GUIDE TO Selling

I'm going to be asking you questions about your goals for selling your home and any questions or concerns you may have related to your sale. Please take a moment to think about those things before our consultation so that we can ensure we make the best use of our time together and address the most important issues. I'll also be preparing materials for your review, including an overview of our marketing campaign, an explanation of social strategy and a comparative market analysis to show you what is selling (and not selling) in your market area. If after our consultation you want to hire me to sell your home, we will execute the Listing Agreement and prepare your home for market.

You know what happens when you overprice your house? Nothing. Nothing happens. No showings get scheduled, no offers come in. Pricing is a science and the single most important strategy you'll employ when going to market. During your listing consultation I'll make sure your goals align with market conditions and make a plan together. We'll review my CMA together, and with that data in hand you'll be able to confidently set your listing price. 

Homes perform best when they go to market on Wednesday or Thursday. In order for your home to go to market on either day, all cleaning, staging, and media will need to be completed within the last week before our list date. 

On listing day I will: 

• Publish your listing to the NWMLS 
• Syndicate your listing to various Real Estate websites 

• Launch your property website 
• Have a professional for-sale sign installed 
• Drop off print materials 
• Install a Supra Lockbox 
• And of course answer any questions you may have about the exciting launch of your listing! 

We will review offers either upon receipt or on a specified date. Offer review periods typically last 4-7 days depending on market conditions. I will advise you on whether to set an offer review date. It is important to be available to review offers as soon as possible so we can review the pros and cons of the offer(s) and discuss whether to accept, counter or reject. Then, I will negotiate on your behalf for best possible terms and price so that we have a successful closing over the next 30 days or so. Once you have decided to accept an offer, you will either wet sign or sign the offer via Authentisign. The second I deliver the signed-around contract to the Buyer Broker, we are at what's called "Mutual Acceptance" - yay! Mutual acceptance then kicks off our in escrow period and any contingency timeframes will begin to countdown.

Once an offer has been accepted, you will be in escrow. This also starts the clock on any contingencies. Below are some contingencies that may come up:

HOME INSPECTION 

Most of the time you will have an inspection period AFTER you get into contract with a seller. This is your time to do all of your due diligence on the property. It is HIGHLY recommended that you hire a licensed inspector to do a full inspection of the home. You can Google some options or I'm happy to share a few inspectors I've worked with in the past, but who you use as your inspector is your decision. The inspector will climb into the attic, check the crawl space, run all the faucets, check all the electrical and so much more. They'll then provide you with a full report that is often dozens of pages long - you want them to be thorough! They'll point out everything that is in working order and everything that is not. Once the inspection is done, you'll have an opportunity to ask the seller to repair or replace anything that isn't working properly, request a credit or purchase price reduction, or approve the inspection and move forward, or reject the inspection and walk away with your earnest money. If buyer and seller cannot come to an agreement during this due-diligence period, the buyer has the opportunity to cancel the contract and receive a full refund of their earnest money.  

APPRAISAL 

Once the inspection is complete you typically pay for your appraisal. Most loans require an appraisal and if the home doesn't appraise for the purchase price buyers and sellers have a few options. The buyer can exercise their right to cancel the contract and receive an full refund of their earnest money, or buyer and seller can renegotiate on the price or buyer can bring the difference between the appraisal amount and loan amount in cash to the closing table to bridge the gap. It is rare that an appraisal comes back less than the purchase price, but if it does rest assured I will go to bat for you to protect your best interests. 

OTHER CONTINGENCIES 

There will be other contingencies likely built into your offer such as HOA review, Title review, Seller Disclosure Statement review, and Information Verification Period. I will review these contingencies with you and let you know when they expire so you are well- informed of the pros and cons of approving each contingency. 

FINANCE CONTINGENCY 

During this time, it's imperative that you stay in close contact with your lender and NOT change lenders after the loan application period expires. Your lender will need specific paperwork and information only you can provide them. It is also of the upmost importance that you refrain from any other major purchases that could impact your financing. This would be buying a new car or boat or swiping your credit card for furniture for the new house. These purchases can negatively impact your debt to income ratio and implode your deal before it's done. Hang tight until we close on your dream home and then you have full reign to get that home furnished or buy that new car. 

This is it! The big day!!! I've done this a lot, and I promise you, we'll get through it just fine. You'll be signing a lot of paperwork typically a few days if not the day before closing, most of it pretty dull, all of it important. The good news is, it's all paperwork we'll have already reviewed. After you sign everything...the deal is closed once the following is done: 

1. The deed isn't a legal document until it has been recorded by the county recorder's office. Once each party has signed, the title company will send it to record. This can take a few hours. 

2. The home is officially closed once it is recorded and we receive recording numbers. 

Once the deed records, I'll release keys to the new homeowner. Note that contractually you have until 9PM on the day of closing to vacate - a nice cushion in case you're still living at the home! Make sure to leave all appliance manuals, garage door openers, mail keys, house keys, etc.. on the kitchen counter or in a drawer. The best part: you will receive your net proceeds typically via wire transfer the next business day - YAY!