Seller's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

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.​​​​​​​

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Step 1: Understand Why You're Selling

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 offer. 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 your Real Estate Agent once you choose one so he or she can adjust your selling price accordingly.

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Step 2: Determine Selling Price

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 real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.

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Step 3: Start Preparations

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.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

I will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. 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.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

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.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once I deem the offer is acceptable, I 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.

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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

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.

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Step 8: Close

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. I will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your Real Estate Agent to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.

Congratulations!

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.

Testimonials

Debbie B.

Debbie B.

Erin is very helpful and goes the extra mile in providing beneficial information. She is very quick to answer questions, even the ones we haven’t thought of yet. She’s making our Cape Haze dream come true! Thanks, Erin!
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Gilbert

Gilbert

Excellent service. Very friendly and had a wonderful knowledge of the area and what was available. Fun to work with and found answers quickly to any of our questions. Would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for land or...
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Erwin & Sue J.

Erwin & Sue J.

Erin has to be one of the best Realtors® out there. My wife and I can't think of a single time we called, and didn't get an answer very quickly. If you're looking for a house for any reason, Erin is the person to see.
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Buyer

Buyer

Erin stuck with us for 2 years, we were looking at everything we could, and We kept changing our minds. Finally in November after going through 6 houses, we finally find the one that make us smile and say this is it. Erin quick...
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Julie & Glenn H.

Julie & Glenn H.

My husband and I could not be happier with Erin Halstead. Erin was outstanding in every way throughout the whole process of finding and buying our new house. She helped us to narrow our search, identify the right neighborhood, ...
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Amy N.

Amy N.

Erin is Awesome! She met us on short notice when we popped down to the area to visit family. In a matter of 3 days, she showed us about a dozen homes, gave us a great insight into the area, and even submitted an offer for us. T...
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Buyer | Seller

Buyer | Seller

I am so proud to call her an Associate. I love this woman and what she stands for.
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Bryan

Bryan

Erin is extremely knowledgeable about the Boca Grande Englewood area worked tirelessly to find us the right spot for our business and made the whole process of buying the property a breeze.
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Erik S.

Erik S.

Amazing experience with Erin. Her knowledge of the local builders and homes under construction allowed her to secure me a new home in this seller's market. she also helped me through the complex process of selling the three pro...
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Sherri L.

Sherri L.

We recently listed and sold our home with Erin Halstead. I am quite sure you are already aware of what a great agent she is and what a great job she does. The effort and quality of marketing that went into listing our home were...
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Erin offers clients a real estate journey that is more than a sales transaction. Helping people realize their dreams while making a smart real estate investment brings Erin great satisfaction.

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