Using a professional to help you sell your home is one of the most financially and emotionally rewarding decisions that that you could ever make.  In this section, you can begin to familiarize yourself with the various aspects of the selling process.

Planning to sell your home is one of the most important steps in the process and it usually begins a few months before your home ever goes up for sale.  I will help you look at your home through a prospective buyer’s eyes in order to see what areas need attention. These attention spots may simply need a good cleaning or there might be minor redecorating or repainting to do.  Regardless of the situation, I will professionally advise you on what is needed to make your home overwhelmingly appealing to buyers.

Many sellers ask what they can do to improve the value of their home.  As a general rule, most buyers will want to purchase the least expensive home that appeals to them in the best neighborhood they can afford.  What sellers do not want to do is over-improve their home.  Therefore, any improvements you make should be consistent with other homes in your neighborhood.  Modernizing your kitchen and bathrooms will usually provide the highest return on your investment, but many times these are the most expensive renovations to complete. Make sure to talk to me before starting any major projects like this.  I will help you brainstorm to discover ideas that will effectively and inexpensively make your house more appealing to buyers.

Deciding on a price is one of the most difficult areas that homeowners encounter when trying to sell their home.  A house will only sell for what a willing buyer will pay for it and the market is usually the deciding factor.  Pricing your home for more than it's worth will often lead to a lesser net profit than if it was priced at a fair market price from the beginning.  I will use my experience to help you effectively set the price-point of your home so that you earn the greatest return while selling it within the parameters of your desired timeframe.

Effectively marketing your home is another important aspect of a successful listing.  I know how to effectively market your home to the right buyers, one of whom will ultimately purchase your home.  In most cases, the REALTOR^® pays for all marketing costs incurred throughout the listing process.  I use a 3 step marketing program that includes everything from print advertising to electronic marketing as well as word of mouth advertising.  I will present you with an in-depth marketing analysis tailored specifically to your home and your situation so that you know up front how it will be advertised.

Once you receive an offer, I will present it to you and help you decide if it is acceptable based on your asking price.  If it is an appropriate offer, you can accept it and move forward from there.  If the offer is not acceptable, then I will help you negotiate with the buyers to achieve an acceptable contract as far as terms and price.

Most buyers will want to have a professional home inspector look at the property to decide if any problem areas are present.  If the inspector uncovers areas with which the buyer is not satisfied, then they will often ask us to repair some or all of the insufficiencies.  Once negotiations begin again, I will help advise you on which repairs are appropriate to make as well as those that are not.

Once all contingencies have been removed, the next step is to close the sale.  Throughout the process, I will be in constant communication with the closing attorney, the buyer’s agent, and the buyer's lender to ensure the process is moving along smoothly and set to close on time.  At closing, you will transfer the deed to the buyer and receive all proceeds from the sale of your home!