Thinking of selling your home?
Get the answers to most commonly asked questions. How do I determine the best price? When is the best time? What are the costs? Before you begin the selling process, really evaluate why you’re moving, follow these guidelines and talk to your REALTOR® about it.
Evaluating your home
Setting the price – Fair Market Value
Preparing your home for sale – Staging
What home renovations give the greatest return when selling?
Advantages of using a professional REALTOR®
Marketing Strategy – Finding the Right Buyer!
Closing the sale
Sold – Now What?
Evaluating your home
- Initial introduction and consultation services
- Discussion on market conditions, value and opportunities
- Establishing REALTOR / client relationship
Setting the price – Fair Market Value
- Be reasonable in setting the price for your home. This will help create a positive environment for a quick and successful sale. In determining the fair market value for you home a trained real estate professional can be an invaluable asset. Your agent will:
- Provide information on how to set a fair market price for your home
- Create a comparative market analysis to determine the selling prices of homes similar to yours
- Help arrange an objective appraisal of your home
- Help you sell your home within your desired time frame
Preparing your home for sale – Staging
You have the power to get the most for your home. That power lies in your ability to make your home as attractive as possible to potential buyers. A trained agent will be able to suggest improvements that will make your property a hot ticket. Some of the areas to be considered include:
- Property upgrades
- Painting – inside and outside
- Repairs to the home
- Property, home, and room accessibility
- Highlighting space in a positive manner
- Organization of closets and rooms
- Upgrades in appliances and fixtures
What home renovations give the greatest return when selling?
The top three renovations that get you the most money* are:
- Bathrooms (75 to 100% return)
- Kitchens (75 to 100% return)
- Interior and exterior painting (50 to 100% return)
*Appraisal Institute of Canada’s 2004 Home Renovation Survey
Advantages of using a professional REALTOR
- Negotiating the sale – Making this a Win/Win Agreement!
- Most home purchase offers involve some level of negotiation. In dealing with this aspect of the real estate process it is essential that you retain an agent with experience in negotiating. A qualified agent focused on protecting your interests will save you time and money. Services provided include:
- Representing you through the offer, negotiation, and acceptance process
- Reviewing the written offer with you to make sure that you thoroughly understand what the buyer is offering and what he/she is asking in return.
- Helping you understand the issues contained in the offer and how they will effect you
- Protecting your best interest throughout negotiations.
- Points of negotiation may include:
– Price
– Financing
– Closing costs
– Necessary repairs
– Appliances and fixtures
– Landscaping
– Painting
– Closing and occupancy time frame
Marketing Strategy – Finding the Right Buyer!
It’s essential that you get information regarding your home to the right people— qualified potential buyers. There are various approaches you can implement, including “for sale” signs, newspaper listings, and flyers. These methods, without any type of plan, are hit and miss at best. An experienced agent who understands how your property fits into current market conditions can help you sell your property at the best price and in the optimum amount of time. An agent will:
- Design a marketing plan
- Contact qualified potential buyers and their agents
- Create professional marketing materials
- Provide information to the local community regarding your desire to sell
- Ask us about our effective custom marketing plans designed just for you!
Closing the sale
It is during closing that the property is transferred from one person to another. If everything has been attended to prior to this day, the closing should go smoothly. Your agent can provide you with the necessary support essential during this final phase. Services include:
- Explaining the process to you
- Explaining the closing documents to you
- Being present at closing to make sure all goes as planned
- Being present at closing to mediate any last minute issues
- POST-CLOSING: You’re not Finished Yet!
Congratulations on selling your home! You now have a specific time period during which you will move out of your former home. Your agent can help you:
- Make a checklist of utility companies who you’ll need to contact to change the name on the account or to shut off service
- Make a checklist of what you must do to the property prior to turning it over.
- Insuring all proper documentation is prepared
- Check that all parties are properly prepared for closing
- Double check on closing time and location
- Aid in contacting relocation services / buying your new home
Sold – Now What?
You’ve sold your house but you are in no way finished. You now possess a list of things that must be accomplished prior to closing. Your agent can coordinate everything that needs to be done to insure the sale. Ways in which an agent can help you include:
- Creating a time frame for repairs and improvements
- Coordinating any actions needed to finalize the sale
- Monitoring work so it is accomplished in a timely fashion
The contract will stipulate specific actions that must be accomplished prior to closing. Some of these may include:
- Home Inspection
- Property appraisal
- Home repair
- Appliance and/or fixture replacement
Our commitment to you – our goals!
- To provide the best possible service to you, whether buying or selling!
- To minimize stress and simplify the selling process!
- To expose your home to the maximum number of interested and capable buyers!
- To educate all interested parties as to the unique features and benefits your home has to offer
- To make the sale / purchase of your home easy and hassle free.
- To help in the transition to your NEW HOME!
Remember there is no risk in choosing a professional Realtor to represent you, we give our guarantee that we will perform all tasks as presented in our marketing package and if you are not satisfied with our services we will cancel the listing at no cost to you!