The Definitive Guide to Selling Your Indianapolis Home

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Why Work with T&H Realty Services to Sell Your Home in Central Indiana?

At T&H Realty, we believe superior service for our Clients which means you get two Agents for the price of one!

T&H has been active in the Central Indiana market since 2007 and have helped hundreds of satisfied customers in the last 15+ years. 

With T&H’s presence as a premier Property Management Company as well, we have a unique knowledge and insight that may be beneficial to getting you the best deal possible for your property. 

From luxury homes and condos, to fixer uppers, to Multi-Family buildings, we have the tools and resources to get you to the closing table. 

First we have Rosie Berzenye who serves as one of our in-house real estate agents and assists as our Transaction Coordinator.

Next, we have Julius Clark who is our Buyers Agent. He assists in finding our clients new properties throughout Indianapolis.

Table of Contents

Rosie Berzenye

Real Estate Agent

Julius Clark

Buyers Agent

How Much Does T&H Charge to Sell an Indianapolis Home?

In Indiana, it is customary for the seller to pay the entire commission. 

Our standard rate is 6% of the selling price and that amount is split evenly between us and the Buyer’s Agent. 

This covers all services throughout the process from start to finish with no other fees involved. 

However, keep in mind you will have other standard closing costs such as title fees, taxes, etc.

What Area Does T&H Service for Home Sales?

We have a large service area to assist in your home sale needs!

We currently cover Marion County and every bordering county, as well as Madison County and Muncie. 

We are also happy to take on homes in other areas on a case by case basis. 

What Does the Listing Process Look Like?

There is a series of events that will take place once you inform us you would like to sell your home. Let’s examine some of those now… 

  • Property Visit – One of our knowledgeable agents will visit your home to assess condition, updates, and all the details that make your home unique. We will use this information to aid in the second step.
  • Comparative Market Analysis – Our brokerage team will conduct a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to see how the market is currently performing and get a ballpark for what your property could sell for. We will couple this with an estimated net proceeds sheet so you can have a firm understanding of the costs associated with selling your property.

At this time, we will also make suggestions for any work or improvements that we feel would enhance the sale of the home.

If you decide you would like to move forward with listing your home with T&H, we will finalize timelines and send the IAR State Standardized Listing Agreement and other applicable listing paperwork for you to electronically sign.

How Will T&H Market My Indianapolis Home?

Once we have determined a list price and all appropriate paperwork has been signed, we will have new marketing photos taken and create a unique and eye-catching listing that will appear in the following places. 

Local Multiple Listing Service (MLS): The MLS is one of the biggest drivers of activity. This is the database used by all other agents in Central Indiana and will get your property in front of thousands of people. This is also the system Agents will use to schedule showings and leave feedback on your home.

Syndicate Sites:

Your home will be advertised out to hundreds of consumer sites such as Zillow, Realtor.com, Hotpads, etc. These sites get thousands of views per day from potential Buyers.

Open Houses:

Depending on the property and activity, we will host an open house which is usually a 2-4 hour window where one of our Agents will stay in the home and interested buyers can come and go as they please.

Social Media:

All homes marketed by T&H Realty will be posted on our Facebook pages to encourage engagement and sharing for even more exposure including our investment groups.

What Happens While My Indianapolis Home is on the Market?

Once we market your home and it is active for the world to see, a few things will happen.

  • Showings: Agents will begin scheduling showings to bring their buyers through the home. If you are still living in the house while it is on the market, we can give you the ability to accept or deny the requests through our easy to use showing software. It is highly recommended that you vacate the home while showings are taking place. Sellers being present can make buyers nervous and not allow them to fully experience all the house has to offer.

 

Agents are held to a very strict ethical and legal standard when it comes to showings and mitigating risk to a sellers home while taking buyers through. The showing software keeps a log of all Agents and their showings so we have a trail of people to reach out to should there be any issues discovered. Except for an Open House situation, Agents are to always accompany their Buyers to a showing or they could lose their license.

  • Feedback: Once a showing has been completed, we will request feedback from every Agent. This gives them the chance to relay what their client may or may not have liked about the home, if they feel it’s priced appropriately, etc. This will help guide us to make a decision on price reductions, improvements, or other changes that we may need to consider to get an offer.

 

  • Changes to the Home or Listing: Once we begin to get feedback, we may find we need to make some changes. Most commonly if a home is not getting offers it has to do with price. If we determine we need to reduce the listing amount, we will send an amendment to the original listing agreement stating the new price and update it across all marketing platforms.

 

We may find that we need to make a material change to the property or other improvement to the home. While we try to get ahead of this prior to listing, sometimes you just can’t predict what others’ perception and opinion will be. We can help you find a contractor, get estimates, and make any updates needed to the home to attract the right buyer. Depending on the work being done, it may be necessary to pause showings until the vendor has completed the project.

What Does the Offer Process Look Like?

Once we receive an offer, or hopefully multiple, we will send it to you right away and schedule some time so that we can walk you through step by step.

There are a few key points that you will want to consider about every offer:

Offer Price:

Obviously the #1 thing you are likely going to be concerned with is how much the buyer is offering. You not only need to consider if the offer is low, but if they offer more than asking we have to consider potential appraisal issues. If the buyer isn’t offering to pay any difference between the offer price and the appraised value, then it might not necessarily be a better offer.

Financing:

Financing is by far one of the most important aspects of an offer. The most common methods you will likely see are Cash, Conventional, or FHA or other loan assistance type programs. You will also want to ensure you see the buyer’s pre-approval letter from their lender, or proof of funds if they are paying cash.

Earnest Money Deposit:

This is the amount of money the buyer is putting down as a good faith deposit This money is held in an escrow account until closing and can be forfeited by the buyer if they breach the contract. Typical Earnest Money amount is 1% of the purchase price.

Inspection
Contingency:

There are a few options a buyer can choose as far as inspection contingencies go on a purchase agreement. The standard contingency allows them to select a certain amount of days to conduct an inspection and request any repairs they would like you to make.The As-Is contingency allows a buyer a certain amount of days to conduct their inspection, but they have to agree to accept the property as-is or they can cancel the contract. There is no negotiation that happens.

Last, a buyer can choose to waive their inspection contingency completely effectively erasing this portion altogether.

Keep in mind that everything on a purchase agreement is negotiable and you can accept, reject, or counter any offer you receive. 

What Happens Once I Accept an Offer on My Indianapolis Home?

Once you formally accept an offer on your home which simply consists of signing the purchase agreement, the next step is to order Title Work. The selector of the title company is negotiated during the offer process and either the Buyer or Listing agent will facilitate that. 

The title company ensures there are no legal issues with the property such as liens and that everything can be cleanly transferred to the new owner. They will also handle the signing of closing documents. 

Most financed offers take 30-40 days to close due to lender processes while cash can close as quickly as a 2 weeks or less.

Once under contract the buyer will schedule their inspection, and if utilizing financing, their lender will get the appraisal ordered. 

These are the two biggest hurdles to clear before closing. 

Navigating Inspection Negotiations on My Indianapolis Home

Inspection negotiations can be one of the most difficult and tense aspects of selling a home. However, this is where having a knowledgeable and savvy Agent can make all the difference. 

Once a buyer has their home inspection, their agent will advise them on how to proceed. They will then send over a Buyer Inspection Response document detailing their requests along with either the full inspection report or the applicable sections of the report. 

We will review the information with you and if needed, we can assist in getting estimates to help you make an educated decision on what you may or may not want to agree to. We will guide and advise you every step of the way. 

If you agree with the original Buyer Inspection Response, we would just sign off on the document and proceed with the agreed upon repairs. If you decide you want to counter, we would send a separate document detailing what you’re willing to address which is called the Seller Inspection Response. This can go back and forth multiple times until both parties agree. 

If an agreement cannot be reached, then the buyers typically have the right to back out of the contract with their Earnest Money. 

Here is an example of a Buyer’s Inspection Response:

What Should I Expect During the Appraisal Process?

The appraisal is when the lender or bank sends in a specially trained Appraiser to determine if the home is worth the agreed upon sale price. 

They will physically inspect the home to determine updates, confirm listing details, as well as look for potential issues. 

The appraiser will compile a report and provide it to the Underwriting team of the respective bank or lender and they will determine two things:

1. If the house is worth what the buyer is willing to pay –

There are some instances where an appraisal comes in lower than the agreed upon purchase price. In this case, there are a few ways to proceed.

    • The buyer can pay the difference out of pocket
    • The seller can reduce the price to the appraised value
    • The contract can be canceled with return of the Buyer’s earnest money

 

Neither buyer nor seller is required to do any certain thing. It really turns into a renegotiation at that point to see if there is a chance to salvage the deal.

2. If any repairs need to happen prior to closing –

Appraisers may also point out damages or issues to the home that could pose a threat to the safety of the buyer or the value of the property.

    • FHA and other down payment assistance loans tend to be pickier about these types of things.
    • The Underwriter can require repairs be made before they will allow closing and funding of the loan. This is outside of the buyer’s control and separate from their home inspection.

 

If this happens you either have to make the required repairs, or the buyers can back out of the contract with their earnest money. 

In both of these cases appeals are an option, however, the success rates are low. 

What Should I Expect During the Closing Process for My Indianapolis Home?

Once we have gotten through title work, inspections, appraisal, and have the clear to close – it’s typically very smooth sailing. 

The title company will schedule a day/time/location that works for both parties to sign the closing paperwork. If for any reason you happen to be out of state or not local during the closing, they can have a mobile notary assigned to meet you at any location and go through the signing process with you. 

A day or two prior to closing we will also get a Settlement Statement which breaks down all of the credits and debits for both buyer and seller. This will show you the net proceeds you will be walking away from the sale with. 

The buyers will usually do a final walk thru a day or so prior to closing to ensure the home is cleaned out and there are no last minute issues. You will want to make sure any belongings are out of the home and that it is in relatively broom swept condition unless other arrangements have been agreed upon. 

If you have any extra keys, garage remotes, appliance manuals, etc it’s best to leave them somewhere easily accessible in the home and we can let the buyers know where to find them.

The title company will assign a representative to sit down and go through all of the paperwork for both buyer and seller and explain each document as you sign. Both agents will also be present for any questions or issues. 

During the signing, you will let the title rep know if you would like your proceeds wired directly into your bank account or if you would prefer a check printed out and they will accommodate. 

Once all documents are signed, the title rep will finish processing everything and disburse all of the funds. The whole process usually takes about an hour from start to finish. 

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