Listing Agreement
What is involved with the signing of a listing agreement?

The listing agreement is a contract between you and your REALTOR®'s brokerage company. It will:

Provide a framework for subsequent forms and negotiations
Clearly spell out the rights and obligations of all parties, the length of the agreement, and the compensation
Set the listing price, and accurately describe the property (including lot size, building size, style and materials, floor areas, heating/cooling systems, room sizes, and descriptions)
Detail what is, and what is not, included in the sale (As a general rule, fixtures are included; chattels, things which are movable, are not. If necessary, list what stays and what goes under inclusions or exclusions.)
Provide information about annual property taxes, and note any easements, rights of way, liens, or charges against the property

 

Understanding Agency
What is agency?

Under agency law, the REALTOR® legally owes you the duties and obligations associated with agency: utmost care, integrity, confidentiality, and loyalty.
A stringent Code of Ethics and Standards of Business Practice guides all REALTORS®. It's your assurance of fair and honest representation.

A REALTOR® must disclose, in writing, whose interests he or she represents in any real estate transaction. A REALTOR® may represent you both as a buyer, and as a seller. In some cases, the REALTOR® may represent both the buyer and the seller involved in the same transaction.

 

Receiving an Offer
How does my REMAX Aboutowne Realty REALTOR® help me manage my offers?

A buyer interested in purchasing your property will make an offer and, as an act of good faith, put down a deposit.

The buyer's REALTOR® communicates the offer, sometimes known as an Offer to Purchase (a legal document specifying the offers terms and conditions) to you or your representative. The offer states how much the buyer is willing to pay and details the conditions.

The offer can be firm or conditional.

 

Firm Offer to Purchase: Usually preferable to the seller, because it means that the buyer will purchase the home without any conditions. If the offer is accepted, the house is sold.

 

Conditional Offer to Purchase: Means the buyer has placed one or more conditions on the purchase, such as subject to home inspection, subject to financing, or subject to the sale of buyer's existing home. The home is not sold until all the conditions have been met. The seller can accept the offer, reject the offer, or make a counter offer.

 

Acceptance: The seller agrees to all the terms and conditions exactly as set forth in the Offer to Purchase.

 

Rejection: The seller does not agree with any of the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase.

 

Counter offer: The seller agrees with some of the terms and conditions of the offer, but not all of them. The seller then makes a counter offer. The counter offer may change the price, the closing date, or add or delete conditions. When the buyer receives the counter offer, he or she can accept the new terms and conditions or reject them.

 

A signed offer is a binding contract. Make sure you understand and agree to all of the terms before you sign. You may want to have a lawyer review the offer first.