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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 agent 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.
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 real estate agent once you choose one so he or she can adjust your selling price accordingly.
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 real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.
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.
STEP 4
DEVELOP A MARKETING STRATEGY
I 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. My 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.
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.
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 agent.
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. I 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.
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 real estate agent 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.
Testimonials
Working with Leslie Baker was a blessing!
Working with Leslie Baker was a blessing! She professionally negotiated a fair sale, kept in constant contact, and reassured me along the way that everything was on track. Even after the closing she... Read full review
We would highly recommend her!
Leslie was extremely helpful. Not only did she provide great direction on price point & timing to list our house, but she also has a pocket full of resources & knows people who were able to do some... Read full review
An experience of comfort, trust, professionalism...
An experience of comfort, trust, professionalism, fun, and a willingness to be adventurous are all key characteristics of working with Leslie. She was patient and kind as we explored multiple properties to find... Read full review
Leslie is an amazing Realtor to work with.
Leslie is an amazing Realtor to work with. She worked with us diligently to get the perfect home for us and to sell the one we used own. She answers emails and phone calls promptly and has amazing connections...
She is extremely knowledgeable.
Leslie is an outstanding Realtor! She works incredibly hard to build and maintain relationships thru the entire process and beyond. She is extremely knowledgeable in the process and willing to go the extra mile... Read full review
We could have not been more thrilled!
Leslie did an outstanding job! After working with us for almost 3 years in a row, she is one of the most patient people I've ever worked with. After being in our house for 45 years Leslie would often tell us... Read full review
I have never worked with a Realtor who was so patient.
Leslie went over and above with my purchase of a new condo. The seller presented quite a challenge and made the purchase very difficult. I have never worked with a Realtor who was so patient, persistent and... Read full review
Leslie was just wonderful to work with!
Leslie was just wonderful to work with! When questions or concerns were asked, she was very efficient at getting the answers and solving any issues. Leslie was always easy to reach by phone, text or... Read full review
She helped make our transition a pleasant one.
Leslie Baker was a wonderful realtor to work with. We were moving from across the state and did not know much about the area. Leslie helped us out in so many ways! Whether it was regarding schools or information... Read full review
We would highly recommend her!
Leslie was extremely helpful. Not only did she provide great direction on price point & timing to list our house, but she also has a pocket full of resources & knows people who were able to do some... Read full review
Working with Leslie Baker was a blessing!
Working with Leslie Baker was a blessing! She professionally negotiated a fair sale, kept in constant contact, and reassured me along the way that everything was on track. Even after the closing she has followed up on mail, utilities and any outstanding items. Leslie was great to work with!
We would highly recommend her!
Leslie was extremely helpful. Not only did she provide great direction on price point & timing to list our house, but she also has a pocket full of resources & knows people who were able to do some simple updates & fixes & paint touchups that helped our home to sell quickly. We would highly recommend her!
An experience of comfort, trust, professionalism...
An experience of comfort, trust, professionalism, fun, and a willingness to be adventurous are all key characteristics of working with Leslie. She was patient and kind as we explored multiple properties to find our dream home. While our process had a few twists and turns, her perseverance and can-do spirit kept ours lifted. Happy to call her not only our agent, but our friend.
Leslie is an amazing Realtor to work with.
Leslie is an amazing Realtor to work with. She worked with us diligently to get the perfect home for us and to sell the one we used own. She answers emails and phone calls promptly and has amazing connections for all your needs.
She is extremely knowledgeable.
Leslie is an outstanding Realtor! She works incredibly hard to build and maintain relationships thru the entire process and beyond. She is extremely knowledgeable in the process and willing to go the extra mile to make the deal happen! I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell!
We could have not been more thrilled!
Leslie did an outstanding job! After working with us for almost 3 years in a row, she is one of the most patient people I've ever worked with. After being in our house for 45 years Leslie would often tell us "It’s a process" and took it to heart, and would remind us of that, especially as the years went by and we couldn't find that Perfect House. She went above and beyond with us on many different housing ideas during that time, from looking at a 10-acre lot to build on, (walking the property in the snow) and so many in between, to finally settling on a perfect condo, and purchasing the model, Leslie's idea. It all made sense! We cannot thank her enough for helping us open our eyes to this on every level. When it came time to sell our home, she knew we were not satisfied with our local realtor. But with our home 2.5 hours away from her home office, I didn't have the heart to ask her if she could sell our home.... until she offered! Of course we said yes! And we're glad we DID! She ended up selling our home for a more than the original realtor wanted to sell it for. Needless to say, we could have not been more thrilled! So, with this being said I would highly recommend Leslie as your realtor. You will not be disappointed!
I have never worked with a Realtor who was so patient.
Leslie went over and above with my purchase of a new condo. The seller presented quite a challenge and made the purchase very difficult. I have never worked with a Realtor who was so patient, persistent and kind. She is an excellent negotiator and trustworthy Realtor. She has integrity, which really counts when it comes to a major purchase.
Leslie was just wonderful to work with!
Leslie was just wonderful to work with! When questions or concerns were asked, she was very efficient at getting the answers and solving any issues. Leslie was always easy to reach by phone, text or email which we appreciated so much since we were 1500 miles away! Her kindness, understanding and knowledge beamed brightly as we went through this process. We highly recommend Leslie - we could not have asked for a better agent.
She helped make our transition a pleasant one.
Leslie Baker was a wonderful realtor to work with. We were moving from across the state and did not know much about the area. Leslie helped us out in so many ways! Whether it was regarding schools or information about the area. She helped make our transition a pleasant one.
We would highly recommend her!
Leslie was extremely helpful. Not only did she provide great direction on price point & timing to list our house, but she also has a pocket full of resources & knows people who were able to do some simple updates & fixes & paint touchup's that helped our home to sell quickly. We would highly recommend her!