For Home Sellers

At long last we seem to have finally turned the corner in our local real estate market and 2013 has been a marked improvement over recent years.  In fact, the combination of circumstances which has largely driven the 2013 market (low inventory and continuing low interest rates) seem like they should persist into the foreseeable future.  The market has been strong and sellers who take the time to properly prepare their homes are often being rewarded with quick sales and good prices.

See the outline below for some highlights of our model of service for our seller clients. 

  1. Initial Home Visit/Evaluation:  Do we replace the dated carpet and wallpaper or leave it for buyers to address?  Do we update our kitchen and/or baths or discount our price to reflect the need for updating?  These are all great questions and central to properly positioning your home for a successful sale. We’ll conduct a free, no-obligation walk-thru and provide recommendations on how best to prepare your home for the market and even provide recommendations for local contractors if there is work to be done.  Most importantly, we’ll let you know an ‘as-is’ and ‘finished’ price range recommendation so you can weigh the costs of preparation against the anticipated return.

  2. Pricing Recommendations:  One of our greatest assets is our knowledge of the markets we serve and, as such, in most cases we’ll be able to provide a recommended list price range at our first visit.  Our recommendations will be based on a written market analysis evaluating your home relative to recent sales nearby, current competition and square footage (among other things).  Of course the final decision on pricing is yours to make and should be based on market conditions at the time you’re ready to list your home for sale.

  3. Professional Photography and Printing:  The home-buying process is a highly visual process and nearly all buyers will get their first look at your home on the internet.  While it’s important to have a lot of pictures it’s even more important to have GREAT pictures!  The virtual tours and slideshows must be compelling enough to make buyers anxious to schedule a first-hand look.  We hire (at our expense) professional photographers experienced in the art of home photography and print professional four-page full color brochures to properly expose your home to prospective buyers.

  4. Managing Showings:  One of the more challenging aspects of having your home on the market is trying to be prepared for showings at a moment’s notice.  We’ll provide a written cheat-sheet or list of reminders on what to do to prepare for a showing (i.e. all lights on, blinds & shades open, counters cleared, etc.) so you’re never at a loss.  We also arrange all showings through a third-party service who will call you with notice of any scheduled showings and provide you with a weekly update on any feedback received from agents who have shown your home.

  5. Reviewing/Analyzing Offers:   Given that the typical sales contract these days runs to approximately 50 pages, it’s important to be able to boil it all down to the most pertinent information so our clients can make informed decisions.  We’ll prepare a written ‘estimated seller net sheet’ which takes the terms of the offer(s) and backs out the typical costs of sale to arrive at an estimated bottom. Armed with these numbers we can then assess the other aspects of the offer (i.e. contingencies, requested credits, etc.) to determine how to respond.  In the event of multiple offers we’ll provide a written side-by-side analysis of each to easily determine which offer is most favorable.

  6. Navigating the Contingency Process:  Once you’ve accepted a contract we’ll provide you with a written list of all short-term contingencies and the timelines for their removal so we can make sure they are completed in a timely way.  Typical contingencies will include (among others) home, radon and termite inspections and financing and appraisal contingencies.  We’ll meet the appraiser and provide a list of current comparables which we feel support our pricing in order to minimize the chance for any surprises.

  7. Settlement:  Settlement marks the successful conclusion to your home sale and involves signing all the required documents, including the deed and a document called the HUD-1 Settlement Statement which is an accounting of the transaction.  We’ll work with the title company to make sure you have a chance to review the closing statement BEFORE the settlement so you’re not seeing it for the first time at the settlement table.  A successful settlement/closing ends with you trading the keys to your home for a check (or wire).

  8. Clients For Life!:  Our relationship changes somewhat, but doesn’t end, with your settlement.  In fact, in many ways it’s just a start.  Our business model is based on long-term relationships rather than transactions and this approach means we’re available as a resource to you on an ongoing and as-needed basis.  We feel confident that you’ll be so satisfied with the service we provide that you’ll refer us to your family, friends and colleagues and call upon us again the next time you have a need for real estate advice.