Sellers

Now that you have decided to sell your home, have agreed on a listing price, and have prepared the property, your agent’s work really begins.  Listing homes today is a very high tech process in order to expose your home to the highest number of potential buyers.  Please Contact Us to learn more about our home listing process…it is designed to best serve you and maximize the number of potential buyers that see your home.  Getting multiple buyers from several different sources is what it takes to maximize the value of your property!

Why Sell?

Why do you want to sell your property?  Do you intend to simply find a larger property, or do you plan on moving to another neighborhood, school district, city or state?  You might think your reasons are obvious, but it would do well to consider the implications of each option for your lifestyle, opportunities, and finances.  Being clear about your intentions for selling will make it easier for us to determine the most appropriate options for your financial, lifestyle, and real estate goals.

When Should I Sell?

You should immediately establish your time frame for selling your home.  If you need to sell quickly, we can speed up the process by giving you a complete market analysis and action plan to reach all of your goals.  If there is no pressing need to sell immediately, we can review the current market conditions and find the most favorable time to sell your home.

What Is The Market Like?

When you work with Team Baker, you can be sure that you will have our knowledge, trust, time, and negotiating skills at work for you to arrive at the best market price for your home.  We will keep you up-to-date on what is happening with the pricing, financing, terms, and conditions of other properties in your market.

Why Should You Choose Team Baker?

There are many real estate agents out there, so why should you choose Craig & Paul to assist you in this important undertaking?  We will ensure that you maximize your opportunities in the current real estate market.  We are licensed and connected to Realtors, agents, and professionals around the country to maximize your exposure.  With these extensive professional networks we have developed, as well as many of our current and past clients, we will employ the most effective marketing and advertising strategies for your property.

Our proactive marketing approach will have your home viewed by hundreds of potential buyers in just hours of being listed.  Many of today’s homebuyers are utilizing the Internet to search for homes so we will utilize some of the top online sites to market your home.  Your home will be on numerous web sites in just moments of being listed with us!  Now, once we get agents and buyers viewing your home, we will guide you through the entire selling process.  We can help you prepare the home, negotiate the sale, and get ready for your upcoming move.  We will also guide you through all of the complicated paperwork involved, from the initial agreement to the final documents associated with selling your home.

What To Look For In An Agent

We would love for you to Contact Us to discuss the sale of your home.  However, if you choose another route, here are a couple of factors to keep in mind when looking for a listing agent:

• Education – The most important factor in choosing a real estate professional to sell your home is their education in the fields of real estate, business, and marketing.  They need to have quality training and skills so they promote your home in the most effective way.  Our team has advanced training and education, allowing them to be among the top trained agents in the business with various designations and degrees in business or real estate.
• Expertise – You want a full-time agent who is familiar with your area and with the type of property you intend to sell.  Do they employ a diverse range of marketing and advertising strategies?  How tech-savvy is your agent?  If you choose Team Baker, not only do you get 2 highly qualified agents representing you, but full marketing services, multi-channel online advertising, and a full team to assist with the promotion of your home.
• Availability – Your agent should be capable of prompt and decisive action during the course of selling your property.  Does your agent make it a point to keep in touch with you constantly?  Can your agent easily be contacted anytime, even for the simplest questions?  Is your agent available on the weekends or in the evenings when most buyers are out shopping?  Again, when it comes to being connected, you can rest assured that with Team Baker, you and any potential buyers will have access to our team anytime!
• Rapport – Does your agent take the time to listen to your goals and clarify your needs?  Can your agent understand your personal situation and show genuine concern about the home selling process?  Your listing agent will be your guide and partner in this important decision, so it is important to find an agent with whom you can have a good relationship.  The best way to decide if you have a good working relationship is to interview several agents in your area.

What Is Your Property Worth?

So what is your home worth?  Without a professional agent, most independent property sellers tend to overestimate the value of their property.  You can avoid this mistake by consulting with an experienced real estate agent.  Contact Us for a free consultation on your home value and things you can do in order to increase your selling price in the future.  There are several things you can focus on to increase the appeal of your property and have an effect on potential buyers….

Just a few things to keep in mind when trying to maximize your home’s value and prepare it for a possible sale…

• Curb Appeal – Keeping your landscaping clean and adding creative touches to your yard, such as colorful flowers, will create an immediate impact on passers-by and potential buyers.  Having all the exterior doors, shutters, gutters, and trim updated can also give you home a great look for potential buyers.
• Property Repairs – Simple updates such as windows, doors, doorknobs, light fixtures, or a fresh coat of paint in the most frequently used rooms will instantly brighten up the property.  It’s also important you get all the little things fixed and upgraded before you list your home.  Servicing the appliances like furnace, air conditioner, and fireplaces are also good ways to make sure everything is in good working order before put the home up for sale.
• Cleanliness and Staging – As you prepare to sell your home, keep your property uncluttered, well lit throughout, and smelling good. Before you present your home, pay attention to details: have your carpets cleaned, put away pets, clean everything, and get air fresheners.  Your agent will also scan the property before it is listed for sale…they should give you more tips on how you can improve the staging of your home.

Now that you have decided to sell your home, have agreed on a listing price, and have prepared the property, your agent’s work really begins.  Listing homes today is a very high tech process in order to expose your home to the highest number of potential buyers.  Please review our Marketing section in order to learn more about our listing process…it is designed to best serve you and maximize the number of potential buyers that see your home.  Getting multiple buyers from several different sources is what it takes to maximize the value of your property!

Showings

Once we place your home for sale, numerous people will be contacting us to set appointments for showings.  We will handle all those requests and find showing times that work for you to prepare the home.  Presenting your property to potential buyers is a job that we will help you prepare for each time an appointment is made.  Buyers often feel comfortable discussing the property with us, another agent, or bringing in their own 3^rd party for another opinion on your home…we work to accommodate all qualified buyers.  With many properties out there, we will work with you to present your home as the best option in your neighborhood or community.

Offers and Negotiations

After we have marketed your home to the agents and buyers in the area we should have offers to purchase.  Depending on the market, a variety of offers may be seen and we will work with you to determine the best terms that fit your situation.  Price is not always the determining factor when accepting an offer for several important reasons: the initial offer is generally not final, and there are a number of terms and conditions that may influence the final outcome of a price.  You can trust us to help you properly evaluate every proposal without compromising your negotiating position.  We take the responsibility of fairly negotiating contract terms very seriously.  It is our job to find a win-win agreement that is beneficial to you and helps you reach your goals.  You may even have to deal with multiple offers before deciding which one is the most suitable for you.  As your Realtors, we will guarantee a thorough, ethical, and objective assessment of each offer to help you make the right decision.

Purchase Agreement and Deposit

An effective purchase agreement is a legal arrangement between a potential purchaser and the property seller.  Laws in each state may vary, but in order to be a legally, binding agreement, the purchase agreement may require consideration.  This consideration is generally referred to as an “earnest money deposit” and would be presented with an initial offer.  The deposit amounts vary from purchase to purchase but it can give you an overall sense of how serious the buyer is about purchasing your home.  This deposit will be held in a brokerage escrow account pending the fulfillment of conditions outlined in the effective agreement.

Important tips to keep in mind…

• Keep Records of Everything – It will be extremely useful to take all verbal agreements including counter-offers, addendums, amendments and to convert them into written agreements to be signed by both parties.  We will assist you in drafting all the paperwork associated with your sale and make sure that you have copies of everything.
• Stick to the Schedule – Now that you have accepted an offer, you and the buyer will be given a timeline to mark every stage in the process of closing the real estate contract.  Meeting the requirements on time ensures a smoother flow of negotiations so that neither party involved is ever in breach of their agreements.
• Communicate with Your Agent – As you move through the process you should be in contact with your real estate agent on a regular basis.  If you choose to work with Team Baker, we will work to answer any and all questions, helping clients understand every step of the process so they are comfortable all the way to closing.  During the process we will keep you constantly updated, so you will always be prepared for the next step.

Contingencies

A contingency is a condition that must be met before a contract becomes legally binding.  For instance, a buyer will usually include a contingency stating that their purchase agreement is binding only after there has been a satisfactory home inspection report completed by a qualified inspector.  Before a buyer completes an offer to purchase your property, the buyer will go over every aspect of the property, as provided for by purchase agreements and any applicable addendums.  Having a quality listing agent can help you understand each contingency and associated documentation.  These addendums may be related to the following:

• Obtaining financing and property insurance
• Reviewing all property documents, such as title reports and disclosure documents
• Inspection of the property

The Closing Agent

Generally a title company or an attorney will be selected as the closing agent.  The closing agent will research the complete recorded history of the property to ensure that the title is free and clear.  There may be recorded easements, encroachments, restrictions, and/or agreements that would limit the rights to use of the property.  If any of these issues are found with your property we will assist you in working to obtain clear title.

Inspections

Once you have accepted an offer you may have to make the home available to a licensed property inspector inspect the property.  This needs to happen within the timeframe that was agreed upon in the purchase agreement so timing is critical.  Depending on the outcome of the inspection, one of two things may happen:

• Either each issue is successfully closed and the contingencies will be removed, bringing you one step closer to the closing table, or
• The buyer, after reviewing the property and the inspection documents, requests a renegotiation of the terms of contract (usually the price).

How do you respond objectively and fairly to the buyer when a renegotiation is demanded, while acting in your best interests? This is when a professional listing agent can make a real difference in the outcome of the transaction. Having dealt with various property sales in the past, we guarantee our expertise and total commitment to every customer, no matter what their situation is.

Loan Approval and Appraisal

As we move through the selling process, we suggest that you accept buyers who have a pre-approval, approval letter, or written loan commitment from a reputable lending institution.  These are better guarantees of loan approval than a pre-qualification letter or no documentation from a lending institution.  Often times, if a purchase is subject to financing, an appraiser designated by the lender will be asked to review your property and verify that the sales price is appropriate.  As your listing agents, we will be in contact with the involved lending professionals and appraisers to ensure everything is on schedule and your home selling experience goes smoothly.

If you have come this far, then it means that we are almost to the point of congratulations, but not yet. Do not forget to tie up these loose ends:

Final Walk-Through

More of a formality than anything else, the final inspection takes place the day before, or the day of the closing.  The buyer or buyer’s agent visits the property to verify that all is in working order.  This is done to confirm that everything is the same as when the buyer last viewed the property, and that there is no personal property left behind.

Home Services and Utilities

Once you go to the closing table the home is nearly sold…moving forward the home will no longer be yours and neither are the utilities.  As we approach the closing date, we will provide you with a list of useful numbers and reminders for the cancellation of your home utilities.

Be Prepared

We are ready to assist you should an unforeseen issue arise, even in the final stage before closing.  Something at the property breaks down, or some other minor detail – no need to worry.  We have encountered these problems before so we know how to handle them efficiently and in a stress-free manor.

Closing Day

The closing company will furnish all parties involved with a settlement statement.  This document summarizes the financial transactions enacted in the selling process.  The buyers will sign this statement and then you will sign as well as the closing agent, certifying the accuracy of the document.  If you are unable to attend the scheduled closing appointment, then arrangements can be made depending on the circumstances.

If you are receiving funds from the transaction, you can elect to either have the funds wired electronically to an account at your financial institution, or have a check issued to you at the closing.  As the seller, you should arrange to have all property keys, garage door openers, and any other important information for the new purchaser at the closing appointment.  This is the final step in the process so it’s necessary that the buyer receive any of these final items at closing.

CONGRATULATIONS, you have now sold your home!!