Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced agent and this easy to follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.​​​​​​​
Once we (you and your Agent) have set a price and a strategy to market your house, Janet will be a great source of advice on specifics for your home preparations so that your house is positioned competitively in the market. Preparation includes before pictures are taken and the next preparation will be prior to every showing.
A showing is usually scheduled ahead of time or it could happen during an Open House. It is an appointment of the prospect buyer with their Agent or with you if they don't have an Agent, where they will walk your property and sometimes even open closets and be nosey to see if it is of their liking.
1. Leave when a showing is scheduled. Buyers like to feel free to roam around our house.
2. Make it available and showcase it every time as if they were taken pictures of it for every showing. Every buyer would like to picture and feel as if they could live there, make it welcoming for them!
3. Receive feedback regardless of what it is so you can make it more appealing for next visitors if that's the case.
Great News! At this point, your house has been on the market and I have informed you that we have received an offer, or maybe even more than one!
Now it's time to evaluate that offer an decide how to respond.
This is when you decide if you would like to accept it or not. I will look at the following and help you in this process:
This is common in a Seller's Market. If so, we have a few options:
Upon acceptance on an offer, most likely you have agreed to an Option Period, which starts the day after you have accepted and executed the offer. This timeframe, allows the Buyers to request a home inspection as a condition of their offer and they are able to do this inspection within that timeframe with the ability of opting out of the contract (within that timeframe) if inspector finds anything out of the ordinary, something very hard to fix or if it will incur a big expense, unless they are able to negotiate with Seller. In some cases, a home inspection is solely for the buyer's information and can't be used to negotiate.
I suggest you prepare your home ahead of time, before that first showing. Professional home inspectors will review your home's structure and systems, for example:
We will walk your home together and I will provide a list of basic things to take care of prior to listing your home and make sure your home is also ready for inspection. We might even need some documents about maintenance and repairs, so don't throw any receipts or invoices from services done to your home!
When there is financing involved, in other words, when it is not a cash offer, an appraisal of the property is always needed. This is an objective valuation of your property that allows lender to feel comfortable with the loan amount.
What appraisers look for, is tall the data available to provide an accurate value of your property, including:
If the property value comes in lower than the sales price, this may invite or require for a renegotiation. This value dictates the maximum amount the lender will allow the buyers to borrow, minus their down payment.
Depending on the context of the contract and the market conditions, I will make sure to give you the best advise!
Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. I will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.
Once we deem the offer is acceptable, we will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your agent.
You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. But first, you and the buyer must make a list of what needs to be done before closing. In some cases, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. I will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, I will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.
Don't forget to take a break and travel if you can! You deserve a vacation and time off before you get busy and wrapped up organizing your new place but wait, before you go on your vacation...
- Turn off and cancel all services from your home, for example, your Cable service, Alarm systems, Video camera systems, pool service, yard service
- Make sure all your utilities are also cancelled and turned off or transferred to your new home if it applies.
- Notify your job, banks, schools, post office, Doctors, etc of your change of address.
- Update necessary documents such as Driver's License, Passports, etc with your new address if you have one.
- Let your closest friends know you are moving!
Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. Whether this is relocating to a new city, moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life as empty-nesters, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind for your new path.
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2201 Lake Woodlands Dr The Woodlands, TX 77380
2201 Lake Woodlands Dr The Woodlands, TX 77380