Selling
Ready to sell?
Selling in Roatan can be made simple with the right listing agent and brokerage. RE/MAX is the right choice! As your listing agent, I can make the process simple! Once you make the decision to list your property, we will make sure you are informed and happy each step of the way.
Before our first meeting, I will ask you to locate all your property's documents to ensure there are no taxes due, get details for any HOAs, and ensure the title is clear to close. I will come to the home, take some measurements and and do a Comparable Market Analysis, comparing your property with those of similar size, location and features that have recently been sold, to give you a realistic idea for a list price. For the MLS listing, we will note all the details of the home, features, lot size, items included in the sale, and water/power sources.
Once you agree to have me list the property, we will sign a listing agreement. I have a checklist of documentation needed, and we will search out any missing items through the municipality. If a recent survey has not been done, we will order a new survey. If the property is a rental, it would be advantageous to provide a financial rental history for potential buyers. If recent upgrades or improvements have been done, providing a list of those would be beneficial. I will then have the property photographed professionally and upload all the identifying information onto the FlexMLS system.
If you will NOT be in Roatan for the closing, you will need to have an International Power of Attorney on file to allow someone else (realtor, Attorney, spouse, friend, etc.) to sign for you in your place. The process to receive a POA takes about 3-6 weeks, so think ahead for the possibility if you want to have that on file.
Once the property is officially listed, I will market the property through yard signs, social media, open houses, share the listing through my personal sphere of influence in email, WhatsApp and group chat avenues, as well as in other communication processes, depending on the type of property.
If a showing is requested by a buyer's agent, I will personally be at the showing to unlock the property, answer buyer questions, give a personalized tour, and receive any feedback from the buyer or their agent. Following the showing I will relay that feedback to you, keeping you informed. We will touch base every so often to see how you are feeling about the selling process, discuss any price reductions, or chat about any changes we may want to make.
Once an offer is received from a buyer, I will present the offer to you. You can either accept, reject it, or give a counteroffer. Once the negotiating process is over and you have accepted an offer and a closing date is set, RE/MAX will ensure all the documents are ready and clear for close. The buyer will pay their agreed upon earnest money which will be held in an escrow account until closing.
What closing costs will you incur as a seller? The seller pays the expense for the declaration and registration of any undeclared improvements made to the property, broker commissions, and their legal counsel and filing of legal documents. You will be responsible to make sure that you pay the prorated portion of the utilities, property taxes, insurance, rental income/deposits and any HOA fees up to the date of close. Capital Gains tax for the property must be paid within 3 days of closing. Don't worry, your legal counsel and the RE/MAX team will ensure this all gets handled.
When it comes to Taxes when selling, here is how we handle things at RE/MAX: At the time of sale, collected from the proceeds will be three different types of taxes. The first would be a tax on the ‘Gains' or as most U.S. people state, "Capital Gains". This takes the Sale Price and subtracts that amount from the Purchase price. Also subtracted from the sale price would be the commissions you pay to the RE company(s) for the Listing and Sale of the home, you paid when you purchased and the improvements that you made while you owned it. This item, “improvements”, is the 'variable' area in that in some instances may or may not be subtracted from the calculation. None of the furnishings or appliances would qualify. Any actual construction may, based on the receipts you have and if those receipts have RTN numbers for suppliers of such. Overall when everything that the ZOLITUR office considers it in your favor. The remaining 'Gains' amount times 4% is what you would owe. The second is a Sales Tax on the Commissions is actually variable based on which company you deal with for the Listing and then who on the MLS Sells it. Legally the Escrow account, in itself is non-taxable. For example if REMAX has the Listing, whereas one of the other companies on the MLS wrote the agreement, half of those Professional Fees or Commissions would go to them. That half would (or may be based on how they operate), would be taxable at a rate of 15% of the amount that company receives. This total amount of commission is taxable paid for by the Seller. Why the Seller? Because they ‘bought’ the service of the listing from the listing company. It is their purchase of services, and their tax liability. RE/MAX operates differently. The law states that the 15% tax is due when the dollars are placed in any corporate, (non-escrow) account or the Seller’s account. The law also states that if the Agent is "Persona Naturales" (Natural Person), that tax amount is non-taxable. The example I would give is that if I sell you a car as a personal transaction, there is no sales tax due. If you buy a car through a dealership those sales taxes are due. Funds from or to a corporation there is a tax. Bottom line is that this number cannot be calculated until a Sales Agreement is executed.