Home Selling Document Checklist

Once you have made the decision to list your New Orleans home for sale, there are a few things that you will need to have available to make the process a little smoother.  While this home selling document checklist might not cover everything, it’s a good starting place.

As you gather all of this information together, I recommend making a file folder to keep it all in.  Of course, don’t forget where you put the folder.

Documents Needed

Floor plan (if available)  Buyers love to have a floor plan for their new house, especially if they plan to make changes OR if additions have been made to the home over the years

Flood insurance policy  There are 2 reasons for this:  (1) it contains your flood zone, which is needed to complete the disclosure and (2) many of the flood zones have changed over the years.  If you have a flood policy that allows you to be “grandfathered” in under an old zone, buyers may want to assume that policy.

Most recent appraisal  If it’s more than 90 days old, the value may have changed, but the measurements have not.  Being able to say that an appraiser measured the square footage of your home (instead of an agent) lends more credibility to the number.

Survey  The wonderful thing about surveys is that they are rarely outdated.  Unless you have given away or sold a portion of your land, the boundaries of your lot are the same now as they were when you purchased your home.  A survey is especially important to buyers if you don’t have a fence around your yard, since one will be needed if they plan to install anything around the property lines.

Flood elevation certificate (if available)  Many lenders are now requiring flood elevation certificates during the loan approval process.  If you can provide an existing certificate for the buyers, this is one less thing that could possibly delay a closing.

Home Owner’s Association Covenants and Restrictions  Residents of gated communities or those that have deed restrictions should provide copies of any and all information related to the Home Owner’s Association.  Rules, regulations, covenants, restrictions and contact information for association board members can all be requested by the potential buyers, so it’s better to have this package prepared ahead of time.

Information Needed

The Louisiana Property Disclosure form has page after page of questions for you to answer about the history of your home.  To save yourself some time, gather the following information before you meet with your New Orleans REALTOR:

• Names of all people who are on the title of the house  Not only are the names of all of the owners needed, but their signatures are needed as well on all of the listing documents.  Don’t schedule a time with your agent when everyone who needs to sign is not available!
• Age and type of air conditioning/heating systems
• Age of hot water heater
• Dates of any damage to the home and details on how/if it was repaired
• Termite contract details  Who is the contract with?  When does it expire?
• Home warranty information (if applicable)
• A list of any improvements done to your home  The very things that you love the most about your home are probably the things that will attract a buyers interest as well.  You can help your agent craft the perfect description of your home by sharing all of the recent changes and improvements made to it!

Still have questions about listing your home for sale?  Give us a call at 504-327-5303 and we’ll be happy to discuss your personal situation with you privately.