SELLER’S GUIDE

Home Sale Blueprint

 

Sell Right = Price Right + Show Right + Hire Right

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Price Right

list price is the number one factor in selling your home. Getting your home on the market at or just below current market value will help you attract more potential buyers than listing above the perceived market value. Sellers often feel that they should list above market value to allow themselves room for negotiation. However, if the home is priced too high, days on market and buyer's perceived market values may prevent a seller from selling at the for the most money and in the shortest amount of time.

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Identifying Comps

In order to price your home correctly, you'll want to be sure you are comparing it to homes that are nearby and have similar characteristics such as:

• Style of Home

  • Single Family​

  • Condo/duplex/townhouse

• Number of Beds/Baths​​

• Unique Features

• Location​

  • Busy/Main road​

  • end unit/interior unit

  • established neighborhood/one off/custom build

  • cul-de-sac

• Age of home​

• Build style

  • Split Level​

  • Colonial

  • Cap Cod

  • Bungalow

• Basement​

• Garage

• Terms of previous sales

  • Seller Concessions​

  • Type of Financing (FHA/Conv/VA/USDA/Cash)

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There are many real estate websites you may find that offer free home valuations, but be careful. These websites do not compare "apples to apples" and may only grab proximity sales without taking any of the above into account. This will often severely inflate or deflate the perceived market value of the home. A professional Realtor® will be able to give you a much more accurate idea of what the current market value of your home is.

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Click here for a free home valuation done by The Oliver Group.

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After you receive the valuation, you will be able to determine whether or not now is the right time for you to get your home on the market. If you determine that it is the right time, you can move on to the next step in the process: "Show Right"

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Show Right

In 2016, 44% of buyers started their home search by looking for properties online. Those numbers have likely only gone up as we find ourselves using our cell phones and mobile devices more and more to accomplish life's tasks. When people are searching for homes, they are more likely to be drawn to those listing with the high quality, professional photographs first.

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Be Sure your Marketing Strategy includes the following, at minimum:

• Professional Photography

• Social Media advertisements

• Listed in the MLS

• Some sort of professional staging consult done by a professional interior designer or real estate professional

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Getting You Home Ready for the Market

An important thing to realize is that although you have many memories and personal attachments to the home you're selling, once you decide that you are going to put the house on the market for sale, it instantly becomes a product in the marketplace. Not your home. It needs to be kept clean and ready for showings at all times.

There are buyers for all kinds of products and consumers can be, and will be picky. They may provide positive or negative feedback. Again, just remember you cannot take the feedback personally. You are selling a product in the public marketplace.

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Pre-Market Checklist

• Roof

  • Ensure there are no active leaks​ or mold/water damage

• Kitchen/Bath​

  • Check for leaks​

  • Check water pressure

  • Check toilets for security to floor

• Electrical​

  • Check that there are no recalls on your breaker panel​

  • Is there a breaker panel main cutoff?

  • Is there enough power? Are fuses the correct size amperage?

  • GFCI outlets in areas water (Kitchen/bathroom/Utility area/exterior)

  • No exposed wires

• Flooring​

  • Replace old/ratty/stained carpet

  • Refinish hardwoods that are in bad shape

• Paint​

  • No chipping or peeling paint​

  • Dark/Bold colors? Try a neutral lighter tone to brighten the room and make the space feel larger

  • How does the paint appear? Dirty/faded/greasy?

• Basements/Crawlspaces​

  • Signs of water/mold/mildew​

  • Structural integrity

• Landscaping​

  • Cut the grass/trim the bushes/weed the garden beds​

  • Add bright colors to add some pop

  • Seed bare spots in the yard.

  • Pick up the kids bikes/toys

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Hire Right!

There are many, many tasks associated with selling your home. A great Realtor® will be able to maintain a professional relationship with you as well as the buyer's agents and buyers. 

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How to Determine a Great Realtor®

• They have a vast network. They know all the players involved in a real estate transaction and can offer multiple recommendations on different vendors, licensed contractors, lawyers, loan officers, and financial advisors

• They understand and relay their limits in a professional manner to their clients

• They have first hand knowledge of the area they work in

• They have excellent communication and negotiation skills

• They are even keeled and can maintain a calm demeanor during stressful sitauations

• They strictly abide by the Realtor® code of ethics

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Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.