Deciding to sell your home is a big decision. You’re effectively closing one chapter of your life so you can open a new one. It’s an exciting time, but it can also come with a bit of stress, particularly if you don’t know what to expect.
To help you prepare for the sale of your house, let’s look at an overview of the home selling process. Then I’ll explain how a Realtor® can help at each step of the process, and I’ll give you some specifics on the services I offer my clients to help them sell quickly and for the best possible price.
On this page, you’ll get:
- An overview of the home selling process.
- Tips on how a Realtor® benefits you as a seller.
- A list of services I provide to my sellers.
- $500 in free services to make your sale easier.
Before we get started, you might be interested in my Home Seller’s Guide, How to Sell Your Home for Top Dollar – Fast! This digital guide is offered completely free of charge. Simply enter your contact information in the form below to claim your copy.
Overview of the Home Selling Process
The process of selling your house can be broken down into seven manageable steps.
Step 1: Making the Decision to Sell Your Home
Deciding to sell is the first step. Many sellers think about selling for months or even years before making the decision, so don’t feel bad if you’ve been on the fence for a while. It’s a big decision, and you need to make sure it’s the right decision for you.
Gathering market information might make the decision easier for you. When you have a solid understanding of how much your house is worth, you know which direction the overall market is heading, and you have an idea of how much your new housing expenses will be, you can make a more informed decision.
Step 2: Preparing Your House for the Market
Your house might already be in great shape for the market, but there are still a few things most sellers need to do before the house is truly ready to list. For example:
- Decluttering the house makes each room look bigger.
- Organizing the closets and cabinets makes your storage spaces look bigger as well.
- Removing family photos and personal memorabilia helps prospective buyers feel more at home during their tour.
- Deep cleaning helps your house show its best.
- Taking care of some minor repairs will assure buyers that the house has been kept in good condition.
One word of caution: don’t assume your house needs to be move-in ready to be market-ready. Under certain circumstances, it may make sense to list your home as-is instead of investing too much time and/or money in preparing the house for market. If you’re unsure about your house, contact me. With my insider market knowledge, I can help you decide on the best course of action for your unique circumstances.
Step 3: Listing and Promoting Your House
Listing your house for sale is a major step forward. At this point, prospective buyers are able to see your listing online and schedule a time to tour the property.
But there’s a lot of work that goes into helping buyers find your house in the sea of listings. This step is one of the most important times to have a Realtor® representing you. Realtors actively promote your listings within their networks, across social media platforms, via print advertising, and through syndication to popular buyer websites (like Zillow®, Trulia®, and Realtor.com®). We’ll discuss marketing and promotion in greater detail in the coming sections.
Step 4: Planning Your Next Move
With your house on the market, you can turn your attention to your next move. Will you be buying another home? Renting a smaller place? Moving in with family? It’s time to start thinking about the logistics of your next move.
Some sellers prefer to put this step before the “listing and promoting” step, but most sellers find it better to list their current home for sale first. This is primarily because of finances. If you were to buy your next home before selling your current home, you’d be stuck with the expenses of both properties. This is especially problematic if you have a mortgage and will need to finance the new house as well. Uncertainty is another good reason to list before you buy. Most downsizers are sure they’ll be able to find a new home they love; they’re less sure about finding buyers for their existing home.
If you’re not sure whether you should list before you find your new home or vice versa, contact me. I can help you review the current market conditions along with your personal situation to see if there is a clear solution for you.
Step 5: Reviewing Offers and Accepting the Right One
As the offers come in, it can be difficult to know whether to accept them, decline them, or counteroffer with terms of your own.
The offer is about so much more than just the price. The potential buyer may have a list of contingencies to consider, including funding and closing dates. They may even ask for your help covering some of their closing costs. There’s a lot to consider, so make sure you have a licensed real estate professional review the offers with you to provide expert guidance.
Step 6: Working Through Escrow
The escrow process typically takes somewhere between 30-60 days, during which time the deal is being reviewed from every angle by escrow officers, title reps, appraisers, inspectors, and lenders. Some of the main tasks include:
- Confirming that you have clear title to the property and are legally allowed to sell it
- Having the property inspected and appraised
- Giving the buyer time to secure a home loan
Much of this process is handled by real estate professionals, and it’s mostly a waiting game for sellers. But you may be required to make certain repairs (or concessions so the buyers have the funds to make repairs), depending on the result of the home inspection. These repairs are almost always negotiable, so again, it’s important to have a licensed real estate professional to represent you in these negotiations.
Step 7: Closing Day!
On closing day, everything becomes official. You are no longer responsible for the house, and you’re free to move on to the next chapter of your life.
Why You Need a Realtor® in Your Corner During the Home Selling Process
If you want to sell your home quickly and for a good price, having an experienced Realtor in your corner is critical. While you may only sell a few homes in your entire life, your Realtor may sell a few homes every single month. With this continuous exposure to the ever-changing local real estate market, your Realtor will be able to guide you throughout the process with insight that can only be gained through this hands-on experience.
There’s a good reason why only 7% of homes sell For Sale By Owner (FSBO): selling a home requires a lot more specialized information than the average person realizes!
Your Realtor will be able to help you with every step in the selling process:
- Get expert advice on the current value of your property while you’re deciding whether to sell your home.
- Have your Realtor walk through your house to offer a professional opinion on how well the house currently shows, as well as get tips on how to quickly and inexpensively increase the appeal of the property.
- Get your house listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), syndicated to websites like Zillow®, Trulia®, and Realtor.com® to reach potential buyers and their agents. A good Realtor will create a custom marketing plan for maximum impact. We’ll discuss some specific methods of marketing I use for my sellers in the next section.
- Get logistical guidance on your next move, whether that means buying a new home, finding a rental, or just packing and moving.
- Have your Realtor analyze incoming offers. Your Realtor will review the price and all the terms to help you decide whether an offer is advantageous for you. He or she can also help you negotiate the original offer and draft a counteroffer if needed to get you the best possible terms.
- Your Realtor will be busy during escrow, making sure the transaction is on track to close as expected. He or she may also need to negotiate on your behalf if the buyer wants to change the original terms following the home inspection.
- And your Realtor will be right there to help you celebrate the next chapter of your life on closing day.
All this assistance means more money in your pocket, even after paying agent commissions. Did you know that the average American FSBO home sells for $200,000 while the average Realtor-listed home sells for $265,000? Granted, these figures may be skewed because owners of low-value homes may be more likely to go the FSBO route, but it’s still a striking difference in the sales price.
Services I Provide to My Sellers
My clients enjoy exemplary service through every step of the home selling process. With me as your agent, you’ll receive:
- A complimentary Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to help you determine the best asking price for your house.
- A complimentary walk-through of the entire property to make sure your house will show its best. You’ll get personalized recommendations for:
- Highlighting desirable features
- Minimizing the impact of any negatives
- Ways to “de-personalize” the house so future buyers can imagine themselves in the space
- Ways to maximize the sales price
- A Custom Marketing Plan, complete with:
- Professional photography
- A single-property website
- “Just listed” eFlyers
- A slideshow property tour
- Print advertising
- TV and online promotion
- Mobile brochures
- Neighborhood announcements
- Targeted online advertising
- Area Realtor® notifications
- Online syndication
- Social media promotion
- Email marketing campaigns
- Signage
- An open house (to area brokers and/or the general public, depending on what’s best for your unique situation)
- Expert advice on planning your next move. This could be assistance finding a new home, finding an apartment to rent, or just coordinating the moving parts.
- Analysis of all incoming offers. Every offer will be presented to you with my professional recommendation. I will negotiate aggressively on your behalf to get you the best possible terms.
- Coordination of your transaction through the escrow period, following up with escrow officers, title reps, the buyer’s agent, inspectors, appraisers, and other professionals as needed to make sure your escrow period goes as smoothly as possible.
But that’s not all. I know sellers incur a few upfront expenses to make their house ready for the market, which can create a cash-flow issue while you wait for the proceeds of your sale on closing day. To help with this expense, I offer my sellers up to $500 worth of assistance! We can decide together how to best utilize this free money to maximize your returns. Common uses of this $500 include:
- Staging
- Carpet cleaning
- Window washing
- General home cleaning
- A handyman to make minor repairs as needed
- A landscaper to improve curb appeal
- Painting touch-ups
- A pre-listing home inspection
If you have any questions about how to sell your home, contact me! I’m always happy to answer your questions. I can also provide a free, no-obligation CMA and walk-through of your home to help you get the process started. I can’t wait to hear from you!
And don’t forget to claim your free copy of How to Sell Your Home for Top Dollar – Fast![/vc_column_text]
