Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced agent and this easy to follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.​​​​​​​
What do you want to accomplish with the sale of your home? Do you want to make a certain amount of money that you can put toward a larger or nicer home? Do you wish to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a purchase in a new area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your offer. Make sure you convey your needs to your us so we can recommend the best selling terms to meet your needs.
Knowing how to price your home is one of the most important parts of the selling process. When you set a fair price in the beginning, you’ll get the most interest from other real estate agents and prospective buyers. Overpricing your home could lead to reduced interest, and underpricing leads to receiving less than what your home is worth. Working with a real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and suggest a selling strategy and price that will get you the best price and terms in a sale.
If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.
I will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through print and online media, agent-to-agent referrals, social media campaigns or SEO advertising. We create a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing. Because our resort market is seasonal, we will consider the timing of listing and marketing efforts to best attract potential buyers.
Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. We will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is capable of making the purchase and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap. We will also help you though the negotiation such items as request for making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some fixtures or furnishings for the new buyer.
Once you deem an offer is acceptable, we will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them.
You have accepted an offer and are now entering due diligence period, when the buyer has a chance to inspect the property and review the proposed closing terms. We will coordinate and communicate with you during this time, helping facilitate potential inspections, surveys, or appraisals. We will help you evaluate requests for major or minor repairs that may be requested before the house can close. A few days before the closing date, we will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go.
You’ve reached the last step in the seller’s process. When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. We will communicate with the company closing the transaction to schedule a closing process and time that works for you to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your REALTOR to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.
Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. Whether this is relocating to a new city, moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life as empty-nesters, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind for your new path. And, we are still here to help. We can help you upgrade to a new property in the area or refer you to a reputable REALTOR in the next area you wish to explore.
Laura & Bruce are dedicated to helping you find your dream home and assisting with any selling needs you may have. Contact us today to start your home searching journey!
