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So you have decided to sell your home. Congratulations on making an important decision that will change your life. When it comes to selling your home, it can be a stressful time but if you follow our simple steps below, it should make the process quite a bit simpler for you. Shall we begin? Let’s Go!!!
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Step 1 - Preparatory Planning
To begin, you will need to gather any and all information applicable to your property. This could include such things as the deed, the property survey, utility bills, and mortgage statement and so on.
Also you will need to attend to any minor repairs around the house such as burnt out light bulbs, loose doorknobs, leaky taps, etc. Be sure as well that all electrical fixtures are in proper working order. Don’t forget to have your house is cleaned thoroughly so that when the time comes for an open house, the buyers will see the beautiful home you are selling, not the dirt. Keep the closets clutter free and organized, have the windows sparkling clean & get rid of those pesky cobwebs that may be around the house. |
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Step 2 - Selecting a Realtor
When selecting a real estate agent to sell your property, you want to make sure they are experienced in selling homes in your area. Ask them questions like how they plan on marketing your property, what their commission is, what they expect of you and any other questions that may cross your mind. Make sure to choose an agent that you are comfortable with, who understands your needs and you have confidence in. |
Step 3 - Listing Agreement
The listing agreement is contract document between the seller (you) and the listing agent (Exit Realty Metro). The listing describes the property which is being sold and the terms under which it is to be sold. The listing agreement also allows Exit Realty to set up our agency relationship and sets in motion the duties and responsibilities that come with the law as well as the agency. This contract is a standard form provided to us by our local real estate board and we must abide by their rules. |
Step 4 - Pricing Your Home
Getting the right price for your home is the key to selling it rapidly. You, the seller will provide the asking price but the buyer is who actually determines what the value of the home is. A strategy to try is to list a bit more then the price of properties recently sold and slightly under the price of the current competition. If you do overprice your home, you will be facing such things as less number of showings, losing potential buyers, reduces advertising responses, etc. |
Step 5 - Showing Your Home
It is important to have your property looking the best it can, this is your responsibility. It should be clean, tidy, and odor-free and make sure that any pets or children are out of the way. Be sure to pull your curtains back during day showings and in the evenings/night, close the curtains and have the lights on. It would also be a good idea if you were out of the house at the time of the showing to allow the agent to show the property with no distractions or interruptions.
Showings are always accompanied by the agent and are done by appointment only, which we will keep track of. There are times when we may want to hold a public showing of your home on the weekends that we use as a marketing strategy. |
Step 6 - Offers To Buy
When the buyer’s agent makes an offer on your property, they let me know and from there I will contact you to inform you of the offer. We then make an appointment to meet with you in person or via faxing where we will then provide you with the offer information. Often there are times when both I and the buying agent (who represents the buyer) will want to meet with you to present and discuss the offer. Together, we would read through the offer and I would explain to you the terms and conditions. Feel free to ask any questions as I clarify the offer with you. If you prefer to do so, we can ask the buying agent to leave the room so that we may discus the offer in private.
The offer lists the buyers, sellers, the price the buyer is willing to pay and under what conditions. There is an irrevocable date on the offer which means if you do not accept the offer by that date, then the purchaser may decline or revoke it. When you have discussed and understood the offer, you may accept it as is, reject it, or make changes, sign it back to the buyers to see if they are agreeable to accept your changes. By making changes to the offer, it means that you have rejected the original offer and it is now void. It is now up to the buyers whether they decide to accept your offer, reject it, or reply with a counter-offer. This process carries on until either of you reach an agreement or the negotiations come to a stop.
Once the offer is approved, the purchaser will submit a deposit including the offer to the listing broker. The deposit will be held in a trust account and will be used towards the purchase price on the closing date. Finally, after an agreement is reached and any conditions are waived, your lawyer receives the documents where he will then prepare the transfer papers, deals with any adjustments and then meets with the buyer’s lawyer on the closing date to exchange the keys for the payment of the property. |
Step 7 - Moving In
Congratulations, you just sold your house and now the time has come to start a new life in a new home. | |
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