SELL with Kristie

Your Home Can Sell Higher & Quicker With Us

When it is time to sell your house, you need to make sure you are working with an agent who understands your needs and the market in your area. The last thing you want is to invest time, energy, and money into a marketing approach that falls flat, leaving your house on the market for too many months. Below you’ll find a simple checklist that can help visualize the selling process.

650-483-6620
kristie.treftz@cbnorcal.com

SELL with Kristie

SELLING?

First, find your agent. Just like when you searched for your real estate buying agent, now you should be looking for a selling agent who has experience with homes of your size and in your area. The important thing to remember here is not to focus on how much the seller will discount their commission. Instead, keep in mind that there is a lot that goes into selling a home, so your selling agent is absolutely going to earn their fee. If you’re also looking to purchase a home you’ll be moving to, it’s critical to get the timing right.

Sign the agreement. Once you have found the perfect agent, it is time to create and sign a listing agreement. Your qualified and experienced realtor will assist you as you navigate the listing process. Often, this includes establishing a base price of your home. You or your realtor does not determine this price. Instead, it is indicative of the market trends. Therefore, it is essential that you and your agent work closely together to evaluate the market trends and price your home competitively.

Open escrow. A title company prepares a title report and knowing if any errors need to be addressed before the closing date. Once that is completed, an escrow account is opened for the buyer to deposit earnest money. A representative from the title company will often be able to tell you how much you will earn from the sale of the house.

Inspections and preparations. With the paperwork in full swing, now it is time to prepare your home to sell. This means you need to order and pay for standard inspections. Depending on where you live, this can include a total home inspection of pools, roofs, and chimneys. While waiting for the inspections to be completed, you should be working with a professional cleaning company to prepare your home for the market. Once cleaning is complete, you might consider painting and landscaping to make it more enticing for potential buyers.

Curb appeal is just as important as having quality professional photographs taken of your home. Your realtor should be able to assist you with selecting an excellent photographer.

To market your home well, make sure your photographer also records and edits a virtual tour of your property. This is an often-overlooked component of the selling process, but it has significant results. Make sure your agent lists your home on all the popular real estate sites as well as marketing it on social media.

Offering broker’s tours and open houses provide you with the opportunity to showcase all of the fantastic features of your home. Using a lockbox can assist in overcoming scheduling challenges.

Once you receive an offer, you and your agent should sit down to carefully evaluate it and determine if it is worthwhile. When you accept the offer, an appraisal will be ordered by the buyer, and all contingencies removed. You will then begin the process of signing several documents. Once the escrow company receives and reviews everything, the loan and escrow funds will be released and deposited into your account. Now it is time to celebrate! You have just sold your house.