SELLING MADE EASY

Selling your home can be one of the most important transactions and financial decisions you will ever make. There are many excellent reasons you should choose a real estate professional to assist you in this important undertaking. I will ensure that you maximize your opportunities in the current real estate market. I will help you prepare your home for sale, price your property appropriately and get the word out to as many prospective buyers as possible. I will properly negotiate on your behalf when so much is at stake. I will also guide you through the complicated paperwork involved, from the initial agreement to the final documents all while keeping your best interests in mind. The benefits of using me as your agent are a quicker sale at a higher price and having a professional in your corner. I have your back!

Why SELL?

Why do you want to sell your property? Are you no longer living in your dream home or have your aspirations or lifestyle changed resulting in the need for a different home? Do you intend to simply find a larger property, or do you plan on moving to another neighborhood, school district, city or state? You might think your reasons are obvious, but it is important to consider the implications of each option for your lifestyle, opportunities, and finances.

Many are talking about why now is a great time to buy a home, but it might also be an opportune time to sell your house since demand is typically high in the Denver Metro area. Homes have been selling at a record pace over the past several years. There are buyers out there right now and they are serious about purchasing.

New construction is coming back. Most homeowners selling their home four years ago did not have to compete with a new construction project around the block, but more and more builders are gearing back up and construction will continue to be on the rise in the immediate future. These ‘shiny’ new homes will again become competition as they are an attractive alternative for many purchasers, so selling now might be a good idea.  Plus, selling while demand is high and supply is low may garner you your best price.

Deciding to sell your property demands a serious consideration of your current financial situation and future possibilities. With my help, you will be able to effectively assess the cumulative impact of these changes and estimate potential proceeds of selling your property.

It is important to establish your time frame for selling. If you need to sell quickly, I can speed up the process by giving you a complete market analysis and action plan to obtain all of your goals. If there is no pressing need to sell immediately, we can sit down to thoroughly review the current market conditions and find the most favorable time to sell.

When you work with me, you can be sure that you will have my knowledge, expertise and negotiating skills at work for you to arrive at the best market prices and terms. I will keep you up-to-date on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and conditions of competing properties.
 

what is the value of your home?

The most important step in selling your home is pricing it correctly from the onset.  It’s a well-known fact that overpriced homes take longer to sell and usually sell for a lower price.  Since the majority of your showings will occur in the first 30 days on the market it is crucial that your initial list price matches buyer expectations.  With my advanced market analysis software and extensive market knowledge, I will build a comprehensive report that will accurately determine the optimal list price range for your home.  
 

before you list your home

First impressions are everything. In order to get top dollar for your home you have to make your home look its best. I can help you identify and prioritize repairs and improvements that will provide the best return on your investment and make your home really shine. 

Make a great first impression before potential buyers even go inside your home and always keep your curb appeal in mind. Keeping your landscape pristine, and adding creative touches to your yard, such as colorful annuals, will create an immediate impact potential buyers and even passers-by. While the front yard is key to making a good first impression, more home-owners spend time out back, so sellers should be sure lawns, shrubs, trees, and amenities like a fence and air conditioning condensers are also maintained.

De-clutter your home while you reassess whether you want to keep certain items for your next home. Clear off counters and streamline the items on your bookcases. Purge basements, attics and garages of old items you no longer need while organizing a few items you keep. I recommend emptying out closets or at least clearing out a large portion of items since clean, spacious closets are a coveted feature among buyers. It is also a good idea to take down some personal photos you might have framed so that buyers have an easier time envisioning themselves living in that home.

You can do a lot to increase the appeal of your property and create a lasting impact on potential buyers with simple upgrades such as window repairs, polishing the doorknobs, and a fresh coat of paint in the most frequently used rooms which will instantly brighten up the home.  If you have the time and budget, I recommend painting any rooms that don’t fit within a neutral palette as some buyers have a hard time seeing beyond the paint if it doesn’t fit their taste. Patch holes in walls, remove scuff-marks from floors, fix broken blinds, etc. are small things that can make a big impact.

There are several rooms buyers tend to focus on that may shape their perception of your home and how it compares to other properties they might have seen, so it is beneficial if the seller takes time to address these rooms in particular. The kitchen is the home’s most popular gathering spot so make sure it really shines. Organize cabinets, clear out the refrigerator, make sure to show buyers what space is used for food storage if there isn’t a formal pantry in your home and most of all, make sure everything looks and smells clean. Another room to focus on is the bathrooms in your home. Make them spotless. Not every seller has a spa bathroom to unwind in, but clean grout, tiles, shower door, and vanity can make a big difference in an average bathroom. Clear out the prime real estate of a medicine cabinet, add crisp white or other neutral towels and fresh soaps. With more home owners working from home, a separate room or corner for an office can boost sales appeal. Help potential buyers envision the space and ensure that the work area includes good illumination, a comfortable chair and clean equipment.

I can’t stress this enough, but giving your home a really good, deep cleaning before opening it up to buyers for viewing is so important and often overlooked. Your home should be spotless as you don’t want to turn away a potential buyer because they can’t see past the dirt and dust or get the impression that the home wasn’t cared for. Keep your property uncluttered, sweet smelling and well lit from top-to-bottom.

Pay attention to details: put away the kitty litter, place a vase of fresh flowers near the entryway, have your carpets cleaned. Add a few home decor items for sparkle. When in doubt, follow the “rule of three” by clustering decor items into threes to create visual appeal.  Simple staging techniques can make a huge difference on how buyers view your home and how they feel when inside. The final effect should reflect a clean home with neutral style.

marketing your home

My selling system was developed to provide my clients with a consistent and proven manner to get their home in front of as many potential buyers as possible. My marketing package includes professional photography of your home, social networking, web promotion, email outreach, open houses for the public and full color print materials. Other marketing vehicles are also available for an additional cost additional such as virtual tours, video home tours and launch events such as broker opens. When you hire me to sell your home, we will discuss your ideal buyer and implement a home marketing program designed to reach them.
 

the selling process

SHOWING YOUR HOME

Presenting your property to potential buyers is a job that I will take care of for you. Buyers feel more comfortable discussing your property without the sellers being at the home so I always recommend you plan to leave your home when appointments are scheduled. As your agent, I will work with the buyer’s representative to ensure information and selling points are shared about your home that presents you property in it’s best light.

THE OFFER

Once you receive an offer, we will carefully review the contract together to be sure you understand what is being offered since contracts are full of legal details that are at times difficult to understand. Generally speaking, you can accept your offer, reject it, or counter it to initiate the negotiation process until a mutual pending agreement is reached or the negotiations breakdown.

multiple offers

Some sellers may find themselves in the desirable situation of having multiple offers on their property. Price is not always the determining factor when accepting an offer for several important reasons: the initial offer is usually not final, and there are a number of terms and conditions that may influence the final outcome of a price. You can trust that I will help you thoroughly evaluate every proposal without compromising your marketing position and give you an objective assessment of each offer to help you make the choice that is right for you.

negotiating

Successfully negotiating a real estate contract is more than a matter of luck or natural talent.  When you receive an offer having an agent with a proven track record of bringing buyers and sellers together can make a huge impact on your final sales price.  It is my job to find a win-win agreement that is beneficial to all parties involved. As a real estate professional, I can skillfully negotiate to help you get to the highest price a potential buyer is willing to pay, as well as the best terms, shortest contingencies, fewest repairs and lowest closing costs.  Rather than approaching negotiations from an adversarial winner-take-all perspective, I focus on your top priorities and strive to keep emotions from over running the process.

the agreement

After the agreement is signed by both parties, you and the buyer will be given a timeline to mark every stage in the process of closing the real estate contract. Meeting the requirements on time ensures a smoother flow of negotiations so that each party involved is not in breach of their agreements. During the process I will keep you constantly updated, so you will always be prepared for the next step.

INSPECTIONS

Most buyers will arrange to have a licensed property inspector inspect the property within the time frame that was agreed upon in the agreement. They may elect to have different inspectors inspect the property, to obtain professional opinions from inspectors who specialize in specific areas (eg. roof, HVAC, structure). Depending on the outcome of these inspections, they may request a renegotiation of the terms of the contract after reviewing the property and the papers or they may be ready to move on to the next step.

APPRAISAL

If the agreement is conditional upon financing, then the property will be appraised by a licensed appraiser to determine the value for the lending institution, via a third party. This is done so that the lending institution can confirm their investment in your property is accurate. Appraisers are specialists in determining the value of properties, based on a combination of square footage measurements, building costs, recent sales of comparable properties, operating income, etc.

FINAL WALK-THROUGH

More of a formality than anything else, the buyers will be given the chance a day or two before closing to look at your home one last time to make sure it’s in the same condition as when you signed the sale agreement. They will verify that everything included in the purchase is still at the property and that there are no extra items left behind.

CLOSING

The closing agent (usually the title company) will furnish all parties involved with a settlement statement, which summarizes and details the financial transactions enacted in the process. You and the buyer will sign this statement, as well as the closing agent, certifying its accuracy. If you are unable to attend the scheduled closing, arrangements can be made with advanced notice. You should arrange to have all property keys and any other important information for the buyer at the closing.