Preparing My Home to Sell

I help you to have an entire plan of your goals and a timeline to help you get the most money you can. Here are some ways that will help you understand the listing process and what I can do for you to market your home in the best way possible. It may look very overwhelming, as there is about 300 things I do from start to finish to get your house sold, but this is an outline.

I work full time, answer my phone and take pride in helping people feel secure from the beginning, and I try to set them up from success right away!

Plan ahead: Get your house ready to sell and put it on the market during the best time of the year. Times of the year vary with interest rates and the economy, but the rule of thumb is:

TOP: January 7th - May 1st - The best time to put your home on the market!
By mid-May people are attending graduations and end of school events as well as getting ready for summer.
2nd: Mid August thru Nov. 1st.
3rd: May1 thru Mid August.
Worst: Over the holidays. November and December.

Compare and Analyze

• We look at homes in your subdivision that are active, pending & sold, contingent, expired and withdrawn homes.
• We look especially at homes and the days number of days on the market…. The active homes will be your competition, and the sold homes will be your “gage” for estimating how long it will take to sell your home.
• We also look at the original listing price, and compare it to the sold price. It is sometimes a good idea to go “preview” homes with your realtor and know what your competition is, and this will help you to determine a competitive price. It will also let you be aware of the future buyers and what they will be comparing your house to.

Assess the Condition of your Home

• Most home buyers want to be able to move right in to a home without doing much
• The best scenario is to have new carpet, paint and everything cleaned and working well. I can help with suggestions or get bids.
• If potential home buyers like your house, they order an inspection at their own expense, and all of the things will have to be fixed before they buy it anyway, so you might as well have things all repaired and ready from the get go. The price will be renegotiated keeping the things that need to be repaired in mind.

Declutter and Depersonalize. Interior Decorators are so smart!

• They put few items and small furniture into rooms to make them look larger!
• What this means for you is decluttering each of your rooms, closets and storage spaces.
• You may need to donate a lot to the Good Will – or rent a storage unit and put a lot of your additional items that you don’t need in temporary storage. This helps people focus on your house ….. (not your things).
• Interior decorators also help people envision themselves in the house. This is done with no personal pictures or items.

Additional paperwork FOR YOU to gather

• Upgrades and costs of items you have added to your house since purchasing it, which may include receipts and warrantees.
• Covenants and Restrictions agreement if you have one.
• Plot Plan if you have one.
• Blueprints of the house, if you have one.
• Sometimes your initial contract is good for me to look over in case I missed anything that is an upgrade to list on the special features section.
• It will sometimes also help you fill out the sellers disclosure as well.

• Dotloop
  I usually carry a laptop with me, but we will be doing most of our paperwork in dot loop for homework and putting it in my "office in the sky". You can log into dot loop and never loose your papers, they are there for everyone to share that you and I give permission to. This is great for people that are comfortable with their phones and computers. Even if you are not, I take the time to stay right by your side and teach you how easy it is to sign documents, look up items in your file and so on. This is where some of the homework stays, the other homework I leave with you to gather up.
• Showing instructions
  Think how you want the house to be shown. Most people would like to have 2 hours notice. Then decide on who you would like centralized showing to call – give 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice options. Plan on weekends being the busiest time for showings. It is best to leave the house during showing. If you have an animal, plan on communicating where the animal is located and if they are friendly or not, forewarn the people viewing. Some people have severe allergies to pets and so they need to know as well.
• Sellers Disclosure
  This is a legal document, and everything that you know about your house, including problems, need to be disclosed. The realtor cannot fill out anything for you, but can guide you with filling it out.
• Utility Cost Sheet
  This should be filled out for the past year. Also included is the trash company and pick up day & time, HOA information and contact and any other information that is important. This is typed into a professional looking form that I will post on the MLS, email and also that is left on the table for showings.
• Estimated Sellers Closing Costs
  So nothing is left unwritten and we come up with a plan together, the finances are an important piece of the puzzle because everyone wants to know how much they will make. I will ask for your payoff amount and loan number for the title company, and then I will write out all of the costs it will take for you to be able sell your house.
• Last But Not Least
  Right before your house is active, I will put out the sign & brochures, post to the MLS and when we start the visual tour as well as dates, time and who will be hosting your open houses.

• Legal Description
• Agency disclosure – I will be your representing you as a sellers agent, but if I sell your house as well, we will redo this paper to where I am a transaction agent – aiding the transaction and communication between the buyer and seller and helping it to flow smoothly.
• MLS - This has a complete description of the house including dimentions of rooms and extras. I try to fill this out thoroughly, and this is the one piece that is time consuming if I need to measure and to through each room.
• Franchise Disclosure - This has companies that ReeceNichols has an agreement with and partnership with that if you use them, ReeceNichols has to disclose that they will get a financial kickback. The only one we will be using – if any – will be Old Republic Home Warranty service. Generally homes past 5 years old should have a one year warranty included or have as a negotiation piece included in their asking price.
• Exclusive Right to Sell - This legally give me the right to list and sell your property. It includes the listing and selling percentage agreed to as well as the title company. We like using Coffelt Title, as we have relationships with people that make the transaction and title work go smoothly. We try to do everything we can to make the sale of your home go smoothly, and this is key.
• Lead Based Paint form- If your home was built in 1978 or previous, you will need this.
• Modification Sheet - If we plan on lowering the price of your home, I will have you fill out an Amendment ahead of time with the price it will be changed to and date.

It can be very time consuming to come up with a plan and fill out all of the paperwork, take the pictures and so on. I ask that sellers give me at least 1 week to gather all of the paperwork together and do a visual tour. Depending on the time of year, I may need more time. The visual tour is the most time consuming to put together. The day your house goes on the market I like to put everything out; the sign, the brochures and faxing all of the paperwork to the office to post on the MLS and internet. BUT NOW YOU CAN SEE WHY I WORK FULL TIME. THERE IS ALOT TO DO, AND THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.