For Sale by Owner in California

Save thousands of dollars -- sell your home yourself!

Using a broker to sell your home can cost you up to six percent of the selling price -- in other words, if you sell your house for $400,000, you can lose up to $24,000. But you'll save that money if you sell the house yourself, and it's not hard to do!

Thoroughly revised and scrupulously researched, For Sale by Owner in California takes you step by step through the entire selling process, from putting the house on the market to transferring the title. Even if you choose to use an agent, this book is a great way to prepare yourself for the home-selling process.

Find out how to:

pick the best time to sell

prepare your house for sale

advertise widely and inexpensively

sell while you're buying another house

set the sale price

screen buyers for financial feasibility

make all disclosures required by law

negotiate with potential buyers

handle multiple offers

remove contingencies

complete the escrow process

The 9th edition of For Sale by Owner in California reflects the most recent changes in the housing market and laws, and now includes beefed-up sections on disclosure obligations, making a house look good and using the Internet to advertise a sale. It also provides all the forms you need, including:

disclosure forms

offer and counteroffer

sales contract

contingency releases

deeds

second mortgage note

and more

All forms come with complete instructions for filling them out.

A note to those outside California: Even though For Sale By Owner in California provides state-specific forms and information for Californians, there's plenty of material in the book that can help home sellers in the other 49 states as well. Don't sell your home without it!

LIST OF FORMS
Quitclaim Deed
Moving Expenses With Tax Consequences
Hourly Broker Fee Agreement
Sign-In Sheet
Disclosure Of Information On Lead-Based Paint And Lead-Based Paint Hazards
Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home Pamphlet
Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement
Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement
Credit Information Form
Promissory Note
Offer To Purchase Real Property
Deposit Receipt
Short Form Counteroffer
Counteroffer To Purchase Real Property
Acceptance Of Purchase Offer
Counteroffer Revocation
Seller's Demand For Removal Of Contingencies
Contingency Release
Extending Time To Meet Contingencies
Release Of Real Estate Purchase Contract
Lease-Option Contract

This is another of Nolo Press's outstanding self-help books, this time targeting a specific California audience of people who, with a little footwork and research, can potentially save thousands of dollars by selling their home without a real estate agent, or lowering the cost of an agent by doing much of the work themselves.

Devine is an award-winning professor of real estate at San Francisco State University and a licensed real estate broker with more than 20 years of experience under his belt. Quite simply, California homeowners, following his advice, can save a bundle by selling their own home. This is the fourth updated edition of the book, incorporating the major changes in the California housing market and state and federal laws, and includes all the latest legal forms in a user-friendly guidebook. --Mark A. Hetts