So you are selling your home, or at least you are thinking about selling your home. So what’s next? The following information will guide you through the process of selling your home for the highest price possible.
Expect great service from your realtor. Hire a professional. Would you go to your mechanic for financial planning? Would you go to your financial adviser for healthcare? When you decide to sell your home, hire a professional, and take advantage of their knowledge, experience, and professionalism. I expect comprehensive, high-quality service when I hire someone and you should expect the same. If you chose to work with me, and I hope you do, you can expect me to:
1. Price The most important step in selling your home is pricing it correctly from the onset. It's a well-known fact that overpriced homes take longer to sell and usually sell for a lower price. Since the majority of your showings will occur in the first 30 days on the market it is crucial that your initial list price matches buyer expectations. Our agents are trained to use advanced market analysis software to build a comprehensive report that will accurately determine the optimal list price for your home. Get an estimated market value of your home.
2. Condition In order to get top dollar for your home you have to make your home look its best. Our agents are trained to help you identify and prioritize repairs and improvements that will provide the best return on your investment. Before your home goes on the market, we offer home staging to make every room in your home look its best.
3. Market Our Home Selling System was developed to provide our agents with a consistent and proven manner to get our listings in front of as many potential buyers as possible. Our reach is so extensive because we invest heavily in the web, social networking, email, direct mail, and print campaigns that feature our listings in all the places where buyers are looking. When you hire us to sell your home, we will identify your ideal buyer and then develop and implement a tailored home marketing program designed to reach them. Request a seller specialist today. Free Market Reports
4. Negotiate Successfully negotiating a real estate contract is more than a matter of luck or natural talent. When you receive an offer having an agent with a proven track record of bringing buyers and sellers together can make a huge impact on your final sales price. Our home listing specialists are skilled negotiators who can help you get to the highest price a potential buyer is willing to pay, as well as the best terms, shortest contingencies, fewest repairs, and lowest closing costs. Rather than approaching negotiations from an adversarial winner-take-all perspective, our agents focus on your top priorities and strive to keep emotions from overrunning the process.
5. Close While your home is on the market we will provide at least monthly status reports that show your top prospects, a summary of feedback from your showings, a review of completed and planned marketing activities, and any recommended adjustments to course. In order to keep tabs on your competition, we set up a neighborhood alert system that will notify you and your agent as similar homes in your neighborhood come on the market, go under contract or sell. Once your home goes under contract we use our sophisticated online transaction management system to make sure the buyers, and their agent, follow through with their contractual obligations in a timely manner.
Prepare your home for maximum appeal to accommodate the widest variety of buyers. First impressions are critical. You will find all types, but in general, buyers prefer homes that are well-maintained, clean, and clutter-free. Depending on your home’s condition, there are three kinds of improvements that will impress buyers and help you sell for top market value: renovations, upgrades and repairs, reorganization, and maintenance.
Clutter-free homes typically seem brighter, more spacious, cleaner, and indicate they have been well maintained.
Strategically pricing your home to get top market value. This is one of the most challenging aspects of selling your home. You need to balance between setting the price too low where it attracts too much interest and setting the price too high which discourages people from even looking. Ultimately, your home’s value will be determined by what the market will bear at any given time. Keep the following in mind when you are working with your realtor to determine your home’s true market value:
In general, reviewing what has worked in your area and what hasn’t will help you to strategically price, position, and stage your home so that it sells for top dollar in a reasonable time frame, with the least amount of inconvenience for you.
Bottom line: Realistic pricing IS strategic pricing! If you price your home realistically from the beginning you’ll attract more buyers and more agents and maximize your opportunity to sell your home when your listing is new to the market.
Effectively marketing your home. Selling your home includes home preparation, pricing, presentation, negotiation as well as strategic advertising and networking. An experienced Realtor has the knowledge, expertise, and resources to implement a plan that will effectively coordinate all of these activities to maximize your home’s market exposure. Maximum marketing equals maximum buyers equals maximum opportunities for offers equals maximum price. This is the recipe for the greatest possible price in the least amount of time.
To ensure your property is marketed to its fullest potential, it is critical your Realtor has a significant presence on the internet.
Setting the stage to sell – aim for perfect open houses and showings. I mentioned this before, but it bears repeating, first impressions are critical. Be sure your property looks it's very best for showings and open houses.
Successfully negotiating the deal. In general, negotiating the transaction is the most complex part of selling a home. It’s important to have an experienced and savvy Realtor who has successfully worked through many different transaction scenarios. So a buyer has submitted an offer. Now what? Below is an outline of the overall process. Keep in mind, most buyers are trying to get a good deal. Often times they will submit an offer that is shocking low. Just because an offer is low doesn’t mean the buyer isn’t serious. Like all of us, we want to buy our home cheaply and sell it for a high price. The first offer is just the beginning of the sales process. There is almost always an expectation that you will counter the offer. Many times, there may be multiple rounds of negotiations between you and the buyer as you work towards a mutually agreeable sales price.
Closing the deal. If both you and the buyer have taken care of your respective obligations outlined in the contract the process of completing the transaction (closing, escrow, and settlement) should go smoothly. Almost every sales agreement includes contingencies and special conditions that have to be fulfilled by the buyer and seller before the closing date which is usually thirty to sixty days after both parties sign the contract. Typical contingencies and special conditions include:
It is important to review the sales agreement with your Realtor and adhere to any obligations you committed to in the sales agreement. Any shortfalls or mistakes at this point can be very costly.
Completing the transaction. The closing is typically handled by a third party professional who conducts the closing proceedings. The third party is usually a lawyer or a title agent, I highly recommend an attorney represent your interests and conduct your portion of the closing process. The closing attorney or title company representative will review the sales agreement and does the following:
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