Selling a Home: The Things They Don’t Tell You

The things they don’t tell you…

Selling a Home

This is the first time we’ve sold a house. We purchased the home we’re in 20 years ago, but at that time we were coming from a rental house so all we had to do was give our 30-day notice and we were out of there. This time, we’re selling our home at the same time we’re buying (actually, building) a new one. It’s complicated, y’all! I thought I’d share some of the things that surprised us… so you won’t be surprised if you are ever in the same situation.

1. What the hell is a C.L.U.E. Report? Let me tell you – it’s a report you obtain from your current homeowner’s insurance company that tells the buyers if you’ve had any claims on your policy in the last 7 years. When I called AAA (our insurance company) they had no idea what I was talking about. 3 people had no idea what I was talking about. This is mandatory and my insurance company had no clue (pun intended). Turns out, there is a very specific website (not insurance specific) where you have to ORDER the damn C.L.U.E. Report and have it mailed to you. Snail mail. Who does that anymore??? It’s free, but still. Takes 15 days to mail it. So if you are selling… order the damn thing ASAP.
2. HOA Documents (CC&R’s). If you are living in an HOA community (and most of us in California are) then you have to order a full copy of your CC&R’s. The problem is this is expensive. Seriously… we HAVE our copy of the CC&R’s but escrow won’t let us just pass it along to the new homeowners. Nope… we have to PAY for the HOA office to make us a new copy. Pay, as in $400 pay. To make a copy. On a copy machine. Jeez! Scam much!
3. Closing costs! I still am having a hard time wrapping my head around all these closing costs. I knew we had to pay them when we BOUGHT a new home. But I had no idea closing costs were just as expensive when you SOLD a house. Kind of feels like we’re getting screwed on both ends. Oh wait… we are! So there are some costs that are negotiable… but those are like 2 or 3 out of 20 different costs. And the ones that are negotiable are less than $100 anyway. The big costs… those over $1,000 aren’t negotiable. Ugh! Take all my money!
4. Inspections. Inspections are scary! This guy (or gal) comes into your home and the realtor is there and the buyers are there and everyone is going over your home with a fine-tooth comb. Then, you all sit down and the Inspector goes over the laundry list of things wrong with your house. Sheesh! You start to sweat and think that you’ve been living in a disaster zone… until your realtor smiles and says “don’t worry” and the Inspector actually ends the conversation with… “this was one of the shortest lists I’ve had in a long time.” Wow… didn’t seem short at all to me. Phew…
5. Termite Inspection – this might just be a California thing… I don’t know. But this is another time when you start to sweat as the Inspector is going over the entire outside (and inside) of your home. I know what termite damage looks like, and I didn’t see any, but it’s still a scary time. Our neighbor recently had to have their house tented for termites so I was in panic mode that we’d have to do the same. Tenting your home is expensive and time-consuming (takes 3 days of being out of your home). We were really fortunate that we didn’t have termites. Phew… another bullet dodged.
6. Packing. Really… what can I say? Packing always takes longer than you think it will. Now, if you are hiring a traditional mover, they may or may not have packing services so you won’t have to lift a finger. But movers are really expensive if you are moving out-of-state. Also, it’s not like you’re moving down the street so there is no way you can get your stuff quickly. We’re heading one State over and it’s going to take several days. We opted for Pods. It was just more cost-effective for us. With Pods, you determine the date you want the container dropped off to your home. They charge per month so you get storage included with your price (if you need it). You can either pack the Pod up yourself or hire people to do it for you. We’re hiring people because we’re moving from a 2-story home to another 2-story home… and our strength isn’t what it used to be. For everything else, though, I’m packing myself. So it’s back and forth to Home Depot for boxes and packing materials. I started packing things up about a week after we got an offer on our house. I was paranoid about things falling through. Luckily, they didn’t and I generally pack a few boxes each day. Now, a week away from moving, I don’t have that much left to pack. We’re in good shape.
7. Insurance. Something to keep in mind… get your quotes early if you are moving to a different location (a different City or State). Our current insurance (AAA of Southern California) doesn’t write policies in Arizona and they were so NOT helpful. Turns out, the AAA companies are not inter-connected and don’t like to talk to each other. I had to call AAA of Phoenix to get a new quote. And they were ridiculously expensive. Seriously… way more expensive than California. Who knew? So, start early and call around. Also, check your coverage… different States have different requirements and Arizona, for instance, doesn’t have the same required coverage as California does. Do your homework.

The bottom line? Don’t be surprised if you are surprised! The stress the past few weeks has been incomprehensible. And don’t even get me started on registering the kids for a new school. That’s another headache. Transcripts and birth certificates and immunizations… oy vey!

This has certainly been a learning experience. Feel free to shoot me your questions if you are considering moving out of State. And if you are thinking of moving to Arizona… do it! We’ll be neighbors!