Homebuyer Checklist

Homebuyer Checklist

Important questions you should be asking

What you should ask the seller or the listing agent when you're interested in a home?

If you know why a seller wants to sell, it can help you negotiate a better offer. The more motivated the seller, the more you can negotiate. It may take some finesse, but see if you can work these questions into conversation with the seller or the listing agent.

Which of these reasons apply to the seller?
These can go either way. You will have to get a sense from your conversation how quickly they want to sell the house if they:

___ Need more space

___ Need less space

___ Want to relocate

___ Are unhappy with neighbors or the neighborhood


You may be able to negotiate to have the seller finance part of your purchase. Explore this possibility if they:
___ Have lived there a long time

___ Owe little or nothing on the house
___ Are retiring


You may have some leverage when negotiating if the seller needs to sell the house quickly because of:
___ Relocating involuntarily (for example, a job transfer)

___ Changing marital status

___ Financial reasons

___ Health reasons

___ A death in family
___ Is the seller highly motivated to sell? A highly motivated seller MUST sell soon. Job transfer, divorce and financial difficulties put pressure on the seller, which can benefit you when you make an offer.
___ Has the seller bought another house that has yet to close? The seller will be more anxious to facilitate your purchase if the seller needs to complete the purchase of another house soon.

___ Is the seller trying to cash in on this investment? If so, you will have trouble negotiating too many concessions.

___ Has the seller lived there a long time? If a seller has been in a home a long time and accumulated a lot of equity, you may be able to negotiate to have the seller finance part of your purchase.