Sellers

1. Presentation
   As soon as an offer is received, you will be contacted by your agent. It's best to move ahead rapidly when considering a contract.
2. Three Courses of Action when dealing with an offer
   The seller oversees the response to the offer, which will then be relayed by the Realtor.
   There are 3 options to consider:
   
   • Acceptance
   • Rejection
   • Counteroffer- Propose changes to the offer that fit your criteria for selling. Examples can be sales price, closing costs, possession date, personal property left, or home warranty. Be aware that when you counteroffer, the buyer's original offer is considered void.
3. Contract Delivery
   Once the contract is accepted and approved by Seller and Buyer, it will be delivered to their respective real estate agents.
4. Finalizing Conditions
   
   • Buyer Financing- If the contract states an allotted time for the buyer to procure financing, it is the buyer's responsibility to secure the loan commitment within the time period.
   • More legal work is necessary after loan approval, however, seller involvement will be minimal. A title company will do a title search on the property. At this time, title insurance may also be ordered, and an updated survey may be done.
   • Prior to closing, the buyer may order and attend a home inspection at their expense. This is when they will make any requests regarding repairs.
   • After all paperwork is finished, a closing date/location will be agreed upon. Your Realtor should work to insure a smooth and timely closing to the best of their ability.
   • Keys will change hands at the time of closing or whenever possession has been agreed upon.
   • All documents finalizing the sale will be signed by all parties and all funds will be disbursed.

If you are currently occupying your home, keep this in mind: No one's home can always be perfect. However we have a few suggestions to impress buyers.

1. Make sure beds are made 1st thing every morning
2. Towels and dirty clothes are put away and off the floor
3. Dirty dishes are cleaned or in the dishwasher
4. Keep air fresheners in kitchens and bathrooms
5. Turn on all lights and open curtains and blinds
6. Turn on soft music if desired
7. It is recommended that you leave your home for any scheduled tours. Your presence can limit the free communication between the buyer and their agent. Let the Realtor do the work!

Purge and/or organize all rooms, closets and garage!!!

Later, you will be grateful that this is done for your home to show great, at a higher price, and less items to move before closing.

1. Identify any repairs/maintenance inside & out (ex. Dripping faucets, sticking or creaking doors, loose shingles, clean gutters, pressure wash the house.)
2. Wipe down all walls, windows, blinds, drapes & lighting fixtures.
3. Floors
   • Have all carpets professionally cleaned
   • Wax floors
4. Kitchens
   • Minimize all items on counter tops to show maximum available counter space.
   • Clean all appliances
5. Bathrooms
   • Clear counter tops
   • Clean all mineral deposits from tubs & sinks
   • If necessary, re-caulk tub & counter tops
6. Furniture
   • The less furniture, the larger the room appears
7. Closets
   • Remove out-of-season clothing
   • Organize shoes
8. Storage Areas
   • Organize and purge!
9. Re-Paint any rooms that appear too dark or current paint is looking shabby. Use neutral colors.
10. Weed flower beds, trim trees & shrubs, freshen up mulch
11. Front entry - Spruce it up! It's the 1st thing the buyer sees as they are waiting for the door to open!

Correctly pricing your house will provide maximum exposure and buyer interest.

It may seem smart to overprice in the beginning, hoping to make more. Statistics show, however, that overpricing, even by 10% above market value, often leads to receiving less.

Overpricing often leads to:

• Making comparable properties more desirable
• Fewer showings, fewer offers, less interest, and less MLS participation
• Wasted time when appraisals don't meet price, loss of buyer financing
• More time on the market, resulting in a "stale" listing

Your house has many values; it is valued differently depending on who is considering it. The tax assessor, yours or buyer's lender, insurance companies and mainly you the owner. To buyers, your home should be at market value, depending on where they are in specific needs, desires and what they are approved for.

To achieve the best possible sales price is determined by multiple factors. One being with most recently comparable sales and active properties. The other is by aggressively marketing your home. In the end, the market dictates values based on current statistics of sales and the demand of buyers in your home's area.

To set the best price on your home to market it for a quick and successful closing will be based on the comparable market analysis which focuses on your property compared to those on the market and recently sold around you.

Buyers are more educated these days and have more access to things publicly that in the past, they can ask their Realtor to do comparables on your listings prior to making an offer and consider what has recently closed and what is still available in comparison to your home.

The ultimate goal as a listing agent and seller is to obtain the best price for your home. Remember it is highly unlikey that a buyer will pay more for your home than they would for the neighbor's home with the same square footage, details, lot size, etc. Our goal is to sell your home, not your neighbor's, so let's work together to price accordingly to get yours sold and successfully closed.