Selling A Home and Some Key Terms To Know

Effective home selling in North America requires real estate know how, particularly when you make the decision to sell your home FSBO. Here are some key terms that you should know 

A 1031 Exchange is a tax aspect of the Internal Revenue Code to allow a real estate investor who meets all the requirements to sell their property and defer paying taxes on the gain. By completing an exchange, the owner can dispose of their investment property, use all of the equity to acquire replacement investment property, defer the capital gain tax that would ordinarily be paid, and leverage all of their equity into the replacement property. 

A Breach Of Contract occurs when a party is in violation of a direct obligation or failure to perform provisions in the contract agreement. In the world of real estate, a contract breach occurs most often in two ways 1 A failure to perform in the property listing agreement between the broker and the seller. 2 A violation of terms in the sales contract between the buyer and the seller. 

Contingencies in real estate contracts are the specific clauses in the contract that must be fulfilled by both the buyer and the seller, or provide a way to void the contract. For example, a current home sales contingency is often used when a buyer is making an offer on a home before selling the existing home. The buyer may need to sell the present home before being qualify and afford the purchase. Therefore, the offer is contingent upon the sale of the existing home. Key standard contingencies include home inspections, financing, and appraisal. 

The Alienation Clause Due on Sale Clause is the specific verbiage in a mortgage or deed which asserts the lenders option to force that the balance of the secured debt becomes immediately due and payable if the property is sold by the borrower, thus preventing the homeowner/borrower from assigning the debt without the lenders approval. Comes from the term alienate, which means to transfer or convey the title to a property from one party to another. 

Exclusive Right to Sell is a common type of real estate listing agreement. A specific broker is given the exclusive right and authorization to market the sellers property. A key to this agreement is that if the property is sold while the listing is in effect, the seller must pay the broker a commission regardless of who sells the property. Therefore, this type of listing agreement offers the best opportunity for brokers to earn a commission. This is also known as an exclusive agency listing.