The home selling process is an exciting time. Below is the home selling process broken down into 5 easy steps.
Before we meet, it’s a good idea to understand your finances so you know how much equity you will gain after you sell your home. Call your loan officer to see how much of your mortgage balance is left so that you can budget for pre-listing improvements. Next, make a list of non-negotiables such as minimum sale price you will accept, and time frame for moving.
Before we sit down for our listing appointment, I will briefly tour your home and offer my insights on what could increase the value of your home and the overall value estimate based on your neighborhood and the current market.
After the home tour, we will meet for a listing appointment where I will provide you with a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) that shows recent comparable homes sold in your neighborhood. We will then decide on a competitive listing price together, and further discuss the home selling process and expectations. Additionally, I will share my unique marketing approaches to get your home sold for top dollar.
After your listing appointments, it will be time to choose a real estate agent to represent you during this process. If you find I’m the right fit, we will go over all the listing paperwork and sign necessary documents so that we can move forward and get your home on the market!
To sell your property quickly, we want to list it at the right price to reach maximum exposure. We will price your home based on location, condition, improvements, age, and the market conditions. With my experience and knowledge I will help you come up with the price and get a final approval from you.
Now it’s time to stage your home. This is not only arranging furniture and decor, but doing a thorough clean and decluttering. Our #1 goal is to create a clean, neutral, and complimenting space so that buyer’s can envision themselves living there.
As your REALTOR®, I will go above and beyond to market your home. This includes professional high quality photos, flyers for every buyer that tours your home, email marketing, social media marketing before listing hits market and during, postings on every real estate website, and open houses to get buyers in the home.
Hiring a professional photographer is the most important step of my marketing strategy. This will get your home sold quicker, as the photos accentuate the best features of your property. Photos that are high quality and consistent will attract more buyers to come see it for themselves.
By knowing other professionals in Real Estate, I am able to get the word out that your property is for sale through email marketing. They could have potential buyers who are interested, or pass it on to other agents in their office.
I will place a for sale sign in front of your home to make it visible to those passing by, and hold open houses during the weekend so that potential buyers are able to tour your home without having to wait for another agent to let them in. Beautiful customized printed flyers will be handed out with all the details of your property and stunning images. Social media marketing is another strategy used on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Your home’s listing will be included in multiple websites including Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and more!
The day has finally come! Your property is now live and listed on the MLS. If you are living in your home while it’s on the market, be prepared for showing requests throughout the day. I will always give you plenty of notice, but know you may have to leave the home for a few hours at a time.
Weekends will be peak days of showings since more people are available to see your home, which is why I always recommend we wait until after the weekend to accept the best offer.
Depending on the market, there will be a certain amount of time until we accept an offer where we will be prospecting for buyers. During this time we will be hosting open houses, using social media, and consistently exposing your listing to other real estate professionals to attract more buyers. Our mission is to get you a top dollar offer in a short period of time.
Again, depending on the market you may experience multiple showing requests in a day or occasional ones throughout the week. In any case, its important to be prepared for a showing or open house.
Once all offers are submitted, we will sit down and review them together. It’s important to note that the offer with the highest sales price might not always be the best offer. We have to take into consideration contingencies, closing timeline, repairs, and financing terms.
Depending on the offers, you will either accept, decline, or counter-offer. If you choose to counter-offer, the buyer will then make a decision on these new terms. If agreed, the buyer will then sign the contract and we will officially be under contract!
Contingencies are conditions that the buyer has requested be met such as an appraisal or an inspection. An inspection is an overall review of your home’s condition done by a licensed professional. The buyer will have a certain amount of days to order an inspection and depending on the results, the buyer may counter-offer, reject, or choose to move forward with the contract.
An appraisal is ordered by the buyer’s mortgage lender to ensure they are not over paying for your property. Just know that I will be there to guide you if any of contingencies require action to be taken.
While under contract, it’s important to note that a binding agreement is in place between you and the buyer which means you may not accept any other offers on your home. Your home will remain under contract through the inspection, and appraisal until closing day when all documents are signed.
After the buyer has met final lending approval, the closing appointment will be scheduled. At this point, it’s time to prepare for the big day.
Make sure that you complete these tasks:
While under contract, it’s important to note that a binding agreement is in place between you and the buyer which means you may not accept any other offers on your home. Your home will remain under contract through the inspection, and appraisal until closing day when all documents are signed.
You will meet at your lawyers office to hand over the keys to the new owners, and sign where needed. This is also when you will pay any commissions and balances.
You did it! You sold your home, cheers to new beginnings!
Whether you’re planning on selling your home in a couple of months or a couple of years, I will always go above and beyond as your agent to provide you with the information and commitment you need
Here is a printable version of the 5 steps to selling your home.
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