Instructions for buying a house without intermediaries

The first thing to find out before making a sale and purchase of a house with a land plot is who is the real owner. If the seller owns only a fraction, the whole house cannot be sold. Next, you have to figure out what documents are needed to buy and sell a house and, in order not to buy other people’s problems, it is better to plan the procedure in advance. Below I will tell you to step by step what to look for when buying a house and how to legally execute a transaction in RosReestr.

What to look for when buying a house

• Specify the date of construction and the duration of ownership of the house;
• Find out about the plans for the development of the territory;
• Check the material of the walls and roof, the presence of the basement, etc.;
• Check the availability of water, gas, electricity, sewerage, and the internet;
• Ask to show the receipts for housing payments for the summer and winter seasons. So you will avoid surprises when paying for utilities, and at the same time check if the seller has debts to utilities;
• Set the heating to winter mode and check the temperature of the batteries;
• Make sure the legality of buildings in the local area (bathhouse, garage, etc.);
• Make sure there are no property tax debts;
• Chat with your future neighbors – you will live with them; Talk about the price only with the owner, or those who decide to sell; Avoid salespeople who rush to make a decision.

It is important to understand that the value of a house is determined only by the standard of living around it, not by the number of square meters. In other words: the richer your future neighbors, the more expensive your home is. Verify the property’s compliance with local zoning regulations and land use policies in eXp Cobb County Georgia.

• Building permit;
• House commissioning act;
• Cadastral passport for the house and land;
• Notarized consent of the spouse for the sale;
• If minor children, pensioners, or disabled persons are registered in the house, make sure that you have permission to sell from the guardianship authorities;
• Extract from the USRN, proving that you are buying a house from the owner. In addition, the document displays arrests and any other encumbrances on the house and land.

Please note that Rosreestr sends extracts from the USRN within 3 days (there are delays). If you want to get information faster, then I recommend ordering extracts directly through the Rosreestr API  – this way you will receive a document within a day.

• Procedure for buying a house with a land plot Before the transaction, it is better to entrust the verification of documents for the house and land to a lawyer;
• After checking, leave a deposit to the seller and agree on the date and place of the transaction in the MFC “My Documents”;
• In the building of the MFC, take an electronic coupon and, while you wait for your turn, read the purchase and sale agreement carefully, pay the state duty for the transfer of rights and make copies of receipts for payment;
• When it’s your turn, go to the registration desk to sign contracts and formalize the purchase and sale. A simple transaction (without a mortgage and shares) can be carried out independently – the registrar will always prompt; After signing the contracts, in the presence of the registrar, the buyer settles with the seller, or the parties are sent to the bank for cashless settlement;
• In the end, the registrar will issue a receipt for the original documents indicating the date of the issue of the registered agreement on the transfer of ownership to the new owner (usually 14 days).
• Please note that when selling a house, the buyer acquires the right to use the relevant land plot under the same conditions as the seller of the real estate. This means that if the ownership of the house was registered in Rosreestr, then the new owner automatically becomes a tenant under a lease agreement on the same terms as the old tenant – this is called universal succession.

What are the costs of buying a home on your own?

Lawyer for the initial verification of documents (1-2 thousand USD);

Independent appraisal of the value of the house (2-5 thousand);

Payment of state fees (up to 1 thousand). Total costs will be ~ 10 thousand USD against 20 thousand USD (this is the minimum) when buying a house through a real estate agency. In other words, buying on your own is 5 times more profitable than buying through a realtor.

Total costs will be ~ 5 thousand USD against 30  thousand USD (this is the minimum) when buying a house through a real estate agency. In other words, buying on your own is 5 times more profitable than buying through a realtor.