Before you officially place you Topsail Island Property for sale on the open market, there is some some steps you should consider and take to ensure a successful transaction.

1. First and Foremost is to contact a local and reptuable REALTOR. A Realtor does so much more than place a sign on your property and a few advertisements in the newspaper. Our Realtors subscribe to our SELLER COMMITMENT PLEDGE and the National Association of Realtors CODE OF ETHICS which both allow us to assist you in all these steps below, provide expert consul, market the property, evaluate all offers you recieve, work diligently to ensure a successful closing and as importantly be available if you ever have questions regarding the transaction.

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2. Schedule a Pre-List Home Inspection. In North Carolina, all buyers have a right to a home inspection and may void the purchase contract if repairs are not made at their written request. A faulty home inspection report also causes buyer's remorse and may jeopardize the sale of the property. A potential seller should ask their Realtor to schedule a pre-list home inspection of the property and fix any negative items found by the home inspector. Also in NC, seller's are required to complete certain disclosure documents on the property condition, the home inspection report will help to reduce liabilty for latent (hidden) defects in the property.

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3. Review Your Loan Documents. Review your loan documents, payoff information, etc. Pre-Payment penalties are rare although some older loans may still have them. You do not want any surprises when it comes time to transfer the property.

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4. Schedule a Pre-List Survey. Over time, things change. An adjoining property owner could have an encroachment over your property line, right-a-ways may have change, coastal setbacks, etc. It is a good idea to know all the facts about your property before the transaction takes place.

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5. Decide on a market price- Your Realtor will complete a market analysis using comparable sales and current market conditions to indicate a possible sales price for you property based on market time, market condition and several other variables. You may also want your Realtor to contact a Certified Real Estate Appraiser to perform a certified appraisal to indicate the property value.

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6. Gather all necessary information. Sample Utility Bills, Tax Records, Copies of Deeds, Survey/Plats, Addition Permits, etc are all necessary for prospective purchasers to review. Your goal is to design a home portfolio with all the necessary information readily available for the buyers.

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7. Execute the Listing Agreement With Your Realtor. Your work is almost complete at this point. Your Lewis Realty Associates, Inc. Realtor will develop the customized marketing plan for your property, enact that marketing plan giving you updates to its results, handle all offers consulting with you, and ensuring the closing is as successful as possible. Please read the Lewis Realty Associates, Inc. Seller's Commitment Pledge for more in depth description of the duties performed by our brokers.

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