Selling Your Kauai Real Estate

Are you thinking of selling your Kauai home, land or commercial property?  Kauai Realty’s experienced  agents are ready to assist you with the sales and marketing process. We are committed to getting you the best price possible in the shortest amount of time. Kauai Realty agents are experts in selling Kauai real estate and will be able to make recommendations for preparing your property to market.  We will coordinate:

• Improvements
• Marketing plans
• The listing price
• Showings
• Negotiations
• Closing the deal

Kauai Realty’s real estate agents are known for their dedication and market savvy.

The Kauai Home Sale Guide

The following is an overview of the home sale process. For more information about selling your Kauai real estate, contact a Kauai Realty agent today. We are more than happy to answer any questions you may have.  

What is My Kauai Home Value?

To find out what your Kauai home or property is worth, fill out our quick questionnaire and a Kauai Realty real estate sales specialist will provide you with more information. Read more below regarding how to determine a Kauai real estate listing price.

Choosing a Realtor

This is perhaps the most important step in selling your home and having a problem-free transaction.  We believe that working with a competent Kauai real estate agent will save you endless amounts of time, money and frustration.  Kauai Realty’s award-winning team of real estate agents  are ready to make your home selling experience rewarding, fun and hassle-free. Contact our Kauai real estate experts today.

Determine a Listing Price

Your Kauai Realty realtor can give you the market information to help you make an informed decision on your home’s worth. The agent will prepare a comparable Kauai real estate market analysis, which shows the homes that are currently for sale (the competition), homes that are currently being purchased (in escrow), and the most recent sales. Having your home in excellent showing condition and with the right market price is of the utmost importance for a successful transaction.

Preparing your Home for Showing

Take an inspection tour of your home and observe it as a potential buyer. Take note of any minor repairs and painting that need to be done. Since the exterior is the first feature a prospective Buyer will see, it’s important to create a good first impression by ensuring that the outside of your house is well-maintained and orderly. On the inside, a neat home reflects pride in ownership.  Don’t let dirt and clutter obscure your home’s great features. Minimize Buyers’ fears of any lurking troubles by making those small repairs to problems that you have learned to live with.   A fresh coat of paint usually adds new life to a home, but use caution in planning major improvements. Your Kauai Realty agent is happy to suggest cost effective ways on improving your home’s marketability.

Showing the House

Have your home as neat and tidy as possible. It is best if you can make yourself scarce. Send children and pets outdoors. The Buyer and agent should be able to talk free of disturbances. If the Buyer engages you in discussion, be courteous, but don’t force conversation. This is not a social call. Noise should be minimal. Leave drapes open for light and airiness. If your home showing is in the evening, all lights should be turned on. Never apologize for the appearance of your home; after all, it is lived in. Let your experienced Kauai Realty agent answer any questions or objections raised.

Negotiations

Congratulations! A prospective Buyer has been found. With your Kauai Realty agent’s guidance, you will evaluate the terms and conditions of the offer. In addition to the price, there are a variety of terms to be addressed in structuring the transaction to suit your interest.

Escrow and Title Research

Once you have successfully negotiated your Kauai real estate sale, an escrow account is opened to coordinate the processing of documentation needed to complete your transaction. Your Kauai real estate agent will have the Escrow Company provide a Title Report, which will show the ownership interest being conveyed and any encumbrances affecting the property. Kauai Realty’s extensive experience in having worked with various escrow companies ensures your transaction will move along as timely and smoothly as possible.

The Buyer’s Typical Contingencies

Once an agreement is reached and escrow is opened, there are two major contingencies that are typical of most transactions.

1) Home inspection
A time frame is negotiated during which the Buyer has the right to inspect the home and the public records more thoroughly. If any major issues with the structure or components of the structure are uncovered they should be addressed early on in the process. Your agent can provide options for dealing with such issues.

2) Financing
Conditions on financing are detailed in the purchase contract and generally provide that purchase is contingent upon the Buyer qualifying for and obtaining their mortgage loan. Your Buyer has probably already had initial interviews with their lender, but the complete loan application is usually not submitted until a home is located.

Termite Inspection

In Hawaii, termites are an issue. Usually, lenders require a Termite Inspection Report showing the property to be without any live infestation before they will fund the mortgage loan. There are provisions in the standard purchase contract used by Kauai realtors addressing termite issues.

Property Boundaries—Survey vs. Staking

Most Kauai real estate Buyers wish to have the property’s boundaries marked to verify their purchase. There are basically two levels of service available, staking or surveying. In staking, the survey crew will locate existing pins and verify their location or put in new pins if there is a discrepancy or if the pins cannot be located. In a survey, typically a boundary survey, the same verification or location of the pins is performed and any improvements near the boundaries are sketched on a plot plan to determine if there are any potential encroachments over the boundary lines.

The Final Walk-Through

This is the appointment where the Kauai real estate Buyer makes sure the home is in the condition you pre-negotiated in the purchase contract. If your sales contract made you responsible for items that are not in acceptable condition, funds may be withheld from the proceeds for payment for repairs. If there are major problems or violations of the contract, the Buyer has the right to hold up settlement until it is worked out.

Closing

Once all the funds have been submitted and the paper work completed, the conveyance documents are sent to the State of Hawaii Bureau of Conveyance for recording. Thereafter, the documents are recorded at the Bureau of Conveyance and your home is officially sold.

If you would like to explore selling your Kauai home or property, contact a Kauai Realty real estate expert today.