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The Process

Ideally, in short order once we agree that we are a good match, we will work together to:

1. strategically prepare the property to make the best first impression

2. price & market the property competitively to maximize your profit

3. execute a sales contract after brief & reasonable negotiations

4. smoothly expedite the contract-to-close details until the home is sold!

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To simultaneously sell & buy, let's brainstorm best options based on your situation & goals....

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First Steps

1. Prepare the property now to make the BEST FIRST IMPRESSION. Just start somewhere. Declutter & deep clean room by room or, for a detailed list of to-dos, download my "Seller Homework: Prelist Prep."

2. Complete my New Seller Questionnaire so I can start to research comparable values, gauge potential impacts on value or ability to sell & then plan our next steps. For me, I get all the important information organized in one place. For you, the questionnaire functions as an introduction on how to best position your property among the competition. ​​Once complete, if you would like, I can set up a MLS search for you with automatic email updates of all sales activity in the neighborhood so you can track values & your competition.

3. Pick your REALTOR. Maybe that's me, maybe not. Selling real estate is a big money endeavor with many moving parts. Trust, ease of communication & teamwork are essential to a happy ending for all parties involved--especially when unforeseeable complications arise (most common are property condition, financing & title discrepancies). Peruse the Your Hometown Consultant section of my website to learn more about me & my experience. I’m an open book if you have any questions.

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Maximize Profit

Sellers often rush to list their home for sale & ignore the most crucial phase of the home selling process. Assumptions seem to be that, once the property is live in MLS, a thankful buyer will fall hopelessly in love & willingly submit a contract for full asking price or more. Though pipe dreams sometimes do come true, most homes locally are on the market for 70ish days.

 

My best advise to sellers is always to slow down rushed anticipation & expectations of time to seriously focus on how to prepare your home to make the best first impression. 

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The simple fact is that clean, cosmetically attractive, thoughtfully staged homes maintained in good condition sell quickly & for more money. To maximum profit & minimize days on market, you must improve & maintain the condition & appearance of the property for professional photography, showings & inspections. The highly likely alternative is to wait with a stale listing & dreams on hold... wishing those buyers who could not see past the clutter, blemishes or outdated wallpaper border would please come back. 

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What's Your Home Worth?

Valuing a property is subjective work. What your home is worth to you based on the experience of your ownership vs. what your home is worth to me based on research into recent comparable values (aka "comps") & trends vs. what a buyer is willing to pay based on their perception of value vs. what an appraiser will tell a lender your home is worth will necessarily vary... sometimes greatly. Ultimately, value is a negotiable target with many personal & logistical considerations.

To determine value for list price, start with a realistic range of value based on similar recent sales in the neighborhood or area. Online valuation tools like Realtor.com & Zillow.com or branded agent websites are pretty much the same but helpful for a big picture value. Deeper research into the tangible & intangible details compared to the upgrades or needed improvements of recent sales will help us to narrow down the range to a goal while we prepare the home for sale. 

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Ultimately, a best first impression is key to value. We cannot affordably move a home to improve location or substantially renovate a home to fix functionally or fashionably obsolete detractions. We can, however, strategize how to fix what's broke, accentuate the positive & then follow through to increase our value potential. I implore you to take more time to prepare to go live in MLS than cut corners for convenience that can later cost of thousands of dollars.​