Selling a home in South Patrick Shores

The steps

1. Know your number. Your agent compares recent South Patrick Shores sales to set a price. Check what you still owe on your mortgage, so you know what you'd keep.
2. Get the home ready. Fix small things buyers notice: leaks, lights, paint. Many homes here are older, so a pre-listing roof check can prevent surprises.
3. Tell the truth about the home. Florida requires sellers to share known problems that affect the value and aren't easy to see. Homes built before 1978 also need a lead paint disclosure.
4. Have your insurance papers ready. Buyers on the barrier island ask about wind and flood insurance first. A recent wind mitigation report and your flood zone help them say yes faster.
5. List it and show it. Photos, listing, showings. In CloseHive you see every showing and can block times that don't work.
6. Choose an offer. Look at more than the price: the loan type, the inspection period and the closing date. CloseHive lays offers side by side, with what you'd keep from each.
7. Inspection and appraisal. The buyer inspects; the lender's appraiser checks the price. Repairs or credits get agreed in writing.
8. Closing day. The title company pays off your mortgage, pays the costs, and sends you the rest.

South Patrick Shores in numbers

• The typical home here is valued at about $443,600, which is 31% higher than Brevard County as a whole ($339,600).
• About 76% of homes were built before 1980. Many insurance companies ask for a 4-point inspection (roof, electrical, plumbing, heating and air) on older homes, so plan for it early.
• 88% of homes are lived in by their owners, more than the county's 77%. Homes here change hands less often, so good ones can go quickly.
• Homes on the barrier island usually cost more to insure for wind and flood. Get insurance quotes before your inspection period ends.
• Owners with a mortgage pay about $2,325 a month in housing costs, $271 more than typical rent ($2,054). Many of those owners bought years ago at lower prices, so today's buyers often pay more.

At a typical South Patrick Shores price of about $445,000, Florida's deed tax is $3,115 and the owner's title policy is about $2,300. Typical value here is 5.2 times the typical household income, compared with 4.3 for the county.

South Patrick Shores next to its neighbors

Of its closest neighbors, Palm Shores and Indian Harbour Beach are valued lower than South Patrick Shores.

Florida costs, in plain words

• Deed tax (documentary stamps): 70 cents per $100 of the price. In Brevard County the seller usually pays it.
• Owner's title insurance: protects the buyer if someone later claims the home. Florida sets the price. In Brevard County the seller usually pays it.
• Agent pay: what you pay agents is always negotiable. You agree to it in writing before you list.
• Property taxes: Florida bills them at the end of the year, so you credit the buyer for the days you owned the home this year.