Every home and seller is different – that is one of the things I like most about selling homes! Every home has a different personality and story. Their homeowners also each have their own unique story and reason for selling. Perhaps you've outgrown your home, or the layout is just not working for you anymore. You may even have an empty nest and you are downsizing. Whatever your reason for making a move, I will work with your individual needs and create a plan that suits your situation.
Getting to Know You
The first step is for me to get to know your unique circumstance. It is helpful for me to know your timeline for getting your home on the market, how soon you need to be out, the basic floorplan and any improvements you have done to the home. It is also helpful to know your motivation for selling. This way I can provide you valuable insight regarding your timeline and know what advice I might give when you have an offer on the table. I will also research your home and on the area before I come over for a visit.
I will make an appointment with you to view your home and look for “listing dollars” – those special things you have done to your home that buyers will love. I will also make recommendations for to-do items to get done before putting the home on the market. This may include painting touch up, planting fresh flowers up front, getting the carpets cleaned, rearranging or removing some furniture, or even having roof shingles replaced. Each home is different and I look at each through the eyes of the buyer. Selling your home is different than living in your home and there may need to be adjustments made with buyers in mind. These things may take a day or two. Some take longer. We will determine an ideal list date based on the “to do” list.
Listing the Home
As we are getting the home listed, there are a few items I will need you to do such as filling out the Seller Disclosure form as well as making sure I have all the amenities listed correctly on the listing input sheet. Here are some of the other things I do when listing your property:
- Photography – Having your home photographed while it is shining is one of the best things we can do to market the property. The photos I produce are of high quality and take into account how light travels through the space. High end property photos are critical in making sure that potential buyers who view your home on the MLS or on one of the many websites utilized to market your property are interested enough to contact their agent and schedule a showing.
- Print Marketing – Using the high end photos of your home, I will create several marketing pieces designed to get your home noticed. I will create a house flyer that showcases your listing, and will place special feature cards throughout the home to highlight the amenities that may not be immediately noticeable (such as a built-in vacuum cleaning system). As time allows, I will also create a Just Listed card to let potential buyers in the area know that your home is listed
- Online Marketing – According to the National Association of REALTORS, 92% of buyers are searching for homes online. Therefore, making sure your home is listed on websites where buyers may be searching in addition to the MLS is important. When I list your home, it is syndicated on dozens of websites across the internet.
- Open House – Getting as many potential buyers in the door is important, so I schedule an open house the first weekend that your home is listed. I display extensive signage and make sure that potential buyers searching online for open houses that weekend know to put your home on their list of stops.
- Marketing to Other Agents – Communicating with other agents about your listing is a surefire way to make sure potential buyers know about it. I take a proactive approach, making sure your home is on the broker tours and communicating with agents about your listing every chance I get.
If your home doesn’t sell right away, I will be in touch every week with a market update so you know where you stand with your market competition. I will also be in touch with you any time you have a showing to get you any feedback I receive from the agent showing.
The Offer and Negotiations
If a buyer makes an offer on your home – congratulations! You will have an opportunity to accept the offer as written, counter the offer, or you may even choose to ignore it entirely. I encourage my sellers to at least submit a counter offer, even if the initial offer was below what you were expecting. An offer is an opportunity to work with a buyer and I encourage you to let me use my strong negotiating skills to see if we can make the offer come together.
Pending to Close
There is a long list of things I stay on top of between pending and close. There are deadlines to meet, activities to accomplish, forms to get done, and I love keeping track of it all and making sure your transaction is progressing on schedule.
I will be on the phone with you every couple of days to make sure I get everything I need from you. There will be some things I need from you along the way and I will give you a list of those things I need you to be working on. This might include determining how you want to move forward regarding the list of items the buyer has asked you to fix after the inspection, clarification on anything on the seller disclosure forms, or you might need to provide a septic or well inspection results. Although this may sound intimidating, we will just take it one step at a time. I will educate you on each step of the process so you always feel informed and you always feel like you have all the information to make the best decisions possible.
As your agent, I’ll do the following:
- Help you understand how condition, location, timing, improvements you’ve made and my marketing, affect pricing
- Price your home accurately by using a line by line positive/negative adjustment method, rather than a simple blended average
- Keep you informed of prospect and agent visits and internet traffic as well as sales trends in your local real estate market
- Effectively market your home, maximizing exposure and strategically positioning it
- Once a sale is made, I’ll manage the transaction to ensure a problem free closing