“The simplest, finest most seller-friendly program guaranteed to keep more money in your pocket.”
NO GIMMICKS. NO HASSLES. JUST GOOD BUSINESS!
Commission Fee Negotiable
Plus! Loyalty Bonus
At the heart of my business is you. Once I've had the opportunity to serve you and earned your warm endorsement to your friends, family and co-workers, I would love to become your trusted real estate professional for life. When you or anyone you know has a real estate need or question and could use my services, let me know and please share my information with them.
I’m a full service, full time REALTOR® dedicated to my clients’ success. I act as a fiduciary partner with my clients carefully analyzing needs, listening to their goals and guiding them toward the best possible outcomes.
What I WILL do:
- Carefully analyze your individual needs, actively listen to understand your motivations.
- Guide you and provide you with the most up to date and accurate information to help you make your most informed decisions.
- Keep you apprised of your options, protect your rights and inform you of your obligations.
- Make myself available for your needs instead of spending my time chasing after new business.
- Work with you through the various steps and obstacles of the purchasing process to ensure all parties have met their contractual obligations and are released from further warranties and claims.
What I WON'T do:
- Push for any action that doesn’t meet the outcome that you desire or sit well with you. All decisions are yours to make. I’m here to guide and inform and ultimately – listen to YOU.
- Pacify you. I don’t want you to settle, and I don’t want you to miss an opportunity. Straightforward is the best business practice.
- Disappear after the sale. My job doesn’t end when the sold sign goes up. I am here for any questions you have, now or years into the future.
Steps To Selling Your Home
DECIDE TO SELL
Deciding to sell a home is a large decision that requires a comprehensive thought process and many times, outside considerations such as market trends, neighborhood and community influences, moving goals, etc. Where do you want to move? Why are you selling? What are the financial obligations of selling your home and moving now? What are the benefits and concerns you have? Factors that go into deciding to sell can be discussed with a local REALTOR® that knows your market.
SELECT AN AGENT
Selecting an agent is crucial to pricing right, preparing to sell, getting buyers in the door, marketing and presenting the property and making sure your paperwork, agreement and obligations are all complete and in order.
Some factors to keep in mind when looking for the right listing agent:
Education: An important factor of a professional is ongoing education in the real estate industry. Designations and accreditations represent an investment in time and interest in their field.
Experience and Expertise: Your agent should be full time, local and well experienced in selling the type of property you are selling. It’s okay to ask how many houses they have sold in your neighborhood in the last year.
Marketing Strategy: Your agent should have a diverse range of marketing and advertising strategies. We are influenced by ads everywhere, all the time. Your agent should stand out above the masses, as well as make it priority that your property stands out from the crowd, too!
Prompt: Your agent should be prompt and respectful of your time. It’s safe to assume that your experience with this person will be similar to what your buyer prospects will experience. Your agent should also be prompt, able to take action throughout the course of selling your property.
Commitment: Your agent should make it a point to keep in touch with you constantly. Do you feel encouraged and comfortable asking even the smallest of questions or trust them to hear your concerns and assist in resolving any issues that may arise? You should.
Availability: Your agent should be reachable in the evenings and on weekends – when most buyers are out looking.
Rapport: Does your agent listen or take the time to clarify your needs? Seek to understand your unique situation and show genuine concern about the outcome of this process for you? Do you feel this is a partner and guide that you can count on? Is speaking with this person comfortable, do you get along… do you jive? You should.
PRICE YOUR PROPERTY
Without a professional, most independent property sellers tend to either overestimate or underestimate the value of their property, both costing time and money and likely a headache or sleepless night or two. Avoid this pitfall by consulting with one or two experienced REALTORS®. Listen to them and be sure your voice is expressed. If you don’t agree, speak up. But never let the right agent walk away because another gave a better number or took less commission. These have absolutely nothing to do with the sale of your property. They’re simply a sign of how the agent values his or her own service.
PREPARE TO SELL
What you have control over is price and condition, and if price is important, condition will get you there! You can do so much to increase the appeal and create a lasting impact on your buyers.
Curb Appeal: Pristine landscaping, creative touches with the landscape or stairs with some colorful annuals and a clean looking house go a long way with immediate impact and attention.
Repairs: Simple upgrades such as window repairs, replacing lightbulbs and matching the lightbulb colors, polishing doorknobs, cleaning light switches, a fresh coat of paint in the most frequently used rooms will all instantly brighten up the property.
Cleanliness & Staging: Get rid of all the clutter. If you’re asking yourself, it’s clutter. Make sure the house is well lit from top to bottom. Details like putting away the kitty litter, some fresh flowers near an entryway. Pop a batch of cinnamon rolls in the oven, have the carpets stretched or cleaned if needed. Meeting with me for a listing consultation will help give you proper staging advice to help you present your property to its fullest!
Disclosures and Inspections: I’m very familiar with the legal procedures involved in disclosures and I’m ready to help you develop a thorough disclosure statement beneficial to both you and the buyer, as well as suggest home improvement measures before placing your property on the market such as pest, FHA/VA suggestions, city sale requirements, radon and mitigation systems and more.
Showings: Presenting your property to potential buyers is a job for REALTORS® and best done without the homeowner present. Buyers feel more comfortable discussing a property with the agent when you’re not there and may speak more openly about their genuine thoughts of the property and whether it fits their needs or if there’s helpful feedback that can be shared agent-to-agent and agent-to-homeowner.
OFFER ACCEPTANCE
Negotiating:
I take the ethical responsibility of fairly negotiating contractual terms very seriously. It's my job to find a win-win agreement that is beneficial to my clients and responsible for all parties involved. You may have to work through multiple offers before ratifying the one you judge to be most suitable to you and as your REALTOR®, I guarantee a thorough and objective assessment of each offer to help you make the right choice.
Initial Agreement and Deposit: A signed offer is a legal arrangement between a purchaser and seller. Laws vary state to state but in order to be legally binding, the contract must be signed by all parties. Most of the time consideration is offered such as a $1,000 or a 1% good faith offering and is held in the closing agent’s escrow account pending the fulfillment of conditions or contingencies to the effective agreement.
Written Records of Everything: For clarity, it is extremely useful to transcribe all verbal agreements and discussions including counter offers and addendums and convert them to written agreements to be signed by all parties. I’ll assist you in drafting all paperwork for your sale and make sure that you have copies of everything.
Sticking to the Schedule: Now that you have your purchase agreement, you have a timeline of dates that will be met by all parties that I and the other agent, if there is one, will coordinate and make sure you’re aware of and are met in time. Meeting every requirement on time ensures a smoother flow of negotiations and also ensures that each party involved is not in breech of their obligations. During the process I will keep you constantly updated so you will always be prepared for the next steps.
ACCEPT AN OFFER
The higher the price, the better the offer” is a common misconception. Price is not always the determining factor when accepting an offer for several important reasons: the initial offer is usually not final as there are a number of terms and conditions that may influence the final outcome of a price. You can trust me to help you thoroughly evaluate every proposal without compromising your position.
Negotiating: I take the ethical responsibility of fairly negotiating contractual terms very seriously. It’s my job to find a win-win agreement that is beneficial to my clients and responsible for all parties involved. You may have to deal with multiple offers before ratifying the one you judge to be most suitable to you and as your REALTOR®, I guarantee a thorough and objective assessment of each offer to help you make the right choice – the first time.
Initial Agreement and Deposit: A signed offer is a legal arrangement between a purchaser and seller. Laws vary state to state but in order to be legally binding, the contract must be signed by all parties. Most of the time consideration is offered such as a $1,000 or a 1% good faith offering and is held in the closing agent’s escrow account pending the fulfillment of conditions or contingencies to the effective agreement.
Written Records of Everything: For clarity, it is extremely useful to transcribe all verbal agreements and discussions including counter offers and addendums and convert them to written agreements to be signed by all parties. I’ll assist you in drafting all paperwork for your sale and make sure that you have copies of everything.
Sticking to the Schedule: Now that you have your offer, you have a timeline of dates that will be met by all parties that I and the other agent, if there is one, will coordinate and make sure you’re aware of and are met in time. Meeting every requirement on time ensures a smoother flow of negotiations and also ensures that each party involved is not in breech of their obligations. During the process I will keep you constantly updated so you will always be prepared for the next steps.
ESCROW, INSPECTIONS AND APPRAISALS
Most buyers will have the property inspected by a licensed property inspector within the time frame that was agreed upon in the effective contract to purchase. Some buyers will have several different inspectors inspect the property, if they wish to obtain professional opinions from inspectors who specialize in a specific area (roof, HVAC, structure). If the agreement is conditional upon financing, then the property will be appraised by a licensed appraiser to determine the value for the lending institution via third party. This is done so that the lending institution can confirm their investment in your property is accurate. A buyer of a commercial property may also have a complete environmental audit performed and/or soil test, if required by the lending institution
The Closing Agent: A title company will be selected as the closing agent, whose job is to examine and insure clear title to real estate. After researching the complete recorded history of your property, they will certify that your title is free and clear of encumbrances (mortgages, leases, restrictions and liens) by the date of closing; and 2) all new encumbrances are duly included in the title.
Contingencies: These are conditions that must be met in order to continue forward with the binding agreement. A buyer will usually include a contingency stating they will continue forward after a home inspector inspects the property and they accept the condition. Other contingencies may be financing and insurance, review of certain documents pertaining to the bylaws or association of the property, a review of the title report, property disclosures and possibly more inspections and reviews.
Final Negotiations: Depending on the outcome of any of these mentioned contingencies, one of three things may happen. Either each milestone is successfully closed and the contingencies are removed in writing, bringing you a step closer to your closing; or the buyer, after reviewing, requests a renegotiation of price or other terms in the agreement; or they may for some reason decide to release from the agreement subject to their rights to do so.
Respond objectively: How do you respond objectively and fairly to the buyer when a renegotiation is demanded, while acting in your best interest? This is when a REALTOR® can make a real difference in the outcome of the transaction. I guarantee my expertise and commitment to every client, no matter the situation or personal opinion on the matter.
Loan Approval and Appraisal: As your REALTOR® I will ensure all offers for you to consider are complete with either a lender’s pre-approval, approval letter or written loan commitment which is a better guarantee of loan approval than a prequalification. Expect an appraiser to review your property and verify that the sales price is appropriate for the collateral that is being purchased.
CLOSE OF ESCROW
It’s here and it means it’s almost time for congratulations, but not just yet. There are some loose ends to tie up.
Final Walk-Through: More a formality, the walk through takes place within a few days before the closing. The buyer visits the property to verify all is in working order, everything is just the same as it was the day they viewed the property last and that there are no items or major damages left behind.
Be Prepared for Last Minute Surprises: I am ready to assist you should any unforeseen glitch pop up even at this last stage. If something at the property breaks down or the buyer’s loan doesn’t pull through on time, there’s no need to worry. I know how to efficiently and effectively handle any issues in a stress-free manner.
Cancel Home Services and Utilities: Not before, but once the property has transferred, it’s time to call utilities to cancel services within a day or two of the property being transferred.
Closing: On closing day, parties will sign their respective documents to complete the sale of the property. Closing in this case simply means signing day. The property will still need to be transferred at the county recorder’s office before it is officially sold and transferred.
The closing agent will furnish all parties with a settlement statement summarizing the details of the financial transactions including charges and credits to each side of the transaction. If you’re receiving funds from the transaction, you can choose to have the amount wired to you or mailed, or a check held to be picked up at the closing office. You should arrange to have all property keys, garage openers and codes and important information left at the property prior to closing so that the purchaser will have them available as soon as the property transfers.
IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers’ personal, non-commercial use and that it may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed to be accurate. Listing information updated daily.
