Archive | January, 2011

Selling a Home with Sitting Tenants

Sometimes property owners have what are known as sitting tenants living on their properties. If these property owners decide that they want to sell their property then things could become more complicated due to the presence of a sitting tenants. The property can still be sold but there are some things to take into account as the presence of a sitting tenant does have some bearing on the property’s sale.

A sitting tenant is defined as a person that lives on your property to whom you are renting the property. Usually in most situations, sitting tenants pay lower rents than do other tenants living in similar properties. There are many different reasons that these sitting tenants pay reduced rent charges. Many times the sitting tenant has a long term agreement which specifies the amount of the rent. In other situations, the sitting tenant can be a part owner of the property and therefore resides on it as a sitting tenant. Sometimes this occurs when the sitting tenant is a relation to the owner. Another reason for the reduced rent could be due to the fact that the tenant is going through financial hardship.

Sitting tenants can be one of two varieties. One is known as a protected tenant. Protected tenants have tenancy agreements that were made prior to 1989. Assured short hold tenants are another sort of sitting tenant. These tenants would have tenancy agreements made after 1989. Of these two kinds of sitting tenants, an assured short hold tenancy is typically better for a potential buyer.

In most situations, the presence of a sitting tenant will affect the value of a property. Most values decrease a bit with a sitting tenant. The reason for this stems from the reduced rent rate that the new buyer will receive from the sitting tenant. This rent will be lower than what they could rent the property for in other situations. Even though a sitting tenant might come with a property, it is not a hopeless situation. Many properties are bought and sold every day with sitting tenants. Some buyers like the fact there is a steady renter paying regular rent.

Rights of a Sitting Tenant

Many landlords often decide to sell their rental properties. When a property has current tenants, the landlord must take into consideration their rights. After all, the rental agreement is a legal and binding contract made between the landlord and tenants. If ownership of a property changes, this agreement is still legally binding, given the tenant rights to remain on the property.

Some sitting tenants do not have legal agreements to live on a property. These sitting tenants have been residing on the property for a long period of time without a tenancy agreement. These tenants are still permitted to remain on the property when ownership changes. It is quite difficult to evict these tenants without incurring a great deal of legal expenses as well as taking a long time to do.

Sitting tenants are basically tenants that come along with a property if it is sold while still under contract. Even though the property has changed ownership, the sitting tenant still has the right to live there under the terms of their rental agreement. In today’s rocky housing market, many properties have succumbed to foreclosure. In these situations Many sitting tenants pay significantly lower rent levels. This can be for a number of reasons. Perhaps the rent value was established and guaranteed as long as the tenant lives on the property. In other situations, the sitting tenant may be the owner of the property or a family member. Some sitting tenants secured lower rent levels because they are experiencing financial hardships. Whatever the reason for the lower rent level, the amount cannot be changed by the new owners of the property.

Sitting tenants are also entitled to other protections. Privacy is another right afforded to sitting tenants. They are also entitled to peace and quiet. The landlord also may not make unannounced visits to the property. Also, when the landlord does make visits, it must be at a time convenient for the sitting tenant. Landlords are also required to upkeep the property on which the sitting tenant lives. Sitting tenants do have some obligations to the landlord. These include paying the rent as well as keeping the residence clean.

Using Free Home Estimate Services to Price Your Home

One of the hardest decisions when it comes to selling the home is the price that the home is going to be listed at. Although the homeowner is often ready to price the home at the highest possible price, pricing the home accurately for the current market, location and type of home is going to provide the best response from potential buyers.

What can you do to ensure that you are pricing your home accurately before placing it on the market? Before placing your home on the market you can easily find the services of a real estate agent or appraisal service. These services are often available free of charge from local real estate agents and can be an effective way to price the home to determine where it should be placed.

These free services are literally only a click or a phone call away. They are offered by local professionals to enable the homeowner to have a variety of options for the home. These services are designed to entice customers to choose one specific real estate agent or service over another, through the start to finish customer services that are provided and can be a great way to get the price that you want for your home as it can be agreed upon before the services of a real estate agent are chosen.

Using these free services can allow you to have many options when it comes to the value of the home and is a great way to choose an agent – based on the services that were provided through the consultation.