First impressions are everything. You never get another chance at a first impression! Anything sellers can do to get all the rooms cleaned and decluttered will make a huge difference. Remember, we do not want to give buyers any opportunities to negotiate pricing. This goes hand in hand with making sure all the mechanicals are working properly.

It is certainly not a bad idea, although not absolutely necessary! Having a qualified home inspector inspect and give you a report will not only help you get ahead of anything major that will be brought to a buyers attention, but will set the buyers mind at ease knowing the property has been gone through by a certified home inspector.

Depending on the market, you could expect your home to be "active" for 4-6 weeks. In a hot market (sellers market) it could only be marked pending within the first week! Factors such as price, condition and location always play a role.

The selling price is dependent upon multiple factors. The major one is, what similar homes are selling for in your neighborhood. Next is understanding what type of condition your home is in (structurally and cosmetically). Most importantly the market is a true overall indicator of what your home should be priced at (supply and demand). All of these factors need to be in play to find the proper list price for your home.

Although it is not 100% necessary, it has been statistically shown that hiring a real estate salesperson generally saves you time and money. Paperwork, negotiaions, market knowledge, connections and experience are some of the most important roles a real estate agent does in order to help you become successful in your real estate transaction.

The absolute most important step is getting pre-approved by a lender! This determines what type of purchasing power you will have and in return, will allow you to know what homes you can and cannot look at.

It is ALWAYS important to do a home inspection! Do you absolutely need one in order to buy a home, no. But it is always highly recommended in order to fully understand the property and allows for any major issues to be known and negotiated (if possible) before the final sale. The home inspector is key!

Absolutely (again not mandatory)! This is your time to walk through and verify that nothing major has changed since the home inspection and that all agreements have been kept in line with the contract. Also, if repairs were supposed to be made or specific contents were to be left behind (or removed) then this is the time to verify all of this has been completed before signing on the dotted line!

This is a deposit made in good faith that you are a serious buyer and your offer is legitimate. The deposit made goes towards your closing costs at the time of your closing. The deposit is usually 1-2% of the agreed upon price and once received, generally takes the property "off market".

This can depend greatly. This can depend on how serious you are as a buyer and can also depend on the homework that was done in order to let the agent know what you are looking for. Having a list of characteristics that are needed (bedrooms and bathrooms) and a list of wants (swimming pool, fenced yard, etc.) is always a good idea. Knowing that there are some things that are negotiable for the right property is a key factor as well.

If you choose to back out due to cold feet, wanting a different house or choosing to go a different direction then you will forfeit your earnest money deposit.