SELLERS
The Home-Selling Process
Most homeowners find home selling daunting and strenuous. From listing the property and marketing it to interested buyers to reviewing and negotiating offers, there are several moving parts homeowners can find confusing, especially if you're a first-time seller. Finding the right buyer willing to offer the best price requires a lot of research and guidance when engaging with the real estate market.
Newlin-Miller, REALTORS is an expert on current market conditions and knows how to market homes to their full earning potential. Our professional team matches homeowners with qualified buyers at the best possible purchase price.
Your Needs Come First
The process of marketing and selling your house must match your objectives, priorities and needs. In order for us to best serve you, we want to learn more about your plans and housing priorities.
The following topics outlines below can help us understand your goals and help us build a strong working relationship.
- How we will work together in the marketing and sale of your property.
- The objectives you want to achieve from the sale of your house and the support you expect to receive from us.
- How the homeselling process should be tailored to fit the characteristics of your property.
What is Most Important to You
The following topics will help us understand what is most important to you in the sale of your property.
- Communication
- Motivations
- Time frame
- Relocation assistance
- Homeselling decisions
- Price
- Marketing plan
- Previous homeselling experience
- Positive experiences
- Concerns
- Expectations
Preparing to Sell
Preparing a home for sale is an art that requires attention to detail to maximize the sale price. That's why we advise homeowners to work with a real estate agent to help with the staging process for potential buyers. Fortunately, this first step is simple as our real estate agents will advise you on best practices for making a great first impression on buyers.
We often tell clients to remove excess furniture and clutter to make rooms feel larger and help prospective buyers visualize themselves in the space. However, it's usually a good idea to leave some furniture in place to allow buyers to have some spatial reference points — just don't keep items that would make a room seem small.
Newlin-Miller, REALTORS prioritizes understanding the client's needs and goals from the onset. We work with home sellers to determine their reasons for selling and keep their timeline in mind. Understanding the seller's motivations for the sale is important so we can craft a tailored strategy to meet their objectives.
As the seller, you should have a good grasp of the Realtor's role and what to expect throughout the sale process before you select a representative. Work with a Realtor who believes in transparent communication, ensuring all parties are aligned in their expectations and objectives.
Home Selling Process
Selling a house typically includes many of the following elements. We will be your resource and guide every step of the way.
Design and Implement Marketing Plan
To successfully promote your property to the market, a comprehensive plan of targeted activities is essential.
- Complete home enhancement recommendations.
- Carry out scheduled marketing activities.
- Show the property to brokers and prospective "qualified" buyers.
- Communicate with you on a regular basis.
- Monitor results of marketing activities.
- Modify Marketing Plan and Pricing Strategy as necessary.
Review Offer and Reach Agreement with Buyer
Once the right buyer has found your property, an offer to purchase will be presented. The process usually is as follows:
- Buyer's real estate professional presents offer.
- Discuss and clarify proposed terms and conditions.
- We will negotiate with the buyer through their sales professional for your best interests.
- Possible counter offers.
- Reach final agreement.
Marketing Plan Details
A robust marketing plan is the cornerstone of a successful home sale. Newlin-Miller, REALTORS designs and implements comprehensive strategies to showcase homes for maximum exposure. Listing the home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) ensures the real estate agent and seller understand current market conditions and the potential demand for the property.
It's always helpful to be flexible during the initial marketing phase, as it makes it easy for potential buyers to tour the property and decide if it's the right fit for them.
By this stage, the homeowner and Realtor should have made the necessary preparations to enhance the property's curb appeal, presenting it in the best possible light for buyers. Our professional Realtors offer guidance on staging, professional photography, and other techniques to highlight the property's unique features. We also proactively facilitate home inspections to address potential issues, instilling confidence in potential buyers and streamlining the negotiation process.
Negotiating Offers
When offers start coming in from interested buyers, our Realtors negotiate the home's selling price and contract contingencies for the best deal. As with any negotiation, we advise sellers to expect some stressful moments, especially regarding the purchase price and other costs. That's why having an experienced Realtor handling complex proceedings and paperwork is advisable.
The buyer typically uses the house as collateral for a mortgage loan, which is why the lender requires an appraisal of the property to ensure it's worth the asking price. The buyer's agent will request an appraisal and keep the seller's agent informed once it's scheduled.
During this process, the loan officer may recommend certain repairs or negotiate the asking price should the buyer agree to do the repairs themselves. That's why we recommend completing the home inspection process before listing the property to avoid surprises.
Complete Settlement Process
It can take 15-90 days to complete all the steps involved in a home sale, depending on the complexity of the transactions. We will work closely with everyone involved in the transaction to help ensure that it moves ahead as smoothly as possible, and explain in detail all the steps that will occur and answer your questions. Some of those elements include:
- Deposit of buyer's earnest money
- Sign documents
- Title search, preliminary title report to buyer
- Inspections
- Removal of remaining contingencies
- Buyer's final walk-through of property
- Loan funding/balance of funds from buyer
- Recording title
- Relocation of seller, possession of property by buyer
After-Sale Service
When your home has been sold and the keys handed over, our services are not done. We want to be there for you throughout your journey and provide any assistance we can whether it be:
- Help you find your next home
- Assist you with relocation
- Provide resources for other after-sale homeowner needs
- Or simply create a new friend
Additional Closing Process Details
The closing process marks the conclusion of the real estate transaction. However, some aspects, such as appraisals, escrow arrangements, and potential title company involvement, may still need to be discussed.
Our clients can rely on us to facilitate a smooth closing process, coordinating with all parties to ensure a seamless ownership transition. We oversee the buyer's final walkthrough and manage the transfer of documents and funds, alleviating any concerns or uncertainties during the final stages of the sale.
It's vital to have a professional, reputable, and experienced real estate agent oversee the intricacies of the closing process to ensure an efficient and satisfactory conclusion to the transaction.
Whether you're navigating the complexities of marketing your home or negotiating offers, our experienced team of professional Realtors can guide you every step of the way. Talk to our dedicated home sellers for better insight into the selling process.