STEP 1: FINDING THE RIGHT AGENT

 

There are certain characteristics you should be looking for in your prospective agent. He or she should be honest –which means they should not be afraid to tell you hard truths.

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The right agent should fully understand the home selling process –you can not afford to have someone who might lose track of something important. To be a successful realtor, one must be very detail-oriented, and be on top of every date and task –timelines are vital. If the agent is not sharp as a tack in their methodology, then the whole process will be very disorganized and stressful. The right agent has a heightened awareness, and is ready for any contingency that may arise.   

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A good agent should have a comprehensive understanding of the market. They should know what has sold and for what, what is on the market and for what, and what is currently under agreement, and for what. In this way, their knowledge will help guide you to a more responsible  and effective home sale. They will be able to tell you if  your are over-valuing the property, and pricing yourself right out of the market.

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STEP 2: PREPARING HOME FOR SALE

 

This is the point where you and your agent develop a pricing strategy. This is why having the right agent matters so much. An informed realtor will be able to do a market analysis on your home and determine its worth. This is so important to do correctly the first time, because the first few days on the market are the most crucial. The price must be competitive.

 

More than just pricing, the aesthetics of the home play a huge role as well. The way a home is staged and arranged can oftentimes make or break the potential for success. And if there are any obvious flaws, such as a hole in a wall or a stain on the rug, these should be taken care of prior to listing. 

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STEP 3: MARKETING

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This part of the process is going to consist of many different points of attack. First, your agent should arrange for professional photos to be taken of your home. If there is video and drone footage done as well then all the better. Great photos and video are crucial to selling your home successfully –this point cannot be stressed enough. The media should then be uploaded to MLS, as well as other listing sites. In fact, your home should be listed on hundreds of sites. It should also be listed on all the major social media platforms –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. If your agent is not on these platforms then they are in the wrong business. Next your agent should make up postcards and door hangers to send around the neighborhood, and be willing to knock on doors to spread the word as well. These are just a few of the many things your agent should be doing to market your home.

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STEP 4: SHOWINGS & OPEN HOUSES

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By this point in the process, your home should be de-cluttered and de-personalized. As the seller, you must know that the more available and clean you make your home for showings and open houses the quicker the process will go. This may also include agreeing to a lockbox on your property, where a spare set of keys can be left for the buyer’s agent to show the home when you and your agent are not around. 

 

Also, you should know just how important the open houses are when the home first hits the market. Again, this is where having the right agent matters so much. They will know how to show the home and deal with potential buyers in a way that makes them both, see value and feel valuable. 

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STEP 5: THE OFFER(S)

 

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The right pricing strategy, combined with successful showings and open houses should cause the offers to come rolling in. Whether these offers are more or less than the list price is determined by many different factors. But as long as the market stays strong, and the mortgage rates and inventory remain low, then the housing prices should continue to stay elevated.

 

This step is again why having the right agent matters so much. All one needs to do to do is look back to steps 1 and 2 to see why. The points made there are germane here. It is the agent’s skills with pricing and negotiation that are his or her proverbial bread and butter.

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STEP 6: INSPECTION(S)

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It depends on how the offer was written, but most likely you as the seller should expect to have to allow for your home to be inspected within a week or two of accepting the offer. This may just be a home inspection, or it could be a few different tests and inspections –radon, pests, foundation, mold, lead, etc. A good agent should have confidence at this point in the process that the home will pass all inspections. Anything major should have been dealt with long before this point in the process. 

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STEP 7: PURCHASE & SALE AGREEMENT 

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Assuming that all the inspections went well, it is time to sign the contract. It is at this point where you as the seller will receive the rest of the down-payment on your home. And it is here when the status on your home changes from “Active” to “Underagreement.”

 

However, before you sign anything or accept any more money, you should hire a real estate attorney to look over the language in the contract. so that you are protected.Iwould personally recommend the law firm of Hornung& Scimone. They are the best of the best, and always go above and beyond for their clients. More information about them can be found on the HOME SERVICE PROVIDERS page.

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STEP 8: FINANCING & APPRAISAL

At this point in the process, you are kind of at the mercy of outside factors. But as long as the previous steps were done correctly,  then you really should not have much to worry about.  You are at this point waiting for the financial institution to approve the buyer’s loan. Part of this approval process is appraising your home to make sure that what the buyer offered to pay makes fiscal sense. If the offer and the appraisal are way off, then there may be a good chance that the deal will fall through. 

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STEP 9: TITLE SEARCH

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Around this point in the process, a title search is done to insure there are no clouds on the title that could prevent its transfer to a new owner.

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STEP 10: FINALIZING THE PAPERWORK

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This is when agents on both sides of the transaction gather all the paperwork together for the closing attorney.

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STEP 11: MOVE & FINAL WALK-THRU

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This is the point where you must pack up all your belongings and move out of your home. This is everyone’s least favorite part of the home selling process. Moving is the worst, but settling into your new home will (ideally) be the best. So it is usually worth the trouble. 

 

It is up to the seller to have everything out of the home and to leave the home is broom-clean condition for the buyer’s final walk thru. Barring some bizarre extenuating circumstance, the final walk-thru should be merely a formality.

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STEP 12: CLOSING DAY

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The day that everyone has been waiting for. This is when everything is finalized by the closing attorney and the deed is transferred to the buyer. 

 

The Keys are handed over and the new owner moves in!

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CONGRATULATIONS! YOU SOLD YOUR HOME

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