Questions Your Listing Agent Should Be Asking Buyers.

1. Where’s your proof?
If your home’s buyer plans to use mortgage financing, you should get a pre-qualification letter from a mortgage pro who has actually run the buyer’s credit, seen their down payment money and checked their income and assets - it’s not overkill for your agent to call the buyer’s mortgage contact and check on how recent and how strong (or tenuous) this approval is. (The more recent the better - down payment savings can be spent and even jobs can be lost between the time of the approval and the time of the offer, if many moons have passed.)

If the buyer is using cash, the listing agent should insist on receiving a recent proof of funds, like a bank account statement, documenting that the buyer has the cash they’ll need to close on hand.

2. Is there anything you’d like?
If you do agree to leave some things behind - whether for a fee or for free, make sure you explain to the buyer in writing that you cannot offer a warranty on the item(s), and work with your broker or agent to ensure that the paperwork doesn’t run afoul of any lender guidelines.