Michigan House Selling Guide
There are many steps involved in selling a house. First, you need to choose the right price. This price needs to be low enough to attract potential buyers, yet high enough to provide adequate compensation for the sale of your property. Next, comes the issue of marketing. Spreading awareness on your home listing without spending too much on advertising is a tricky endeavor.
Even after pricing and marketing is on point, there are many legal considerations involved with selling a home in Michigan. These considerations may include: updates to tax codes, changes in real estate laws, regional investments, and more. Unless you possess a firm understanding on each of these details, you will likely experience difficulty selling the property, or miss the opportunity of receiving maximum value for the sale of your home.
The Real Estate Agents at The Patti Mullen Group has 29+ years of experience in selling homes. We understand this process and possess expertise in several local areas throughout Southeast Michigan.
Selling a House by Location
Our home selling Realtors have extensive experience in several areas across Michigan, particularly, within the Metro Detroit area. You can learn more about these individual areas below.
Northville – The Northville real estate market is extremely hot. In fact, as of 2019, the median price of homes that sold in Northville is slightly over $375,000. As a long time resident, and a current member of the Chamber of Commerce, Patti Mullen possesses deep knowledge of the Northville community. This includes both the city and township of Northville. Our reputation as the area’s top realtors, allows us to quickly and effectively connect clients with potential buyers.
Novi – The City of Novi is a very desirable location to live. This is due to many factors including low crime rates, high quality school systems, and a strong job market. As of 2019, the median sales price for homes listed in Novi is a little over $330,000. With the right listing strategy, houses sell very quickly in this area. Our experience and reputation as top real estate agents in the Northville area extends to the neighboring city of Novi which helps our clients receive maximum value for their homes.
Plymouth – Plymouth is conveniently located between Ann Arbor and Detroit. This convenient location makes Plymouth an ideal place for young professionals. The median sales price in Plymouth has fluctuated over the last several years; however, there was a major spike in 2018 and it now sits at around $346,500.
South Lyon – The City of South Lyon provides a rural, small town atmosphere with big city conveniences. It’s also conveniently located within easy access of Interstate 96 and US 23. South Lyon has a median home sale price of a little over $325,000 with a relatively flat projected pricing forecast.
Farmington – The City of Farmington has a median home sale price of around $227,000 that’s expected to increase in the coming year.
Farmington Hills – Not to be confused with the City of Farmington, Farmington Hills has a higher median price of homes that were recently sold (a little under $253,000). This growth is projected to slightly increase in the near future.
Livonia – Livonia is a very hot sellers’ market with projections of home sale prices going up 4.3% year over year. The Median price of homes that sold sits at about $201,300.
Canton – This area is a solid sellers’ market with increased year over year projections at 3.2%. The median price of homes that sold: $278,900
West Bloomfield – In West Bloomfield, the median price of homes that sold is around $312,000. This city saw a major spike in home listing/selling prices from last year. This growth is projected to continue in the near future.
Other Locations – Our Realtors have home selling expertise in several locations across Southeast Michigan. The cities listed above are some of the main areas we sell homes in. If you would like to learn more about these areas, or another area in Southeast Michigan that’s not listed, you can talk with one of our real estate experts today.
The information above was prepared using several sources including the Zillow Home Value Index.
Choosing The Right Real Estate Agent
When it comes time to buy or sell your home, the most significant decision you will make is which real estate professional to hire. With 2 million active real estate licensees and over 86,000 real estate brokerage firms in the United States, you have nearly countless real estate agents to choose from.
Unfortunately, The real estate industry is flooded with part-time agents looking to supplement their income. Using an agent that’s not a full time professional Realtor may significantly limit the potential value received from the sale of a home.
Reputation is Key
The key is finding an agent or broker who is the right fit for you. Thirty-one percent of sellers say reputation is the most important factor when they are selecting a real estate agent or broker.
We suggest getting referrals from trusted friends and neighbors. Read through online testimonials, especially on Google and Zillow. We have a long list of clients who are eager to refer us when you’re ready to hire an experienced real estate professional.
When you hire one of the Realtors at The Patti Mullen Group, you’re getting years of negotiation expertise and the understanding of the legalese required for a home purchase or sale. Every agent at the Patti Mullen Group is a full-time, professional Realtor backed by a full-time staff that supports every real estate transaction and every client, start to finish.
How We Help Clients Sell Homes
The Patti Mullen Group provides insightful information and strategic marketing plans for home sellers to get their home sold fast and for top dollar. Home buyers count on us to use our vast knowledge and industry expertise to help them find the perfect home in a timely manner.
We are experts in residential home sales and purchases, relocation transactions, new construction and lake home sales. We are focused on keeping abreast of the latest trends, laws, and technologies in the real estate industry.
Top real estate agents like those at The Patti Mullen Group are professionals who are trained to present our client’s case in the best light and agree to hold client information confidential from competing interests. Over the last 29 years, we’ve developed a solid reputation as the area’s leading real estate experts by always providing excellent customer service and extensive knowledge of market conditions. This knowledge, dedication, and experience is highly valuable when it comes to selling a house.
The Patti Mullen Group is a full-service agency with a full-time staff. We provide a long list of services, including:
Legal Considerations For Selling a House
Many believe that selling a house is just a matter of listing the price, finding a buyer, and closing the deal. The truth is, there are many legal considerations involved with selling real estate property. We are going to list several of these considerations that the seller should be aware of prior to selling residential real estate.
Ownership
Prior to selling your house, it’s important to know for absolute certain whether or not you’re the legal owner of the residence. For instance, if someone was previously married and shared ownership of the property, it’s a good idea to check and see who’s listed as the owner on the deed. Everyone who purchases a home should have a copy of their Quit Claim Deed. Here’s an example of what this document looks like.
Purchase and Sale Agreement
As the name suggests, this is a standard form that indicates an agreement between the buyer and seller of the home. Basically, once this form is signed, the sale becomes legally valid. Although the document is pretty standard, certain terms and other provisions can vary depending on the buyers/sellers real estate agency.
Seller’s Disclosure Statement
According to Michigan Law, the seller of a home is required to submit a Seller’s Disclosure Statement to the buyer prior to the transaction. The document serves as essentially a checklist which discloses the condition of various properties throughout the house. For example, if the seller is aware of an issue with plumbing, or an electrical issue, it’s required that the seller discloses this information within the document.
Below is a list of several items generally included within the disclosure statement. You can view a more complete list of these items within the Michigan Legislature.
- Basement/crawl space: Has there been evidence of water?
- Type of home insulation
- Condition of the roof (i.e. if there’s any leaks)
- Type of well (depth/diameter, age, and repair history, if known)
- Septic tanks/drain fields: Condition, if known
- The type of Heating System and approximate age
- Problems with the plumbing system and the type (i.e. copper, galvanized, etc.)
- Electrical system problems
- History of infestation (termites, carpenter ants, etc.)
- Environmental Problems (mold, radon, etc.)