, or since these are fluctuating costs, and are undetermined by the lender.  Lenders can sometimes estimate third-party fees, however. Property taxes, and title insurance can vary by location, and timeframe.

Closing is easy to understand when the fees are apparent, and identified, and I find it much easier to think in terms of lender fees, third- party fees, including government fees, and escrow items and prepaids. I know what the lender can and cannot guarantee. I look for as many guarantees as possible  when searching for a mortgage lender. There are great guarantees out
there in the mortgage world.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR, ePRO
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Blvd, Suite B103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Cell: 850-339-5753  Blog:  http://KennethFach.wordpress.com
Web: http://KennethFach.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.

What Tallahassee homebuyers want

HomeBuyers have their real estate needs, desires and abilities. When homebuyers are interested in looking to buy a home, it is  lifestyle they are wanting to buy. Homebuyers want a lifestyle with a certain amount of space, in a certain geographic area, and with certain lifestyle home features.

I like to speak with buyers, first, about their needs, both lifestyle and financial, before even showing them the merchandise: the homes. We all have needs, specific to our lifestyle, and finances. My job as a Tallahassee real estate agent, is to determine what kind of lifestyle will best fit my buyers, reflected in a home that matches that Tallahassee lifestyle.

Once I can determine what the homebuyer has to have in a home, to fit their lifestyle,  the next focus is on what would be desirable. However, needs and desires, don’t amount to much without ability, that is, the financial ability to put desires and needs into a home. Buying a home is a big expense, and for most people, the biggest expense they will ever have.

 I ask basic questions, and I base my whole homebuying strategy around those answers. I ask what the needs are:

How much home is needed? How many bedrooms, and baths? How many square feet? Are handicap facilities needed? How far from work is the buyer willing to live? How much is buyer willing to put down as a down payment? What is the timeframe for buyer to have be in a home? Are walk-in closets needed? You can see why these are the needs.

Next, I ask what the desires are: These are features, usually.  After determining how much space and number of bedrooms and baths are absolutely necessary, we can work down to the desires; what is  strongly liked, and longed for. These are things that buyer can live without, but maybe would not be happy without them.  Many features can always be added later on too, provided the spacial dimensions, are adequate.
What home features are necessary?  fireplace, open floor plan, loft, built-in entertainment center, spacious kitchen, hardwood floors, a florida room, a big yard with a fence, a pool, an office, built-in bookshelves, kitchen counter, granite counter tops.

Basically, anything related to space is a necessity: space to store boxes, clothes, collectibles. Space for each member of the family, space for an office, space to put the books. Space to entertain, space for cooking, space to play outside, space for a garden. Space is alway a popular issue. It is the necessity it seems, for our Tallahassee buyers. So many buyers ask about walk-in closests, I find. That really is important. I have seen so many closets stuffed full of everything imaginable. Closets today are crucial elements: the must-haves.

Now, the issue of where is the money coming from? We need to consider mortgage loan, or how buyer will get the home. We need to discuss the best options, and in the case of first-time homebuyers, we need to discuss down payment assistance programs. Some good ones are the Tallahassee Lendors Consortium, Nehemiah, and FHA.

My job is to fit your lifestyle to a home. Please call me, or post a comment about what kind of lifestyle home you want, and what you are looking for. Write down your needs, and desires in a home based on the above. There is homework involved in buying a home. I do most of the work for you, however, in the process of buying your Tallahassee home.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR, ePRO
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Blvd, Suite B103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Cell 850-339-5753  Blog http://KennethFach.wordpress.com
Web http://KennethFach.com

Each office is independently owned and operated. 

Some Practical Tips for Homeowners

We homeowners can sometimes need a review of things we can do for our real estate. We can learn new tips to better maintain our property.

I would like to share seven useful suggestions or tips for your home and garden. They work for me.

To clean my Garbage Disposal this is what I do:
I pour 1/2 cup baking soda into the drain. Next I pour 1 cup of white vinegar. Then, I pour hot boiling water from a tea kettle. This process cleans and kills odors. I am very happy there is baking soda and that it is so cheap.
I also want to keep my disposal blades in top condition. I take ice cubes, and
fill the drain 1/2 full with then before running the cold water as hard as it will come out. Lastly, I turn the system on. I don’t do this much since I try to not use water if not necessary.

Tip number two is to keep wood, and leaves or straw from touching the bottom foundation of the home so as to help prevent insect or termites from getting inside the home. termites and other organisms like wood. Most homes have wood inside the walls as part of the foundation.

Keep your used coffee grounds for enriching the soil of your flower or vegetable garden. I keep a compost pile in my garden and periodically spread the food substances there to have a healthier soil body.

Contact an air conditioning/heating company to arrange for a regular maintenance plan. I just started doing this. They come out twice a year to inspect and service the system ans at other times they come by with air filters. Filters need to be changed monthly if you use the system daily.

One way you can give your home a new home smell, is by painting the walls, at least a few walls or a few rooms. As time progresses, there will be odors in the home. Paint solves that problem, but don’t neglect to shampoo or replace the carpet if necessary. Oh, I forgot, who has carpet anymore!
When I paint my home, I think of a theme and color scheme. I get my inspiration from the surrounding nature and outdoor colors. I want the inside to transition smoothly to the outside.

If you have a two story home, remember, heat rises. It is warmer upstairs in the winter. Blow some of that heat down stairs by keeping the upstairs ceiling fans on. Depending on home’s layout this may not be possible. Remember, bigger homes theoretically consume more energy, but a smaller home that is not energy efficient, does not keep in heat in the winter, could waste more energy than a bigger home.

If you have vertical blinds, keep the panels facing up when you close, not down. If they face down it is easy for people to look in at night when the lights are on inside. This is a security tip.

If you have some home tips to share, let me know and I will probably add them and if you want, even give you the credit of providing them.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
Tallahassee, Florida
Direct/Text 850-339-5753 Blog: http://KennethFach.wordpress.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Bigger Kitchens but Fewer Cooks

I see many new and older homes in and around Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida. I have observed that homebuyers want bigger kitchens and that the kitchen is very much the center of activity, conversation and planning. It is used as an office, decorative piece, place for preparing checks to pay the bills. It is a place to read the mail, the coffee house, a location for viewing the television or listen to songs. Some even have a computer in the kitchen. The kitchen is bigger, no doubt, than many kitchens in the days of the popular ranch styles homes of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Many of those homes however, had bigger food closets, pantries.

Today, people are cooking less it seems. There are more restaurants, more eating out, and the dishes people do prepare at home are not of the quality or richness of the meals prepared by our parents and grandparents. Times are different of course. Foods are often less healthier, filled with preservatives, and people are too busy and overworked to cook complete, healthy, or interesting dishes. We often cook the easiest, fastest dishes possible for ourselves and those we entertain. Yet, we buy bigger bigger homes with bigger kitchens, and many of these beautiful kitchens (and they are beautiful) have small pantries, or no pantries at all to store food items. Another example of less emphasis on cooking at home.

If you one of the few who take the time to cook nice, healthy, complete meals, and want to stock up on food and ingredients, be sure that the home you like with the big kitchen also has a decent size pantry. You will determine what is decent size, but most home cooks like a big pantry and will complain of lack of storage space if there is not a place to keep the essentials. A cook without the ingredients for the desired dish is not a happy cook. I know, I get irritated when I forget to by baking soda, or other items for a recipe that I must prepare at the moment of inspiration. I do have a nice pantry too. Some builders of new homes with big kitchens put in very tiny pantries, sometimes, even in upper priced neighborhoods. If the kitche is so important, you may want to make sure that it is not only big, but complete. Something that I like in my kitchen is a place to hang a bulletin board. Not all new kitchens in contemporary style homes have wall space for a bulletin board, or even pictures. These are open kitchens, that swiftly flow into the surrounding rooms.

When looking at homes, you may not want to rule out the older homes since many of the older homes, including ranch style homes, have big pantries, and plenty of functionality, even if not as attractive or elegant.

Kenneth Fach, REALTORm ePRO
Weichert, REALTORS- Anchor
1607 Village Square BOULEVARD, Suite B 103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Direct/Text 850-339-5753
Blog: http://KennethFach.wordpress.com

Each office is independently owned and operated

Considerations for homebuyers

 Buying a home is a serious life task. Most of us will go through this event multiple times in our lifetime.We buy, but we want to buy right. Below are some considerations for homebuyers.

1. Know your financial situation. Speak with three  mortgate professionals starting with  your bank, or mortgage company and see what the options are for purchasing a home. Check on your credit score, and get a copy of your credit report. Look at your debt to income, and make sure you have emergency funds stored away somewhere.

2. Know what kind of home or lot you want. Learn home styles, and see what style fits your lifestyle: ranch, cape cod, contemporary, traditional, etc. Think of location, location, location. Learn as much as you can about the neighborhood, using the internet to research as well as getting out and talking with neighbors in the area you are interested in. Determine what five features your home must have. Is one required feature a loft, or a fireplace, or an enclosed patio? You know what you like and don’t like. Be realistic however.

3. Know what services your real estate agent provides. Find out about neighborhoods, and properties via the internet, real estate websites, and blogs. Reading blogs is a great way to get descriptions of communities and neighborhoods, and feelings from people about living in those communities. Have the real estate agent email you regularly with market conditions, and homes that meet your lifestyle needs. Make sure the agent provides instructions on how to get out to the homes that you are interested in. Get all the photos you can. Trulia.com is a good source of information on homes for sale, and homes that have recently sold.

4. Know what a home inspector will look at and be proactive, walking around the property noting issues you may have. Also take photos.  Even though in Florida you are not required to get a home inspection, it is always a good idea, even if it is a new home. New homes can have serious issues. Bring up any material issue with your home inspector. Be present during any home inspection as well as the final walk through inspection. Inspectors usually like explaining things about the home.

5. Know that no house is perfect, and there is always one or more issues. The home inspector will usually find some issue, probably minor, however. The inspector’s job is to find anything that is not perfect.

5. Know what the closing costs are, and how they are broken down. Know what you will be required to pay, and what the seller will be required to pay. closing costs can be 3% to 6% of the total purchase price. Be prepared to have funds set aside to pay the closing costs, or see how much of that your lender will finance if you prefer to have as much financed as possible. Taxes, and insurance are prorated items. Make sure the seller cancels the old insurance policy and you get a new insurance policy on the home. Mortage interest is paid in arrears.

6. Know the meaning of the clauses in the real estate Sales Contract. Get a copy of the contract from the agent, via email or on paper. The Sales Contract is essential to a safe and harmonious closing. It is the guide post that the lender, title agency, seller and buyer have to follow. Ask your real estate agent anything in the contract that you want clarification on.

7. See me with your real estate related questions. I am always happy to discuss real estate with people.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR, ePRO
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Boulevard, Suite B 103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Direct/Text 850-339-5753  Blog: KennethFach.wordpress.com

EAch office is independently owned and operated.

My Favorite Real Estate Tools

To get any job done, tools have to be used. Tools can be high tech, low tech, or no simple tech. Below is a list of the seven most important real estate tools that I use both in my work as a real estate agent here in Tallahassee, Florida, and in my personal life as a real estate observer.  I share this information as you may want to use these tools too. There are many other tools, but I like to list things in sevens. Here they are:

1. My smart device, which is a Treo 700wx. It keeps my contact database, notes, tasks, calculator, and provides me with my email on the fly, text messenging, Multiple Listing Service application, so I can view properties when with buyers or when studying neighborhoods. I have Google Maps, to view streets, neighborhoods, homes. I also have  a brower on my Treo device. I use it to blog, read blogs, particularly WordPress blogs,  and access websites wherever I am. I can research real estate sites. I can also view PDF files, and excel spreadsheets which I use to document neighborhood real estate data.

2.  A Blog. WordPress is my favorite blog platform for posting blogs,  and for learning and   keeping up with  real estate issues, from other bloggers. WordPress has a lot of dynamic content on so many topics. Buyers, sellers, as well as real estate agents use the blogging service. It is a learning experience to read peoples’ comments, and post comments on others’ blog posts. I consider this a people to people tool. Blogging is about sharing and interacting with others.

3. A digital camera to photograph properties. I have the camera on both my smart device and I have a more powerful stand alone digital camera.

4. A good email account. I use Gmail. I like the folder option, search option, and the filter control. I can also use Google talk and instant message with customers, and prospects while in my Google email account.

5. Google Calendar. I can text message Google Calendar and input events, or appointments, and get a text message back with the input as well as the input on my online Google Calender. So,  the event is recorded in two places. I also use the calendar tool which comes with my smart phone device. 

6. Three property date sources. I use Leon County Property Appraiser website. Most if not all counties, have public information from the local county’s property appraiser website, in which property data can be found: approximate square footage, age of home, dimensions, last sold date, sold amount, owner information, and more information. Also, Housefront offers a great service for accessing pertinent property data from you cell phone via a text message. I use this regularly. Trulia offers a public database of homes sold and homes on the market in localities around the country. It offers an excellent mapping tool, in which you can identify where the homes that are on the market and have recently sold. You can select criteria for searching, such as zip codes of interest, size of home, number of bedrooms, to name a few options for a search.  I use Trulia daily, but also use the Multiple Listing Service whcih offers detailed information, but you have to be members of the service. This is one of the most valuable tools of any real estate agent.

7. A measuring device certainly comes in handy. Buyers needs to measure room dimensions, even if the listing has the dimensions recorded. Mistakes can be found, and it is always in the buyers best interest to make sure the rooms, garage, property size are correct. There are a number of good measuring devices on the market. You can get simples devices or high tech devices. Sellers need to make sure the dimensions are correct before advertising their property.

If you want to know more about the tools I use, or have real estate questions, please contact me.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR, ePRO
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Boulevard, Suite B 103
Tallahassee, Florida 32309
Direct/Text 850-339-5753  Blog: http://KennethFach.wordpress.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Subjective and Objective in House Hunting

Subjectivity and Objectivity occur all the time when buyers are house hunting. I regularly used these two  literary terms  in graduate school, in my literature studies. I had to apply these terms to my literary research of novels, and essays. I had to determine which characters or heroes represented subjectivity and which, objectivity, and I had to prove my findings.

How to be subjective and object in when house hunting:

Every time we view a structure, or a lot that we like, we get emotional, and desirous of having that property. We view things subjectively, from the “me now” perspective. We think we have to have that. Much of what we buy is an emotional and therefore, a subjective experience. I remember when I was a school teacher, I often graded the kids subjectively, not just objectively. I did this because each student to me, to my viewpoint, is not a number, a rating, a grade, but instead, a human being with a unique way of learning  and viewing the world. There really are no A students, B students, C student , D students and F students. Those are just grades placed on the students based on their performance in an area of study, and a grading criteria that we as teachers apply, and need to apply to evaluate the student’s progress.  Aside from the grade, however, I had to see the overall context in which the student finds him or herself. What is that student bringing into the world of experience and learning. There has to be some opinion, emotion, intuition, that is to say, the subjective. We do not buy a home without the subjective view of the home. We know what we need, but we also know what we long for and desire. What the task requires, is integrating needs with desires. Kind of like determining what someone once said, our “real estate DNA,” which means, our desires, needs and abilities to meet those desires and needs.

Now, after applying the subjective view, unconsciously, of course, we start to think about the needs we have, and if that house will satisfy the needs. We start to think more analytically, logically in depth. We are now viewing the house and its context, position in the neighborhood, features, price tag, financing options, budget, objectively.

The subjective says, “I like this 2000 square foot house. It has what I want. It would make a cozy home for my family, and provide plenty of storage space with the two, big, walk-inclosets. It will be great to have the home with the big fenced in yard in the back so we can entertain with privacy. “

The objective says, “I will have to check with my lender about my mortgage options for this home. I like the home, but is it really affordable based on my budget. Do I want to be locked into a big mortgage payment each month. Isn’t the home too far from work. What about the traffic. I know I need a fence, but I know I can put up a fence myself, and thereby save some money.”

So the objective is more analytical, and requires a benchmark, factual calculation, whereas the subjective is intuitive, and views the world from experience. Both are necessary, as we are not walking calculations, or pieces of thoughtless emotions.  Our experiences in life are really a combination of the subjective and objective.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR, ePRO
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Boulevard, Suite B 103
Tallahassee, Florida 32309
Direct/Text/Cell 850-339-5753  http://KennethFach.com

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Sellers Disclosure as a tool of Protection

Real estate requires many tools in the course of selling a home or buying a home.

I have discussed both online and offline what some of the valuable tools are in a real estate transaction or house search.

The real estate sellers disclosure document is another important tool. In Florida, and perhaps all states (I can only speak for Florida) real estate agents give their sellers what is called the “Sellers Disclosure” to be completed by the seller as soon as possible, after seller agrees to have the agent market their home for sale, in other words, a listing agreement is signed.

In the Sellers Disclosure, the seller is stating what he or she knows to be true about the structure of the home and the condition of the strcture as well as the condition of the mechanical systems of the home, for example, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing. Issues are to be documented if seller is aware of any, such as, a leak, crack in the wall, faulty stove. Of course agents do not expext sellers to be home inspectors, and agents are not inspectors either, but with a pair of working eyes we all can see the obvious: cracks, rotting foor frames, broken windows, stain in the ceiling from prior leaks. Sellers are to document if they are aware of prior flooding, the age of components and when components were last repaired. There is work invloved in completing the disclosure, but well worth it, and yes, sellers do have their homework to do.

After the disclosure is completed and returned to the listing agent, the document can be put online in the Multiple Listing Service as an attachment, place on counter in home for visiting buyer prospects, and available during open houses. Although, sellers do not have to complete the disclosure by law, it is helpful in the selling process as buyers will want to know the condition of the home and home’s systems and structure. There is always the issue of liability if seller is aware of a problem or potential problem and neglected to relay that information to buyer. The Sellers Disclosure serves to protect all parties from aggravation and stress down the road. In Florida, a court case, Johnson vs Davis, says that Sellers are legally obligated to disclose whatever materially influences the value of the home. The Sellers Disclosure is a tool for sellers to fulfill that obligation.

Kenneth Fach, REALTOR, ePRO
Weichert, REALTORS-Anchor
1607 Village Square Boulevard, Suite B 103
Tallahassee, FL 32309
Direct/Cell/Text 850-339-5753 http://KennethFach.com

Each office is independently owned and operated