Learn which forms you must use
Before you advertise, ask which seller forms your state expects and where to get them.
Rules vary by state. A form that worked for a friend somewhere else may not be the one you need, and a form you found online may be the wrong year. Before you advertise, ask which seller forms your state expects and where to get the current copies. A local real-estate attorney or the office that handles closings can answer that. Write the names they give you. Do not rely on memory for a list of papers.
Ask two practical questions with the list. Which pages does the seller complete. Which pages does someone else prepare. Write the answers in the margin. A A form where you report what you know about the property. Your state decides which forms you sign. you must sign is a different task from a report you only receive. If they tell you a form is required only in some cases, write the case in the margin so you do not skip it because you forgot the condition. Bring the questions in writing so the answer comes back in writing.
Do this before the listing goes live. Filling out a form after a buyer asks is slower, and it is easier to miss a page. Set aside a block of time to complete the seller pages while the house is quiet. If a question on the form does not match something you know, leave it blank and ask, rather than guessing a fact about a repair. The repair folder you already built is the place you look before you answer.
Keep a clean copy and the filled copy in the closing folder. When a page is updated because a repair finished, replace the old page and date the new one. Showings can start when the required seller pages are complete, not when you meant to finish them. If the closing office named a fee for preparing their part, write that fee on the job list so it is in the calculator before you decide you are saving every cost.
What to do
- Ask which seller forms your state expects, and where to get the current copies.
- Write who completes each page, and any case where a form applies.
- Complete the seller pages before you start showings.
- File the filled set in the closing folder and replace a page when a repair changes the answer.