Did you know?
Most buyers touring the home are introduced by real estate agents. I use my industry connections and networking to mobilize the real estate community on your behalf.

SELLING

Selling Process

Commissions

Marketing Your Home

Recently Sold Homes

The Selling Process

1. Select Your Real Estate Agent
2. Listing Agreement/Strategy Session
3. Prepare Your Property To Sell
4. What to Expect on The Market
5. Entertaining an Offer
6. Opening Escrow
7. Buyer Inspections
8. Final Walk Through
9. Close Escrow

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1. Select Your Real Estate Agent

Choose to interview several agents that have sold properties in your neighborhood, are recommend by friends, or you have met at a mixer or open house. The agent that helped you purchase your home may be a ready-made lister if you were pleased with the past service.

Note: Employing a family member or friend in this capacity may present unique challenges; just as not hiring them could cause a rift. The best thing to do is talk to them candidly about your decision to interview multiple agents and give them the courtesy and respect as a contender.

Do you like and trust your agent?
Is your agent responsive and helpful?
Is your agent knowledgeable in your neighborhood and with similar properties?
Is your agent experienced and well connected in the industry?
How does your agent work? Will she or he be available to show your property?
How many listings is he or she currently servicing? Does your agent utilize a partner, team or staff in case of excess workload?
Share what expectations you have for your agent. Ask in turn what they will expect from you.

Real estate agents all have access to the same data which will, or will not, support the list price. Listen carefully to what an agent promises. Is your agent full service or offering barebones efforts? Agents know that listings require an upfront investment of their time and money, with no guarantees on return. If they are quick to take an over-priced listing, find out why.

As required by law, your agent will explain 'agency' to you prior to signing the listing agreement.

2. Listing Agreement/Strategy Session

Congratulations! You have selected your agent. Together we will sign the listing agreement which will include market presentation and the terms of my employment. All legally vested parties should be present at this meeting.

List Price
Timeframes
Marketing Plan (Signage, Flyers, MLS, Open Houses, Broker Tours, Networking and Advertising)
Commission
Showing Access (Lockbox, Hours, Pets)

This is also an excellent opportunity to review the purchase contract together and ask questions regarding the real estate process.

3. Prepare Your Property To Sell

Together we will walk thru the property. My data collection will include:

observations of your favorite features (owners know their property best!)
room measurements
interior and exterior photographs
copies of pertinent household bills (electricity, water, HOA)
identification of building materials and brand name appliances
receipts and dates of improvements
copies of permits
HOA restrictions and house rules
floor plans or subdivision maps
MLS fact sheet data
Seller Disclosure form

A plan for home improvement projects to increase buyer appeal will be outlined. This may include neutral painting, de-cluttering, re-arrangement of furniture, front door fix-ups and minor landscaping. Depending on your home you may chose to hire a feng shui professional or staging expert. Furnished homes sell better then vacant ones.

Instructions for showing appointments will be reviewed. This may include removing pets, turning on lights, opening blinds, mowing the backyard, storing garbage bins, closing toilet lids, re-parking cars, lighting fire places, turning on low music or adjusting the thermostat.

Additionally we will install a lockbox and for sale sign.

4. What to Expect on The Market

During the next few days or months, agents and potential buyers will be walking through your home, ideally on a frequent basis. Goodbye privacy and hello inconvenience! But flexibility and patience is rewarded by higher showing volume, and I will do my best to minimize your stress and the impact on your family.

Some of the things I will be doing for you include:

fielding calls from buyers and agents
coordinating showing schedules
scoping out new competition as it comes on the market
soliciting feedback from showings
pitching your property in real estate forums
canvassing my network
holding open houses and broker caravans
advertising

Periodically we will meet to gage market response (number of showings, offers or lowball offers), discuss agent feedback (like the wood deck, concerned about lack of hall closet), re-assess the current market place and adjust the list price as needed. The introduction of new comparables or new competitive inventory may call for a change of strategy.

5. Entertaining an Offer

Congratulations! An offer has been made! Together we will review it: noting buyer’s strength, offer price, deposit, time-frames and other variables. You will have three choices: to accept, reject or counter the offer. I will help draft any counter proposals, which then will give the potential buyer three choices: to accept, reject or counter. This process will continue until agreement is reached or one party declines. In the rewarding scenario of multiple offers, I will guide you strategically through the offers to secure the strongest possible bid.

6. Opening Escrow

The purchase agreement has been signed by all parties. This document, plus any counter agreements and the deposit money is submitted to a neutral third party, the escrow company, who will hold all monies in trust. The escrow company monitors each party’s performance until all obligations have been met and all contingencies released.

7. Buyer Inspections

Per the terms of the agreement, the buyers will now inspect the property to their satisfaction. Ideally, the seller’s upfront disclosure would have eliminated any surprise, and the disclosed defects would have already been figured into the accepted offer price. However, no property is perfect and sellers cannot be expected to know what experts see. Issues may arise here that will require some renegotiation to keep the deal together. As both parties are already invested, (the buyer financially and the seller market time-wise), it will take my skillful handling and some give and take from both sides.

My role will be to coordinate inspection appointments, monitor timelines and secure contingency releases. As the buyer investigate the property, layers of contingencies are removed, some by active signature, others by timeline. One by one, a buyer’s exit loopholes will be closed.

8. Final Walk Through

The final walk thru is done just a few days before the close of escrow, and preferably after you or your tenant has vacated the property. By this time inspections are complete and the buyer has removed most or all contingencies. The final walk-thru is to confirm the property is in the same condition and all agreements have been honored.

9. Close Escrow

All conditions of the purchase agreement have been met. All parties come together to sign final papers, the buyer funds the down payment and the lender funds the loan amount. (Attendance and ceremony varies by local custom.) Escrow settles all outstanding balances, the deed is recorded, the keys handed over and escrow cuts you the remaining check.