For Sale by Owner in California

Sell your California home yourself and save big!

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 spend 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 your house on the market to transferring the title. Find out how to:

- select the best time to sell
- prepare your house for sale
- price and market your home
- coordinate the sale of one house with the purchase of another
- screen buyers for financial feasibility
- make required disclosures
- work with or without real estate agents
- attract potential buyers with creative financing
- handle multiple offers
- write and negotiate a contract
- complete the escrow process

This edition of For Sale by Owner in California reflects the most recent changes in the housing market and laws, and now includes additional discussion of the importance of pricing a house to sell and performing a thorough vetting of potential buyers financial cresources. It also provides all the forms and instructions you need, including:

- disclosure forms required by law
- offer and counteroffer
- sales contract
- contingency releases
- deeds
- second mortgage note
- and more

Not a resident of the Golden State? Check out the Nolo books Selling Your House in a Tough Market and Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home for real estate help in your state.

George Devine is a licensed real estate broker and a widely respected educator in the real estate field. He holds a B.A. from the University of San Francisco, and an M.A. from Marquette University, and has pursued additional studies at San Francisco State University, Seton Hall University, Fordham University, New York University, the University of California at Berkeley and other academic institutions. Currently, he teaches real estate at the McLaren School of Business at the University of San Francisco, where he was named the Outstanding Adjunct Professor. For several years, George wrote the popular ""Real Estate Handbook"" column in the weekly Real Estate Guide section of the San Francisco Progress. He is the author of For Sale By Owner in California and coauthor of How to Buy a House in California.