Preparing to list

The seller disclosure is your written statement of what you know about the property. The contract sets the date it is due. The disclosure is not an inspection, and it does not replace the inspection a buyer may hire.

Walk the house before you write that statement. Note the roof, the heat, any leak you have repaired, and anything the association is responsible for. If you do not know, say that you do not know. A guess is not a disclosure.

You choose what to repair before the house is photographed. A fresh repair can make a showing easier. It does not stop a buyer from inspecting.

If a buyer’s inspector finds something later, you do not have to repair it. A repair, a credit, or a price change counts only when both sides sign it. The offers page explains how that fits the contract deadline.

If the house is in an association, the rules are part of the house. Ask for the association’s packet for the sale, often called a resale certificate or a status letter, plus the recorded rules and the budget. Look for a special assessment, an extra charge on top of regular dues, that is approved or under discussion. Two buildings can differ. A summary from a neighbor is not the document.

If a private club is part of the address, the membership is a separate question from the deed. Confirm it with the club, in writing, before you describe it to a buyer. The ski-home page goes further on associations, rentals, and clubs.

Appliances may stay. Furniture stays only if the contract says so. Decide that before the photographs, so the pictures match the offer. In a ski house, furnishings are a common question. Ask it early.

Before a showing, put away papers, medications, and small items you would not want a stranger to see. A clear room is easier to photograph and easier to walk. That is about the house, not about who the buyer is.

Photography, video, and any staging are planned around the house itself. The remarks are written once that presentation is in place. Your advisor can introduce photographers and stagers who know these houses. You choose the people.

In winter, a showing still has to reach the door. Ask who plows the road and the driveway, and whether the heat will hold if the house sits empty between visits. Heat tape on a roof edge only helps if it works. The ski-home page lists the mountain items buyers often inspect.