Step
1.
Define
Needs
For
Selling
Your
Home
It is
important
to set
out in
writing
the
reasons
that are
motivating
you to
sell
your
current
home.
You
might
ask
yourself,
"Why am
I
selling
my home
and what
do I
expect
to
accomplish?"
If you
have a
growing
family
and you
need
more
space
you may
be under
less
pressure
to get
your
house
ready to
sell
than if
you
were,
let's
say,
moving
to a new
city due
to
career
opportunity.
Explore
your
short
and long
term
goals
and
decide
how
selling
your
house
fits
into
those
goals.
Your
agent
will
identify
all of
the
variables
within
your
individual
goals
and how
best to
achieve
them in
your
local
real
estate
market.
Your
real
estate
agent
will
apply
his or
her
expert
knowledge
to your
particular
needs
and set
a
realistic
time
frame
for the
process
to
proceed.
This
will
help you
to
establish
a time
management
path for
selling
your
home.
Step
2.
Determine
A
Pricing
Strategy
Your
next
objective
is to
consult
with
your
real
estate
agent to
determine
the best
possible
selling
price of
your
home.
You will
need to
take
into
account
the
state of
the
local
market,
the
condition
of your
home,
and
sales of
comparable
homes in
your
neighborhood.
He or
she will
create a
comparative
market
analysis
by
taking
into
consideration
the type
of
market
you are
in and
recent
sales of
comparable
properties.
Your
agent
will
then
guide
you to
the best
fair
market
price
that
will
help
sell
your
home
within
your
desired
time
frame.
Usually,
real
estate
agents
have a
clearer
and more
objective
sense of
market
value
than
anyone
else-
including
appraisers!
Often,
it can
be hard
for you,
as a
seller,
to also
maintain
objectivity,
so
remember
to be
reasonable
about
the
price
you set.
You will
always
be
better
off
setting
a fair
market
value
price
than
setting
your
price
high
expecting
that
someone
will
come
along
and be
willing
to pay
it. If
your
home
stays on
the
market
too long
because
it is
overpriced,
potential
buyers
may
think
that
something
is wrong
with it
and you
may end
up
selling
it for
less
than
what you
could
have
gotten
if you
had
started
out with
a
realistic
asking
price.
Step
3.
Prepare
Your
Property
For
Selling
It's
time to
get your
home in
"showing
and
selling"
condition.
Most of
us don't
keep our
homes in
the
condition
it would
need to
be in to
sell.
Over the
years
those
boxes in
the
corner
of the
garage
just
seem to
multiply
on their
own.
Things
have
broken
that we
just
never
get
around
to
fixing
and some
things
have
just
worn
out. We
just
accept
the fact
that
they
will
always
be this
way. It
is this
frame of
mind
that you
have to
break
out of
in order
to get
your
house
ready to
show.
How your
home
looks
will
have an
immense
impact
on how
quickly
it sells
and
whether
or not
you get
full
market
value
for it.
First
impressions
are very
important
and you
only get
to make
one.
Your
real
estate
agent,
who is
interacting
in the
marketplace
every
day, can
assist
you in
approaching
your
home
from the
buyer's
standpoint.
What
needs to
be
changed
to make
a good
first
impression?
This may
mean
that all
you do
is prune
the
trees
and
shrubs.
On the
other
hand, it
may mean
that you
completely
repaint
the
house,
inside
and out.
Do a
"curb to
door"
check.
Give the
potential
buyers a
clear
path to
enter
the
home.
The
fewer
obstacles
between
the
buyer
and the
true
appeal
of your
home the
better.
Keep in
mind
that
over
time we
become
accustomed
to our
surroundings.
What's
normal
for you
may be
detrimental
to the
buyer.
Make
your
home
look as
spacious
as
possible.
Organize
your
closets
and
kitchen
cabinets,
and if
you have
things
stored
in the
attic or
basement,
make
sure
they are
presentable.
If you
are
showing
during
the day,
pull
back
your
curtains
and
drapes
to show
how
bright
and
cheery
your
home is.
If you
are
showing
at
night,
turn on
all of
the
lights
to
create a
warm and
welcoming
environment
for the
prospective
buyers.
A home
that is
marked
with
your
personality
and
style
may be
harder
to sell.
You
might
even
consider
such
things
as
removing
obvious
clues to
your
political
affiliation
and
tucking
away any
biased
literature
that may
be
visible.
This
will
reduce
distractions
and help
the
buyers
to
visualize
the home
as their
own.
Step
4.
Establish
A
Marketing
Strategy
Now that
your
home is
ready,
it's
time to
put it
up for
sale and
market
it.
Establishing
a
marketing
strategy
with
your
real
estate
agent is
a must.
Your
agent
will
expose
your
home to
the most
potential
buyers
possible
using a
marketing
plan
that
will
have the
highest
possibility
of
bringing
not only
the most
buyers,
but also
the most
qualified
buyers,
to your
doorstep.
There
are many
different
ways to
get the
word out
there
that
your
home is
for
sale. A
yard
sign,
flyers,
and
direct
marketing
are just
a few of
the many
options
available.
If you
are in a
buyer's
market
you will
have to
be extra
careful
when
choosing
a plan.
You
don't
want
your
home to
sit with
no one
showing
interest.
You and
your
agent
should
structure
your
marketing
strategy
so that
the
first
3-6
weeks
that
your
house is
on the
market
will be
the
busiest.
Step
5.
Receive
Offers
On The
Home
When a
buyer
decides
to buy
your
home, an
offer
will be
presented.
Your
real
estate
agent
will
advise
you as
to
whether
or not
the
prospective
buyer is
qualified
to
purchase
your
home.
After
all,
there is
no
reason
to
review
an offer
if the
person(s)
making
it will
not be
able to
actually
buy your
home.
You and
your
real
estate
agent
will
then
review
the
written
document,
taking
care to
note
what is
required
of both
parties
to
execute
the
transaction.
The
contract
should
protect
the best
interests
of all
parties
involved
and
should
be
comprehensive
in
nature.
Once you
accept
the
contract,
it may
be too
late to
make any
changes.
The
contract,
though
not
limited
to this
list,
should
include
the
following:
A legal
description
of the
property
The
offering
price
The down
payment
Financing
arrangements
A list
of fees
and who
will pay
them
Amount
of the
deposit
Inspection
rights
and
possible
repair
allowances
The
method
of
conveying
the
title
and who
will
handle
the
closing
A list
of
appliances
and
furnishings
which
will
stay
with the
home
The
settlement
date
Any
relevant
contingencies
Remember
that the
legalities
of this
phase
are very
important.
If you
have any
questions
or
concerns,
be
certain
to
address
them
with
your
real
estate
agent
right
away.
Step
6.
Negotiate
To Sell
Your
Home
Most
offers
to
purchase
your
home
will
require
some
level of
negotiation
to come
to a
win-win
agreement.
Your
real
estate
agent is
well
versed
on the
legalities
of the
real
estate
contract
used in
your
area and
will
handle
the
responsibility
of
protecting
your
best
interest
throughout
these
negotiations.
In
addition,
your
agent
has a
thorough
understanding
of the
contract
itself,
including
what
each
contract
clause
means to
you and
your
buyer,
what you
will net
from the
sale of
your
home,
and what
areas in
the
contract
lend
themselves
easiest
to
negotiation.
Your
agent
will
review
the
written
offer
with you
to make
sure
that you
thoroughly
understand
what the
buyers
are
offering
and what
they are
asking
in
return.
Some of
the
items
that you
may have
to
negotiate
are:
The
price
Financing
Closing
costs
Repairs
that
need to
be done
Appliances
and
fixtures
Landscaping
Painting
Occupancy
time
frame
To
really
gain
some
insight
into why
potential
buyers
are
pursuing
the
purchase
of your
home and
how they
might
proceed
in the
negotiations,
it is
also
important
to know
as much
about
the
buyer as
possible,
especially
their
motivation
for
buying.
Once
both
parties
have
reached
a point
where
the deal
is
acceptable,
your
agent
will be
certain
that you
have a
legally
executable
contract.
Step
7. Find
the
Vendors
You Need
Once you
have
accepted
an offer
to sell
your
home,
your
real
estate
agent
will
inform
you of
all the
procedures
involved
in order
to
proceed
successfully
to
closing,
as well
as the
parties
responsible
for
completing
those
procedures
and
estimates
of
completion.
For
instance,
the
property
may need
to be
formally
appraised,
surveyed,
inspected
or
repaired.
Depending
on the
specifics
reached
during
the
negotiations,
you may
pay for
all,
some, or
none of
these
items.
Your
agent
will
then
coordinate
with all
the
parties
and keep
you
informed
as to
the
results
of the
various
procedures.
If each
procedure
returns
acceptable
results
as
defined
by the
contract,
then the
sale may
continue.
If there
are
problems
with the
property
the
terms
set
forth in
the
contract
will
dictate
your
next
step.
Depending
on the
contract,
you or
the
buyer
may
decide
to walk
away,
open a
new
round of
negotiations,
or
close.
Your
agent
will
advise
you
throughout
this
process
and will
help you
coordinate
any
actions
you must
take to
keep the
sale
moving
forward.
There
are some
sales
that go
smoothly
and some
that
require
a lot of
work to
get to
the
closing
table.
Until
you get
into it,
you
won't
know
which
one you
have on
your
hands.
Either
way,
your
agent
will be
there
with you
every
step of
the way.
Step
8.
Pre-Close
Preparation
A few
days
before
the
closing,
your
real
estate
agent
will
contact
the
entity
closing
the
transaction.
He or
she will
make
sure
that all
of the
necessary
forms
and
documents
have
been
prepared
and are
going to
be
available
for you
to sign
on the
appropriate
date.
Your
agent
will
also
contact
each
party to
the
transaction
to be
certain
that
they
have
taken
all
actions
necessary
for
closing,
so the
entire
closing
can
proceed
on the
date and
time
planned.
Your
agent
will
also
prepare
you in
advance
for the
process
of the
closing,
advising
you of
any
documents
you must
bring to
the
closing,
how much
time to
block
off for
the
closing,
and any
other
information
that is
pertinent
to the
closing
meeting
itself.
Step
9. Close
On The
Home
"Closing"
refers
to the
meeting
where
ownership
of the
property
is
legally
transferred
to the
buyer.
Your
real
estate
agent
will be
present
during
the
closing
to help
explain
the
process
and
forms to
you and
make
sure
everything
goes as
planned.
By being
present
during
the
closing,
he or
she can
mediate
any last
minute
issues
that may
arise.
As the
seller,
you will
need to
be
prepared
to give
over any
necessary
documentation
regarding
the
property
and,
depending
on the
arrangements
made
during
negotiations,
you may
be
required
to have
done
something
specific
in order
to
close.
Be sure
to read
all the
documents
and ask
any
questions
you may
have. It
is
important
that you
understand
every
document
you are
signing.
Step
10.
Post-Close
Activity
Congratulations
on the
successful
sale of
your
home!
Hopefully,
everything
went
smoothly
and you
will be
vacating
your
house in
the time
frame
that you
had
anticipated.
Your
real
estate
agent
will
help you
create a
checklist
of all
the
things
you will
need to
do to
turn the
property
over to
the new
owners.
You will
need to
make
sure
that all
of the
local
services
(i.e.
electricity,
gas,
lawn
care,
cable,
etc.)
have
been
cancelled
or, if
the new
owner is
going to
retain
some of
the
services,
the name
for the
account
should
be
changed.
The
property
and
anything
assigned
to the
buyer
according
to the
contract
should
be
prepared
appropriately
for the
new
owners.
This
will
make the
transition
as
smooth
and
effortless
as
possible.
