Selling Your Home? 

Curious about what your home is worth? Start here by creating your own market report. See what your market is doing. Take a glance at what is active, under contract, and recently sold in your neighborhood! This is a good starting point however If you do plan to sell, a more in-depth report with fine-tuning and adjustments will be required. *NOTE don't forget to click "Save Market Report" after you view your report to get updates on homes when they are sold in your market.  

Selling Process

Initial Meeting: Once you decide you are ready to sell, the first step will be to set up a meeting at the home you intend to sell. During our meeting I will look for things that give your home value such as location, bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, age, condition, and parking to name a few. I will also note things that give your home extra value like energy efficiency upgrades, generators, and more. I also like to use this meeting to discuss things you can do to add curb appeal, enhance your appraisal value and prepare for your sale. If any set-backs are uncovered, I will help you to determine the best route to take in either removing the set back or making adjustments to be in compliance. 

Comparative Market Analysis/Broker's Price Opinion: I will prepare an in-depth report to give you a broker's price opinion of what your home is worth in today's market. This is similar to an appraisal but not an official report used by banks. Realtors use the same database appraisers use to provide listings very similar to your home that have sold in the last 6 months or less. This service is completely FREE to you. 

Listing Agreement: Once we've discussed and agreed upon a market entry price, we can enter into a listing agreement. We will discuss the terms of the agreement including the duration of the listing, commission fees (this is a set fee by %), my marketing strategy, and what to expect during the listing period. We will also go over my marketing strategy to get your home sold aggressively for the best price within the best amount of time (marketing is all completely free to you). 

Begin Listing and Marketing Your Home: Once all documents are complete I will set up a date and time to take professional photos and a virtual tour video. If your home has a view, a drone shoot will be scheduled to be done. I usually require all items to be cleared and decluttered during this time. Once photos and interactive virtual tours are PERFECT, I will list your home on the open market (MLS). This will disseminate your listing through MLS to expose your home to 600+ realtors who may have buyers for your home, all real estate websites on Guam, Guam real estate mobile apps, and auto emails to buyers. Signs will be placed on your home and showings will begin. 

Receiving Offers: Expect the offers to begin trickling in. We are currently in a seller's market, inventory is low which means we will likely get a good amount of offers if your home is priced right. Our professional photography tends to place our homes competitively on the market to generate a lot of interest and activity. Once I have conducted all expected showings and offers are in, we will sit down to decide the best offer to accept or, decide if you want to enter a multiple counter also known as a best bid. 

Congratulations your Home is Pending: Once your home is pending, we will allow buyers to begin clearing all their contingencies. Most common contingencies include buyers loan approval, appraisal, physical and electrical inspections and less often, a survey of the boundary points. If you have repairs, HOA documents to order or any other issues to be resolved prior to closing I will coordinate these appointments for you. The typical timeframe for sale closings in Guam is 30 days to get buyers' loan commitment and  60 days to close a transaction. 

Escrow: Escrow will be opened by one of the three title companies- Security Title, Pacific American Title, or Title Guarantee. You may request an estimate for your closing fees. You can refer to a Fee Schedule available by Title Guarantee. A title search will be done on your home to be sure the title is clear when transferring to the new owners. If there are any items that need to be cleared (typically items are taxes and mortgages) these will be cleared at escrow before proceeds are cut in a check to you. 

1031 Like-Kind Exchange: If you plan on reinvesting all your proceeds from this sale into other real estate on Guam or in the U.S using the 1031 Like-Kind Exchange, be sure to let me know ahead of time so we can make arrangements. You will need to hire a 1031 coordinator and we will need to specify specific verbiage in your contract. This program is for sellers who want to avoid (defer) tax obligations by transferring all capital gains automatically into another home similar to the one being sold. *Be sure to speak with your tax professional to discuss all options suitable to your specific needs.  

Primary Residence Tax Exemption: If you have lived in your home for 3 of the last 5 years your home may qualify for tax exemption of up to $250,000.00 for single and $500,000.00 for married sellers. Any amount over the allowed exemption will be exposed to taxes. *Be sure to speak with your tax professional to discuss all options suitable to your specific needs.  

Foreign Real Estate Sales: Speak with your tax professional about what your obligations will be. You may be subject to  FIRPTA law as a foreign investor. Escrow companies will usually hold about 15% at close of escrow. 

Give me a call for your FREE consultation and to discuss my marketing package.

Recently sold! Here's a quick 30 day market update!