1. What is your motivation
for selling?
Selling your home is a big decision. You will most likely be leaving a place you made a home and it can be tough to let go.
Spend some time talking with your family about all the reasons why you want to sell, and make sure this is the right decision for you, as you do not want to get too far into the selling process and have a change of heart.
That said. . .
Once you have made the decision to sell your home, you will want to first call your current lender provider and discuss your current finances with your home. Find out how much equity you have in your home, deduct selling expenses, and make sure to have some cash for making any necessary home improvements. Also make sure that you have enough equity to put in to your new home.
Next, make a list of non negotiables. ot down your must-haves and deal breakers. What’s your time frame to move? What’s your budget for pre-listing home improvements? What’s the minimum sale price you will accept?
Spend some time talking with your family about all the reasons why you want to sell, and make sure this is the right decision for you, as you do not want to get too far into the selling process and have a change of heart.
That said. . .
Once you have made the decision to sell your home, you will want to first call your current lender provider and discuss your current finances with your home. Find out how much equity you have in your home, deduct selling expenses, and make sure to have some cash for making any necessary home improvements. Also make sure that you have enough equity to put in to your new home.
Next, make a list of non negotiables. ot down your must-haves and deal breakers. What’s your time frame to move? What’s your budget for pre-listing home improvements? What’s the minimum sale price you will accept?
2. Give me a call
Selling your home involves a lot of legal paperwork and tedious tasks. If you have decided to hire a RELATOR® to take care of all this for you, it is important to hire one that you feel will represent your home the best, at the same time getting it sold quickly and for top dollar.
A REALTOR® will be able to help you:
Among many other things. Case in point, my checklist for a Listing Transaction (from start to finish) consists of 92 tasks to-do before the transaction closes!
A REALTOR® will be able to help you:
- Price your home competitively
- Market your property across multiple mediums/platforms
- Negotiate offers and terms
- Help guide you through escrow and all other paperwork
Among many other things. Case in point, my checklist for a Listing Transaction (from start to finish) consists of 92 tasks to-do before the transaction closes!
3. Complete Home Improvements
Preparing to sell your home typically takes some work, whether that’s your own sweat equity or some professional improvements. After all, you want buyers to fall in love with your home, like you did when you first bought it. Spend some time getting your home move-in ready, in a way that will appeal to the broadest range of potential buyers.
I also highly recommend to get your own home inspection before you put your home on the market. A pre-inspection can help you avoid surprises as buyers will most likely hire an inspector and the more issues they find, the more turned off they may be with your home and back out of the offer.
You will also want to spend a little bit of money to make some updates in your home.
Some great improvement options that buyers typically appreciate include:
I also highly recommend to get your own home inspection before you put your home on the market. A pre-inspection can help you avoid surprises as buyers will most likely hire an inspector and the more issues they find, the more turned off they may be with your home and back out of the offer.
You will also want to spend a little bit of money to make some updates in your home.
Some great improvement options that buyers typically appreciate include:
- Switch out cabinet hardware to more modern ones
- Paint the walls neutral colors
- Replace single pane windows with more energy efficient ones
- Update appliances if they are dated
- Get floors and carpets professionally cleaned, if not replaced
- And don't forget curb appeal! Power wash the driveway, cut back over grown trees, add some pots of seasonal flowers, hide the trash can and put down some fresh mulch.
4. Price Your Home Competitively
Finding the right listing price for your home can be a challenge, but it’s one of the most important factors in a successful home sale.
Homes that are accurately priced are more likely to sell in a timely manner. According to Zillow research, in a typical market, 57% of homes nationwide sell at or above listing price when they accept an offer in the first week. In the second week on the market, that drops to 50% and trends downward as the weeks go on.
But don't worry! I have all the tools available to know exactly where to price your home.
Homes that are accurately priced are more likely to sell in a timely manner. According to Zillow research, in a typical market, 57% of homes nationwide sell at or above listing price when they accept an offer in the first week. In the second week on the market, that drops to 50% and trends downward as the weeks go on.
But don't worry! I have all the tools available to know exactly where to price your home.
5. Stage Your House To Sell
Staging your home to sell is an important part of the sales process. Buyers expect to walk into a home and envision what it would be like for their family to live there. Therefore, you should do your best to make the home inviting and as neutral as possible.
Some of my favorite staging tips:
Declutter: Too much stuff in a room can make your home feel small, crowded and lacking in storage. Have all horizontal surfaces cleared off- "hotel like", if you will.
Remove all personal items, like family photos, last name plaques, etc.. It can make it hard for buyers to picture themselves living in the home, when they can see your family living there.
Hide your guns and your gold. We live in Colorado, people have guns, but we do not need buyers to be distracted or interested in your gun collection. Please put them in a locked safe. We also do not need buyers tempted by the jewelry that you may own. Please put away all precious, valuable and non-valuable pieces of jewelry that you may typically have laying around.
We will select a staging plan that fits your needs: Depending on the home, your budget and timeline, you may opt to hire a professional or to do it yourself.
I like to store away pets’ and kids’ belongings: While many buyers are pet owners or parents of young kids, they want to visualize their own families in the home, not yours. Take the time to repair pet damage, remove pets’ belongings, and place to the side any kids’ items like gates, highchairs and piles of toys.
Some of my favorite staging tips:
Declutter: Too much stuff in a room can make your home feel small, crowded and lacking in storage. Have all horizontal surfaces cleared off- "hotel like", if you will.
Remove all personal items, like family photos, last name plaques, etc.. It can make it hard for buyers to picture themselves living in the home, when they can see your family living there.
Hide your guns and your gold. We live in Colorado, people have guns, but we do not need buyers to be distracted or interested in your gun collection. Please put them in a locked safe. We also do not need buyers tempted by the jewelry that you may own. Please put away all precious, valuable and non-valuable pieces of jewelry that you may typically have laying around.
We will select a staging plan that fits your needs: Depending on the home, your budget and timeline, you may opt to hire a professional or to do it yourself.
I like to store away pets’ and kids’ belongings: While many buyers are pet owners or parents of young kids, they want to visualize their own families in the home, not yours. Take the time to repair pet damage, remove pets’ belongings, and place to the side any kids’ items like gates, highchairs and piles of toys.
6. Market Your Home Effectively
Once your home is ready for buyers, the next step is to get your listing in front of as many buyers as possible!
To do so, I hire a photographer to take professional photos, I set up your home on the MLS, and I begin to advertise your home!
PS All agents have different ways of marketing your home. It is important to ask your agent what their marketing plan is!
To do so, I hire a photographer to take professional photos, I set up your home on the MLS, and I begin to advertise your home!
PS All agents have different ways of marketing your home. It is important to ask your agent what their marketing plan is!
7. Receive Offers + Negotiate
At this stage, your home is now on the market and potential buyers are making appointments for showings and they are ready to make an offer!
By pricing your house competitively, multiple offers should come our way. If offers are lower than our asking price, we won’t hesitate to make a counteroffer (or ask for full price). Sometimes buyers like to “test the waters” to see how you might respond, while still making room for negotiation.
Negotiable terms and conditions in an offer are typically the following:
Once you have accepted an offer, it is signed and legally binding. Congrats! It is important that your offer contains and meets all of your requirements/requests as it can be very difficult to go back and ask to make changes.
By pricing your house competitively, multiple offers should come our way. If offers are lower than our asking price, we won’t hesitate to make a counteroffer (or ask for full price). Sometimes buyers like to “test the waters” to see how you might respond, while still making room for negotiation.
Negotiable terms and conditions in an offer are typically the following:
- Final price
- Complete home repairs
- Who pays and how much for a home warranty
- Any transfer fees like HOA fees
- Additional inspection requests
- Changing inspection deadline dates
- Choosing the closing date
Once you have accepted an offer, it is signed and legally binding. Congrats! It is important that your offer contains and meets all of your requirements/requests as it can be very difficult to go back and ask to make changes.
8. Prepare For Closing!
Now that the offer is accepted, it's time to prepare for closing! In this step, the buyer has the opportunity to conduct inspection(s), finalize their financing, and your home will be appraised, if the buyer is using a lender.
Be prepared that each of these steps can come with some set backs. If you are not prepared for a home inspection, the buyer might back out of the deal if something major is found. The buyer could also lose their financing and lastly, your home could come under value (or over value) during the appraisal which definitely causes issues.
This is why it is so important that I am by your side, helping you avoid these hurdles and get your home sold quickly and with ease.
As the seller, you will need to make any agreed upon repairs, submit all disclosures and then finalize all documents with signatures between title and escrow.
Be prepared that each of these steps can come with some set backs. If you are not prepared for a home inspection, the buyer might back out of the deal if something major is found. The buyer could also lose their financing and lastly, your home could come under value (or over value) during the appraisal which definitely causes issues.
This is why it is so important that I am by your side, helping you avoid these hurdles and get your home sold quickly and with ease.
As the seller, you will need to make any agreed upon repairs, submit all disclosures and then finalize all documents with signatures between title and escrow.
9. Move Out + Hand Your Keys Over
When all contingencies are removed, and closing documents are signed, escrow will initiate the closing and you will hand over your keys!
Congratulations! You have just sold your home.
All this might sound like a lot, and it may be a bit overwhelming, but when you have a caring, and hard working REALTOR® by your side...ME, it really can be an enjoyable process!
Congratulations! You have just sold your home.
All this might sound like a lot, and it may be a bit overwhelming, but when you have a caring, and hard working REALTOR® by your side...ME, it really can be an enjoyable process!
Let's Do This!
Wowa, I just threw a lot of information your way!
Still have some questions? Ready to sell your home? Great! Let's discuss.
Message me, call me, email me, you have my contact information below.
As your REALTOR®, you will never have to go down the long road of selling your home
with doubts or confusions. I will continuously be right by your side every step of the way.
"Don't wait for the right opportunity. Create it." -Unknown
Sincerely,
Still have some questions? Ready to sell your home? Great! Let's discuss.
Message me, call me, email me, you have my contact information below.
As your REALTOR®, you will never have to go down the long road of selling your home
with doubts or confusions. I will continuously be right by your side every step of the way.
"Don't wait for the right opportunity. Create it." -Unknown
Sincerely,
|
|