| When you list your home for sale, the objective | | | | accounts, and their respective assistants. Needless |
| is to get the most money in your pocket as | | | | to say, when I got their bill I wasn't happy (they |
| possible. It seems intuitive that you would get the | | | | bill by the hour)..... until I saw the tax return they |
| most money by paying the least money to get it | | | | prepared for me. To my delight they found |
| sold. Reality, however, is that you get what you | | | | several areas where I was overpaying. They |
| pay for. | | | | were able to save me so much money that all of |
| Your listing options run the gamut from putting a | | | | a sudden their fee seemed reasonable. |
| "for sale by owner" sign in your front yard to | | | | At first I was upset with my old friend Bill. But |
| signing with an agent who will list your home in | | | | then I realized that I pretty much got what I paid |
| the Multiple Listing Service and possibly online to | | | | for. Bill was doing the best he could with his |
| choosing a Realtor who will market your home. | | | | available resources and charged me accordingly. |
| Any of these approaches can get your home | | | | My new accounting firm, however, had a vast |
| sold, but how quickly it sells and how much you | | | | amount of resources and were able to really |
| ultimately receive for the sale of your home can | | | | spend the time my situation demanded. In the |
| vary widely. | | | | end, yes, they cost me more to prepare my |
| I used to have an income tax preparer named Bill | | | | taxes, but they also saved me money. |
| who had been doing taxes for individuals and | | | | I mention my tax experience because selling a |
| businesses for many years. In other words, Bill | | | | home has many similarities to preparing a tax |
| had a lot of experience. Best of all, Bill was cheap, | | | | return. Marketing a home involves so much more |
| and I enjoyed the value I thought I was getting | | | | than just picking a price and sticking a sign in the |
| every year when he did my taxes, particularly | | | | front yard. The more resources employed in |
| since I have a fairly complicated tax situation with | | | | marketing the home, the faster it will sell. |
| two businesses, employees, retirement accounts, | | | | When a home sells faster the owner almost |
| etc. | | | | always gets a better price since the market has |
| One year I happened to take a tax planning | | | | not had a chance to beat that price down. The |
| seminar that gave a lot of advice in those areas. | | | | owner does not get worn out after months of |
| When I asked Bill about some strategies | | | | showings, nor is the owner paying interest, taxes, |
| recommended at the seminar, he told me that | | | | insurance, and utilities for this home month after |
| those strategies really wouldn't save me any | | | | month waiting for the sale. |
| money in the long run. I decided I should get a | | | | So what is the difference between one real |
| second opinion on my overall tax situation, so I | | | | estate firm and another and what is the |
| had my return processed by both Bill and a local | | | | difference between one agent and another? And |
| accounting firm. Bill processed pretty much the | | | | how can that affect your financial and emotional |
| same return he had done for me for years. | | | | outcome when selling a house? I will discuss in |
| The accounting firm, however, had me bring in a | | | | depth many different ways a home can be |
| lot more information than Bill ever had requested. | | | | effectively marketed in the next article "Lack of |
| I had several meetings with a CPA for my | | | | Effective Marketing" - Part 3 of Why Listings |
| businesses, a tax attorney for my retirement | | | | Expire. |