Everything you need to know about putting your home on the market, accepting an offer, and closing on your home.
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.​​​​​​​
What do you want to accomplish with the sale of your home? Do you want to make a certain amount of money that you can put toward a larger or nicer home? Do you need to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a move to a new city or area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your listing price. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you might want to price your home lower than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. Make sure you convey these needs to me so we can adjust your selling price accordingly.
Knowing how to price your home is one of the most important parts of the selling process. When you set a fair price in the beginning, you’ll get the most interest from other real estate agents and prospective buyers. Overpricing your home could lead to reduced interest, and underpricing leads to receiving less than what your home is worth. Working with a professional real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. Being an agent with experience, I can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and guide you to the correct, current market value of your home.
If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.
I will develop a powerful marketing strategy perfect for advertising your home. The Coldwell Banker brand is one of the world's largest, most recognizable names in the real estate industry. Marketing your home will involve listing the home and then driving the right people to it. I can do this through MLS (Multiple Listing Service), social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, direct print & email marketing, open houses & broker tours, amd media relations. My team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.
Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. We 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. You can accept the offer, reject the offer, or counter the offer. In any case, I will be there to negotiate on your behalf. I am here as your fiduciary, to protect and serve your best interests.
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 for signature of all parties.
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, ensure each action item paid for by the correct party, and facilitate task lists to make sure everything is in order by the closing date.
You’ve reached the last step in the seller’s process! When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. You will meet with the escrow company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork.
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.
Erin's primary objective in being a real estate sales associate is to conduct business with the highest level of integrity. As with teaching, in her real estate practice Erin continues to uphold a fiduciary duty to her clients, putting their goals, dreams, and needs above all else.