So you have decided to sell your property. Before anything else, it is a good idea to sit down and clarify your motivations and draw up a basic time frame for the selling process.
We determine how your home should be positioned based on recent sales, active competition, buyer behavior and the property’s specific strengths, so pricing and presentation work together from day one.
We help you decide what is actually worth improving before listing and what is not worth spending money on. The goal is the strongest possible return on every dollar and hour you invest before the home reaches the market.
You should not have to manage dozens of vendors on your own. We coordinate the people who prepare your home for market, including contractors, painters, landscapers, stagers, designers, cleaners, inspectors, photographers, handymen, movers and estate-related services, and keep the work on schedule.
Every listing is presented with architectural photography, video, drone imagery, floor plans, a dedicated property website and thoughtful copywriting, with staging and twilight photography where appropriate. Buyers form their first impression online, so presentation is where your home earns its showings.
Every property does not need exactly the same marketing plan. Every property needs the right marketing plan. We tailor the strategy to the home, the most likely buyer and current market conditions, combining digital, print and broker outreach with the reach of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network.
Here is how that plan comes together.
Your home is introduced to buyers where they are searching, through social media, email marketing, listing syndication and, when appropriate, targeted paid advertising and campaigns aimed at the most likely buyers.
Luxury brochures, direct mail, neighborhood campaigns and print placement when appropriate put your home in front of local owners, neighbors and buyers who still respond to a beautifully printed piece.
Many buyers arrive through other agents. We put your home in front of them through local agent relationships, broker outreach, private networking and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network.
A deliberate launch builds momentum: a coming-soon strategy where appropriate, broker preview, open houses, a clear showing plan, well-timed offer deadlines and close monitoring of buyer activity so we can adjust quickly.
Without a professional agent, most independent property sellers tend to overestimate the value of their property. You can avoid this pitfall by consulting with an experienced real estate listing agent.
“The higher the price, the better the offer.” Do not let yourself be fooled by this popular misconception. Price is not always the determining factor when accepting an offer for several important reasons: the initial offer is usually not final, and there are a number of terms and conditions that may influence the final outcome of a price. You can trust our professionals to help you thoroughly evaluate every proposal without compromising your marketing position.
We take the ethical responsibility of fairly negotiating contractual terms very seriously. It is our job to find a win-win agreement that is beneficial to all parties involved. You may even have to deal with multiple offers before ratifying the one you judge to be the most suitable for you – and as your agents, we will guarantee a thorough and objective assessment of each offer to help you make the right choice.
An effective agreement is a legal arrangement between a potential purchaser and the property’s seller. Laws vary from state to state, but in order to be a legally, binding agreement, the agreement may require consideration. This consideration (initial and additional deposit) is to be held in the closing agent’s escrow account pending the fulfillment of conditions or contingencies in the effective agreement. Some important tips to keep in mind to streamline the process even further:
For the sake of clarity, it will be extremely useful to transcribe all verbal agreements including counter-offers and addendums, and convert them to written agreements to be signed by both parties. We will assist you in drafting all the paperwork for your sale and make sure that you have copies of everything.
Now that you have chosen your offer, you and the buyer will be given a timeline to mark every stage in the process of closing the real estate contract. Meeting the requirements on time ensures a smoother flow of negotiations and also ensures that each party involved is not in breach of their agreements. During the process we will keep you constantly updated so you will always be prepared for the next step.
Most buyers will have the property inspected by a licensed property inspector within the time frame that was agreed upon in the effective contract to purchase. Some buyers will have several different inspectors inspect the property, if they wish to obtain professional opinions from inspectors who specialize in a specific area (eg. roof, HVAC, structure). If the agreement is conditional upon financing, then the property will be appraised by a licensed appraiser to determine the value for the lending institution via third party. This is done so that the lending institution can confirm their investment in your property is accurate. A buyer of a commercial property may also have a complete environmental audit performed and/or soil test, if required by the lending institution.
Either a title company or an attorney will be selected as the closing agent, whose job is to examine and insure clear title to real estate. After researching the complete recorded history of your property, they will certify that:
1) your title is free and clear of encumbrances (eg. mortgages, leases, or restrictions, liens) by the date of closing; and
2) all new encumbrances are duly included in the title.
A contingency is a condition that must be met before a contract becomes legally binding. For instance, a buyer will usually include a contingency stating that their contract is binding only when there is a satisfactory home inspection report from a qualified inspector.
Before completing his or her purchase of your property, the buyer goes over every aspect of the property, as provided for by purchase agreements and any applicable addendums. These include:
Reviewing all pertinent documents, such as preliminary title reports and disclosure documents; and Inspecting the property. The buyer has the right to determine the condition of your property by subjecting it to a wide range of inspections, such as roof, termite/pest, chimney/fireplace, property boundary survey, well, septic, pool/spa, arborist, mold, lead based paint, HVAC, etc.
Depending on the outcome of these inspections, one of two things may happen:
How do you respond objectively and fairly to the buyer when a renegotiation is demanded, while acting in your best interests? This is when a professional listing agent can make a real difference in the outcome of the transaction. Having dealt with various property sales in the past, we guarantee our expertise and total commitment to every customer, no matter what their situation is.
We suggest that you accept buyers who have a lender’s pre-approval, approval letter, or written loan commitment, which is a better guarantee of loan approval than a pre-qualification or no documentation from a lending institute. Expect an appraiser from the lender’s company to review your property and verify that the sales price is appropriate.
If you have come this far, this means that it is almost time for a congratulations, but not yet. Do not forget to tie up these loose ends:
