Buyer & Seller Resources
NAR Consumer Guides for Buyers and Sellers
Buying or selling a home involves many important decisions. These Consumer Guides from the National Association of REALTORS® provide clear information about real estate representation, agent compensation, financing, inspections, listing agreements, and other topics.
Select a guide below to read, download, or print it. Use the search box or category buttons to quickly find the information you need.
68 guides shown
Offers of Compensation
What you’ll find: Learn how a seller may offer compensation to a buyer’s agent, why it can help attract buyers, and which compensation choices remain negotiable.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Written Buyer Agreements
What you’ll find: Understand when a buyer agreement is needed, what services and compensation it describes, and which terms can be negotiated.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Negotiating Written Buyer Agreements
What you’ll find: Review the services, compensation, duration, property scope, and exit terms you can discuss before signing a buyer agreement.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Listing Agreements
What you’ll find: Learn what a listing contract authorizes, the services it may include, common listing arrangements, and how compensation is negotiated.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Buying Your First Home
What you’ll find: Get an overview of choosing an agent, financing, assistance programs, buyer agreements, and the early steps toward homeownership.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Preparing to Sell Your Home
What you’ll find: Review repairs, inspections, cleaning, staging, curb appeal, and other practical steps that can help prepare a home for market.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Ten Questions to Ask a Buyer’s Agent
What you’ll find: Use ten practical questions to compare agents based on experience, services, market knowledge, communication, and compensation.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Ten Questions to Ask a Seller’s Agent
What you’ll find: Compare listing agents by asking about pricing, marketing, communication, experience, services, compensation, and offer management.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Home Inspections
What you’ll find: Learn what inspectors typically examine, how inspection contingencies work, and how findings may affect repairs or negotiations.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Mortgages and Financing
What you’ll find: Explore mortgage basics, loan options, qualification factors, preapproval, borrowing costs, and questions to ask a lender.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Open Houses and Written Agreements
What you’ll find: Find out when buyers do—and do not—need a written agreement while attending an open house or touring with an agent.
Read or Print the Guide ↗REALTORS®’ Duty to Put Client Interests Above Their Own
What you’ll find: Understand the ethical duties REALTORS® owe clients, including loyalty, disclosure, confidentiality, and putting client interests first.
Read or Print the Guide ↗What Veterans Need to Know About Buying a Home
What you’ll find: Review homebuying considerations for veterans and active servicemembers, including representation, financing, and VA-related options.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Seller Concessions
What you’ll find: Learn how sellers may contribute toward a buyer’s transaction costs and how concessions can be used to help complete a sale.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Multiple Listing Services (MLSs)
What you’ll find: Understand how an MLS helps professionals market listings, find homes, share information, and support a competitive marketplace.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Fair Housing
What you’ll find: Review buyer, seller, and agent rights and responsibilities for a housing process free from unlawful discrimination.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Steps Between Signing and Closing
What you’ll find: See what typically happens after a purchase agreement, including escrow, financing, appraisal, title work, insurance, and final closing.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Agency and Non-Agency Relationships
What you’ll find: Learn the differences among single agency, dual agency, designated agency, transaction brokerage, and other relationships allowed by state law.
Read or Print the Guide ↗The Appraisal Process
What you’ll find: Understand why lenders order appraisals, how value is evaluated, and what options may exist if the appraisal is lower than expected.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Homeowners Insurance
What you’ll find: Learn what homeowners insurance commonly covers, what may be excluded, and what to discuss with a licensed insurance professional.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Flood Insurance
What you’ll find: Understand flood risk, coverage options, waiting periods, lender requirements, and why standard homeowners policies usually exclude flooding.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Fire Damage and Policy Coverage
What you’ll find: Review how homeowners insurance may cover fire damage, why coverage can vary, and what questions to ask about limits and exclusions.
Read or Print the Guide ↗What Goes Into Pricing Your Home
What you’ll find: Learn how comparable sales, property condition, market demand, location, and seller goals can influence an asking price.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Escrow and Earnest Money
What you’ll find: Understand earnest-money deposits, escrow accounts, deadlines, refund conditions, and precautions for keeping funds secure.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Preparing for Homeownership
What you’ll find: Consider budget, location, property needs, credit, savings, financing, and the professionals who can help you prepare to buy.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Property Taxes
What you’ll find: Learn how property taxes are assessed, when they may change, how they affect monthly costs, and where to find local information.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Seller Disclosures
What you’ll find: Understand why sellers disclose known property conditions, what may need to be reported, and why requirements differ by location.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Marketing Your Home
What you’ll find: Explore photography, online exposure, showings, open houses, pricing, staging, and other ways an agent may market a property.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Homeowners Associations
What you’ll find: Learn about HOA fees, rules, reserves, documents, assessments, amenities, and questions to ask before buying in a community.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Navigating Multiple Offers
What you’ll find: Compare more than price by reviewing financing, contingencies, timelines, concessions, and the likelihood that each offer will close.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Alternative Listing Options
What you’ll find: Review seller marketing choices, including office-exclusive, delayed-marketing, limited-service, and other listing approaches.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Deeds and Titles
What you’ll find: Learn how ownership is transferred, the difference between a deed and title, and why title searches and insurance may matter.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Buying Land and Building a New Home
What you’ll find: Explore land, zoning, utilities, builders, construction financing, timelines, inspections, and contracts for a new-build project.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Protecting Yourself From Title Fraud
What you’ll find: Learn how title fraud happens, warning signs to watch for, and steps that may help protect your ownership rights.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Overcoming Barriers to Homeownership
What you’ll find: Explore ways to address down payments, credit, debt, affordability, limited inventory, and other obstacles to buying a home.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction
What you’ll find: Understand the basics of deducting eligible mortgage interest and why a tax professional should review your specific situation.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Your Home and Estate Planning
What you’ll find: Learn how wills, trusts, beneficiaries, ownership structure, taxes, and professional advice can affect what happens to a home later.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Buyer’s vs. Seller’s Market
What you’ll find: Recognize common signs of each market type and how inventory, competition, pricing, and negotiating leverage may change.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Assistance Programs
What you’ll find: Explore down-payment, closing-cost, mortgage-relief, renovation, and other programs that may help eligible homeowners or buyers.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Real Estate Auctions
What you’ll find: Learn about auction formats, deposits, financing, inspections, title research, bidding rules, and risks before participating.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Working With a Real Estate Attorney
What you’ll find: Understand how an attorney may help review contracts, resolve title issues, explain legal obligations, and support closing.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Making Your Home More Energy Efficient
What you’ll find: Explore energy assessments, insulation, appliances, windows, HVAC improvements, incentives, and ways to reduce utility costs.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Buying a Historic Property
What you’ll find: Review preservation rules, inspections, insurance, renovation limits, maintenance, financing, and tax incentives for historic homes.
Read or Print the Guide ↗State and Local Tax (SALT) Deductions
What you’ll find: Learn the basics of deducting eligible state and local taxes and why current limits and rules require professional tax advice.
Read or Print the Guide ↗10 Tips for Packing Smartly for a Move
What you’ll find: Use a practical packing plan covering supplies, labeling, decluttering, important documents, essentials, and room-by-room organization.
Read or Print the Guide ↗What Is the VA Home Loan Guaranty?
What you’ll find: Learn who may qualify, how the VA guaranty supports eligible borrowers, and what to know about lenders, fees, and property standards.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Do You Need Private Mortgage Insurance?
What you’ll find: Understand when PMI may be required, how it affects monthly payments, and when borrowers may be able to remove it.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Home Selling Tips for Privacy and Safety
What you’ll find: Protect personal information, valuables, medications, access codes, and household security while preparing for showings and a sale.
Read or Print the Guide ↗How to Protect Against Real Estate Wire Fraud
What you’ll find: Recognize fraudulent wiring instructions and learn verification steps to help protect deposits, down payments, and closing funds.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Understanding Condo Ownership
What you’ll find: Review association fees, shared responsibilities, governing documents, reserves, assessments, financing, and lifestyle considerations.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Real Estate Sales Contract Contingencies
What you’ll find: Learn how financing, appraisal, inspection, title, insurance, and home-sale contingencies can protect buyers and sellers.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Hiring a Remodeling Contractor
What you’ll find: Use licensing, insurance, references, bids, permits, contracts, payment schedules, and change orders to evaluate contractors.
Read or Print the Guide ↗8 Tips for Selling Your Home in Winter
What you’ll find: Use seasonal lighting, maintenance, photography, curb appeal, comfort, and flexible scheduling to market a winter listing.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Can’t Pay Your Mortgage? You Have Options
What you’ll find: Review forbearance, deferment, loan modification, refinancing, selling, short sales, and other possible responses to financial hardship.
Read or Print the Guide ↗How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
What you’ll find: Find practical, lower-cost actions homeowners can take to reduce energy use and improve comfort and efficiency.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Thinking of Selling? 7 Factors to Consider
What you’ll find: Use seven questions about space, lifestyle, finances, equity, rates, maintenance, and market conditions to evaluate whether to sell.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Are You Ready to Invest in Real Estate?
What you’ll find: Assess income stability, credit, market conditions, risk, available time, cash flow, and long-term goals before investing.
Read or Print the Guide ↗15 Things to Do Before Every Showing
What you’ll find: Follow a room-by-room checklist for cleaning, lighting, temperature, pets, valuables, odors, and last-minute presentation.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Spotting Deepfake Scams in Real Estate
What you’ll find: Learn how AI-generated audio, video, and images may be used in scams and how to verify identities, documents, and payment instructions.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Staging Your House for a Sale
What you’ll find: Learn how decluttering, depersonalizing, furniture placement, lighting, repairs, and curb appeal can help buyers picture the home.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Financing a Renovation When You Buy
What you’ll find: Explore mortgage products that may combine a home purchase with renovation costs, plus estimates, appraisals, contractors, and timelines.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Navigating Mortgage Interest Rate Shifts
What you’ll find: Understand how changing rates affect buying power and review options such as points, buydowns, loan types, and refinancing later.
Read or Print the Guide ↗How Solar Impacts a Real Estate Transaction
What you’ll find: Review owned versus leased systems, contracts, liens, transfers, savings claims, roof condition, inspections, and financing considerations.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Overcoming Roadblocks to a Sale or Purchase
What you’ll find: Prepare for financing, appraisal, inspection, title, insurance, contingency, communication, and timing problems that can delay closing.
Read or Print the Guide ↗10 Tips for Unpacking Smartly After a Move
What you’ll find: Use a practical sequence for essentials, utilities, safety, room setup, boxes, organization, and settling into a new home.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Needs vs. Wants in a Home Purchase
What you’ll find: Use a priority checklist to separate deal-breakers, baseline needs, and nice-to-have features while comparing homes.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Seller Handoff Checklist
What you’ll find: Organize keys, codes, manuals, warranties, maintenance records, utilities, service contacts, and helpful home details for the buyer.
Read or Print the Guide ↗Condominium Insurance
What you’ll find: Understand how an association master policy and an individual condo policy work together and where coverage gaps may occur.
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Have questions about buying or selling Florida real estate?
I would be happy to help you understand the process and prepare for your next real estate transaction.
Barbara Schmal, PA
Broker Associate | Future Home Realty
727-480-1107
bschmal1952@gmail.com