A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

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 team of Real Estate Agents 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.

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Step 1: Understand Why You're Selling

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 need to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a move to a new city or area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your offer. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you might want to price your home lower than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. Make sure you convey these needs to your team of real estate experts once you choose one so they can adjust your selling price accordingly.

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Step 2: Determine Selling Price

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 team of Real Estate Agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of Real Estate Agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.

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Step 3: Start Preparations

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.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

We 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 social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. Our team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

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 prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender 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, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once we deem the 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 allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your team of Real Estate Agents.

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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. But first, you and the buyer must make a list of what needs to be done before closing. In some cases, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. We will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, we will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.

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Step 8: Close

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 meet with the company closing the transaction 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 team of real estate experts 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.

Congratulations!

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.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
I truly cannot recommend a realtor more! Lisa was just top-notch! She worked so hard to find us the right buyers for our home and got us top dollar! She was kind, responsive, and had a wonderful sense of humor that got us through some challenging moments. But the most endearing thing was that she left our kitties treats and toys when they had just about had enough of “going for a ride” during showings. M...

— Kris E.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Alana exceeded expectations throughout the entire buying process and was incredible through every step of the buying process. She was an ally, friend, and advisor and helped me navigate the difficult process of buying a home in today's market! I felt like I was constantly “ahead of the curve” at every step of the process, which was entirely due to Alana's thoroughness and dedication. I cannot imagine a b...

— Luis C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Lisa was a pleasure to work with. She listened to our requirements and needs and found the right buyers for our home. Lisa kept us informed at every step in the process. She was always quick to give us feedback from potential buyers. Lisa knew the market very well and helped us sell our home quickly with a great financial result. You need to work with Lisa when selling your home. You won't be disappointed.

— Matt C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Lisa is a true professional. She is extremely detailed, always on time and, if she doesn't have the answer right away, she will get back to you ASAP. She is the ONLY one who my partners and I would work within the Scottsdale, AZ marketplace. If you are looking to buy or sell, make sure you talk with her - you'll be glad you did! Tom, Charleston, SC.

— Tom C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
I have had the opportunity to work with Lisa on many transactions and can attest to her level of knowledge, detail, professionalism, and care. If you are looking for representation that truly has your best interests and your back all throughout the escrow process, I would highly recommend Lisa!

— Christine C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Excellent broker! We sold our home within four days of being on the market and purchased a new one in record time with the help of Lisa. Very knowledgeable and responsive. Highly recommended! You won't be disappointed.

— Buyer

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