The first and foremost important part to start this process is scheduling a consultation. Consultations will always be recommended as this establishes the first rapport between my clients and myself in relation to their selling their home! Even if you have sold a home before, every experience is unique and differs from the last time, especially if you have not utilized the same agent. An in-person consultation allows for multiple items to be accomplished and any questions to be answered. However, with work schedules, family, and events to take care of, there are alternatives to complete this task:
1) – Complete the consultation by a phone call (15-30 min.)
2) – Virtually complete the consultation via video streaming (15-30 min.)
Seeing your agent is important to start developing a strong working relationship. Fill out the ♦YOUR HOME VALUE♦ link to get your consultation on the calendar today!
After completing your consultation, a property tour is recommended to go over the property in-depth before it gets listed on the market. Prepare to walk through the property and discuss details since your time as the homeowner. Many homeowners don’t understand items that will and will not affect the market attraction of your property. Capturing details about the property will help determine the proper market analysis and game plan before listing it for sale. Some examples of details are below:
1) – Upgrades and updates completed either before or during your ownership.
2) – Total room count, room sizes, location, sqft, and any improvement additions.
3) – Property placement/facing such as N,S,E,W and overall lot size/location.
4) – HOA fees (if applicable) and what the HOA includes.
With the DFW area being one of the top locations in the U.S. for growth, the demand for homes continues to rise year over year. Understanding the break down of what your property value means only educates you more and that is the #1 goal. A presentation from Agent A showing your home value at $500,000 vs. Agent B showing your home value at $500,000 DOES NOT mean you walk away with the same money when the house closes. This money, called proceeds, can be influenced by many factors the agent plans and prepares the sellers for during their transaction. I will provide every break down of fees included in your market analysis, so you completely understand before going live.
The example of Agent A vs. Agent B carries the same concept with a relatively new addition to the market called, iBuyer’s. The importance of understanding the marketing tactics from these companies should be crucial to a seller(s) decision in listing their home.
A homeowner’s biggest concern should never be how much money is required to fix their home before going live. An experienced agent like myself, who sells millions in transactions each year, understands what is and is not important to getting the property ready. DO NOT start repairs or any additional work on the property without having your consultation completed first. Many clients have been pleased to find out items of their concern never presented any issues during their sale. Therefore, that resulted in additional money saved on the client(s) behalf.
Once the supporting documentation has been presented for your property (Step 3), this will be based on the assumption that the repairs and preparation discussed have been completed.
Photos, photos, photos are the MOST important feature in capturing the property’s attraction to the market. This service is paid for when listing your home with First Due Realty Group.
What should and shouldn’t be shown during the photos? This is called staging the home. Staging shows all the potential outlooks that buyer(s) can utilize with the property. Staging will be completed prior to the photography team photoshoot. The photographer will encompass natural lighting, views, and features to portray the property in a unique fashion to stand out compared to other properties on the market. A home sale is a competition between several additional sellers in the area vs you. Being the most competitive in the market with an agent who understands the market results in a greater outcome. Professional photography is ONE of those competitive factors that must be perfected!
A very detailed schedule has been completed on your end from Steps 1-5. It is now time to go LIVE on the market. Appropriate documents will have been completed by this time (some that are utilized for MLS) and uploaded for agent(s) to obtain during the showing of your property. I will personally discuss every possibility of showing your home and making the property the most attractive to accommodate potential buyers scheduling a tour. A showing service will also be another service paid for when listing your home with First Due Realty Group. This service allows for the following:
1) – The ease of the seller(s) to accept/decline showings straight from your phone (via text message).
2) – Have an unexpected issue? Putting a restriction on showings which stops any agent from attempting to schedule a tour until that restriction is removed/expired.
Open houses will be recommended in strategic time frame(s) to also draw as much attention to the property. This will be discussed in detail prior to going live on the market.
Once the property has been live on the market, you will receive updates, feedback, and inquiries directly from me as they are received. When contract(s) are received, they will be presented in a timely manner to go over each item the buyer(s) have offered. An initial contract does not indicate those are the final terms to the deal. Offers are often either countered and/or rejected before reaching an accepted offer.
Remember the buyer(s) agent is doing the absolute best for their clients just as much as your agent is doing the same for you. Having a very experienced agent who understands the breakdown and terms of the offer is crucial in this process. Market conditions and property attraction will dictate how soon contracts are received.
There’s a strong potential of receiving multiple offers on a given property due to demand. In this case, the concept of countering an offer gets reduced. This is due to the fact all agent(s) are informed there are multiple offers which generally brings the buyer(s) best and final terms to the table to prevent the need to counter or reject.
We are generally still in the process of several items being completed behind the curtains. In general, a contract that requires financing will average from 25-30 days to close. A contract that is cash can average 10-15 days to close. Whether the deal is cash (10-15 days) or lending (30 days), if additional time is needed to pack-up, there are absolutely ways to accommodate this.
During this step, items that must stay per the contract will be reiterated. Furthermore, repairs/negotiations from the contract before it was accepted will be completed during this step. A copy of all receipts is your proof these items were completed per the agreement. Ultimately, this is the most time-consuming part for YOU as there are several moving parts along with having the house ready to close (such as scheduling movers, etc).
It’s finally here – CLOSING DAY! The title company will work with me to coordinate a time on this specific day to close. The closing date is specified in the contract (Step 7) and will rarely be moved unless there are any delays/extensions during the process. On Vacation? Working out of town/state? NO WORRIES – a mobile notary will be ordered so you can sign anywhere in the US. Prior to closing, a copy of driver’s license(s) or passport(s) will be required to complete the signing process.
Expect 30-45 minutes to sign all documents.
YOU DID IT!! A summary of the proceeds signed during the closing (Step 9). The proceeds can take up to 1-2 hours to process as the title company is waiting for the complete funding authorization from the buyer(s) lender. Once this authorization is given, title will then disburse all funds appropriate to the transaction. If the deal was presented in cash, plan for funding to take place immediately. This means it is now time for you to receive your proceeds for all your hard work!
Generally, the title company can deliver the proceeds by:
1) – A completed wire transfer directly to your bank account (most common)
2) – A certified cashiers check made out to you
The keys will then be transferred from the previous owner(you) to the new homeowners as it has officially been sold!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
I'll be happy to answer all of your concerns! Feel free to reach out to me and I'll do everything in my power to help you with your selling process.
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