Equitable Realty
Sellers
Pre-Marketing Checklist . . . Let’s get it SOLD!
To Do Checklist
We want to make sure that you home gets the highest sale price and is on the market the shortest amount of time. This means less stress and more equity to you.
How do we do that, by making sure the home has great curb appeal, clean and great decor. You don’t have to spend a lot of time and money to do this…just work through the checklist below and you will have a beautiful home to sell.
Curb Appeal
- LAWN – Cut and edge the lawn. Fill in bare spots with seeds, eliminate the weeds. Trim the shrubbery, trees and remove dead branches.
- Patios/Front Porch – Clean outdoor furniture, windows, doors, and lights. Paint and caulk the doors, entryway, and shutters. Add some fresh flowers.
- Front Door – add a new knocker, a welcoming wreath.
- Street View – Does the roof, gutters, down spouts, siding and chimney look good. Get it repaired if needed.
Garage
- Get rid of old junk. Buyers need to make sure that they can park their cars. If you need the stuff then rent a storage unit and out all the extra furniture and stuff in there. Declutter the home and garage.
- Clean the walls, shelves and floor. Paint where necessary.
- Make sure the garage door operates properly and all the doors in the home do not speak.
Kitchen
- Declutter your countertops of all the small electrics and other decorations sitting out. You now have much more usable counter space and buyers will notice.
- Clean and polish the sinks, appliances and counter tops they should sparkle! Make sure they are in working order. Fix any faucet leaks and replace any damaged appliance knobs.
- Are your cabinets outdated, new hardware and caliber refinishing can do wonders.
- Clean the grouts of all ceramic tiles.
Bathrooms
- Clean – mirrors, glass, grout, chrome and porcelain surfaces.
- Clean the exhaust fans and lights.
- Caulk around the tube and shower
Closets
- Pack away clothes you don’t need or give away to charity. Make them look bigger.
- Organise the remaining clothes and shoes.
Overall
- Make sure everything in the home operates correctly, not loose or squeaky.
- Paint the inside of home if it is old.
- Carpets, furniture and drapes must be cleaned.
- Replace clean all filters.
- Add air diffusers to give it a fresh smell.
- Put on some classical or jazz music for showings.
What is the price for your home ?
Pricing your Home correctly
This is where Equitable Realty will earn your money and trust. We will price it correctly to ensure that it sells at the current market price. What that price is will depend on supply and demand. An overpriced home will just sit there on the market. Underpriced home will lose you money, but may also generate multiple offers. So how will Equitable Realty come up with a price…..
We will Analyzes Comparable Listings and Sales – We will run a report to find similar homes to your home that were sold or are currently listed on the market. Usually a ¼ to ½ miles radius around yours, similar condition and location. Compare apples to apples
Analyzes Sold Comparable Properties – compare original list price to final sales price to determine listing to selling ratio.
Gather Information About Pending Sales
Look at Active Listings Competitively – Look at the pictures of the homes, see how they have decorated and cleaned up the home. This is your competition, so beat it.
- Compares Square Foot Costs – After you receive an offer, the buyer’s lender will order an appraisal, so it is very important to square foot cost and smaller homes have a larger square foot cost. Compare homes of similar square footage. The price per square foot rises as the size decreases and it decreases as the size increases, meaning larger homes have a smaller sq.
- Sets Your Price Based on Market Condition – next step is to analyze the data based on market conditions. For comparison purposes, let’s say the last three comparable sales in your neighborhood were $150,000. In a buyer’s market, your sales price might allow some wiggle room for negotiation but be strong enough (near the last comparable sale) to entice a buyer to tour your home. To sell in this market, you might need to price your home in the low $150’s, settling for somewhere in the mid to high $140’s.
In a seller’s market, you might want to add 5% more to the last comparable sale. When there is little inventory and many buyers, you can ask more than the last comparable sale and likely get it. So that $150,000 home might sell in the mid to high $150’s or more.
In a balanced or neutral market, you may want to initially set your price at the last comparable sale and then adjust for the market trend. For example, if the last sale closed three months ago, but the median price has edged upwards of 1% per month, pricing at $154,500 would make sense.
The Equitable Guarantee - you will get...
- An Accurate evaluation – To assist you in determining the correct asking price, we provide you with a comprehensive market analysis of comparable properties sold and offered for sale in your neighborhood.
- Professional advice – we will advise you of any necessary repairs and how you may best prepare your home for your showing.
- Advertising of your home to other Realtors – the major selling points of your home will be distributed to other real estate firms throughout the area.
- Listing Sign – Your home needs to be advertised 24 hours a day.
- Open houses – if appropriate, open houses will be arranged and held.
- Advertising – we will advertise your home in appropriate publications and communicate our results to you.
Progress report – every step in the sales effort will be documented.
The Selling Process
#1 Listing Your Home
Listing your home with an Agency Real Estate professional agent is the first step on the path to a successful closing. To start, your agent will suggest specific improvements and modifications to enhance your home’s salability, create a customized marketing plan that best highlights your property’s features in the current market and present you with a Competitive Market Analysis (CMA), which helps determine the best listing price and probable sales price.
#2 Your Customized Marketing Plan
Marketing real estate has evolved over the last several years. Your Agency Real Estate agent will work behind-the-scenes to ensure that your home is visible to potential buyers in a variety of ways. Upon listing your home, it will be entered into the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS), placed on the company website and on several local and national websites. The Internet, social media and several real estate websites put your home in the public eye much more than in years past.
#3 Pricing Your Home to Sell
You want your home at a listing price that is not too low or too high, but just right, based on numbers and facts. When a home is priced too low, you will not maximize your profit, and buyers may perceive that something is wrong with it. However, if the price is too high, buyers may avoid viewing your home because it’s not in their price range. Interestingly enough, asking too much might ultimately be more costly than asking too little for a property.
#4 Preparing Your Home for the Market
The next step in selling your home is to prepare it for showings. First impressions count. You want to allow potential buyers the opportunity to envision themselves living in your home. Talk to your Agency Real Estate agent about specifics pertaining to your home. Some general guidelines do exist.
#5 Showings
To ensure the best showing possible, make your home inviting and welcoming by creating mood lighting, adjusting the temperature and adding decorative touches.
#6 Negotiating the Purchase Price
Your patience and hard work has paid off—your agent has informed you of an offer on your home. You can count on Equitable Realty’s expertise again—this time in the art of negotiation. Your agent will guide you toward arriving at a price that both you and your buyer agree upon. A formal contract—written by the buyer’s agent and signed by the buyer—will be submitted to you for review and consideration.
#7 The Home Inspection
Typically, a clause in the sales contract states that the offer is contingent upon a home inspection. Your home will be evaluated from the foundation to the rooftop and will include, where appropriate, the functionality of the heating and air conditioning systems, electrical, plumbing and all appliances. The inspector will look at the home’s structure including the foundation, basement, roof, chimney, walls, doors and windows.
#8 The Closing
The day has arrived for the final step in selling your home—the closing. The closing, also known as the settlement or escrow, in simplest terms is when money is taken in from the buyer and paid out to the seller. The closing can take place in person or by mail and is handled by the real estate company or a title company.
Get A FREE Home Value Consultation
Prior to placing your home on the market, it is very important to determine the value of your property. There are many factors the affect what your home is worth in today’s market, and we will analyze all those factors and help you set a price that will generate showings and lead to an ultimate sale.
Please complete the information below about your home to request a FREE Professional Comparative Market Analysis.
Thank you! We look forward to meeting you and helping you achieve your goals!