Seller's Corner

Why you should choose me to sell your home:

For most families, selling your home is one of the biggest financial decisions they will ever make. The process can be daunting, with many important questions that need to be answered. Choosing the best Realtor to market and sell your home can make all the difference, turning an otherwise difficult, stressful process into a comfortable, informed experience that you are in control of. As a top area Realtor, I will make sure that you get the best price for your home, in the least amount of time.

• I analyze and determine home values in the Southeast Florida market every day. As a top real estate expert in this market, I can help you determine exactly what your home is worth in the current market. Then, as an experienced professional, I'll market your home and negotiate on your behalf to sell your home at the best price possible.
• I will aggressively market your home not just locally, but on a national basis. Through my professional contacts and affiliations, as well as my advanced technology tools, I can instantly put your home listing in all of the places qualified buyers are looking. Within minutes, I can alert every Realtor in the, as well as national firms that specialize in helping people relocate to new areas.
• I will come to your home and personally advise you of how to best prepare your home to get the highest price, in the shortest amount of time.
• I will protect your best interests throughout the entire process. You can leverage my years of experience as a top real estate professional to answer all of your questions about every aspect of the selling and closing process. You will be informed and in control, every step of the way. It's my job to make sure your home selling experience is as comfortable and painless as possible!
• Help you stage your home and generate curb appeal to ensure you get the highest price.
• Assist with obtaining offers and help you in negotiating the best deal as smoothly as possible.
• Help you find your next home and answer all of your questions about the local market area, including schools, neighborhoods, the local economy, and more.

If you'll fill out this form, so I know a bit about you and your home, I can get back to you right away. 

Selling your home shouldn't be a stressful ordeal. Making the smart move of choosing a REALTOR® is your first step to ensuring that your investment in your home pays off. My services and experience allow you to focus on your move while I manage your home sale from our initial consultation to the closing deal, and beyond. I pride myself on repeat business and hope you'll come to understand why.

 Eight Steps to Selling Your Home:

1. Define your needs. Write down all the reasons for selling your home. Ask yourself, "Why do I want to sell and what do I expect to accomplish with the sale?" For example, a growing family may prompt your need for a larger home, or a job opportunity in another city may necessitate a move. For your goals, write down if you'd like to sell your house within a certain time frame or make a particular profit margin. Work with your real estate agent to map out the best path to achieve your objectives and set a realistic time frame for the sale.
   
   
2. Name your price. Your next objective should be to determine the best possible selling price for your house. Setting a fair asking price from the outset will generate the most activity from other real estate agents and buyers. You will need to take into account the condition of your home, what comparable homes in your neighborhood are selling for, and state of the overall market in your area. It's often difficult to remain unbiased when putting a price on your home, so your real estate agent's expertise is invaluable at this step. Your agent will know what comparable homes are selling for in your neighborhood and the average time those homes are sitting on the market. If you want a truly objective opinion about the price of your home, you could have an appraisal done. This typically costs a few hundred dollars. Remember: You're always better off setting a fair market value price than setting your price too high. Studies show that homes priced higher than 3 percent of their market value take longer to sell. If your home sits on the market for too long, potential buyers may think there is something wrong with the property. Often, when this happens, the seller has to drop the price below market value to compete with newer, reasonably priced listings.
   
   
3. Prepare your home. Most of us don't keep our homes in "showroom" condition. We tend to overlook piles of boxes in the garage, broken porch lights, and doors or windows that stick. It's time to break out of that owner's mindset and get your house in tip-top shape. The condition of your home will affect how quickly it sells and the price the buyer is willing to offer. First impressions are the most important. Your real estate agent can help you take a fresh look at your home and suggest ways to stage it and make it more appealing to buyers. * A home with too much "personality" is harder to sell. Removing family photos, mementos and personalized décor will help buyers visualize the home as theirs. * Make minor repairs and replacements. Small defects, such as a leaky faucet, a torn screen or a worn doormat, can ruin the buyer's first impression. * Clutter is a big no-no when showing your home to potential buyers. Make sure you have removed all knick-knacks from your shelves and cleared all your bathroom and kitchen counters to make every area seem as spacious as possible.
   
   
4. Get the word out. Now that you're ready to sell, your real estate agent will set up a marketing strategy specifically for your home. There are many ways to get the word out, including: * The Internet * Yard signs * Open houses * Media advertising * Agent-to-agent referrals * Direct mail marketing campaigns In addition to listing your home on the MLS, your agent will use a combination of these tactics to bring the most qualified buyers to your home. Your agent should structure the marketing plan so that the first three to six weeks are the busiest.
   
   
5. Receive an offer. When you receive a written offer from a potential buyer, your real estate agent will first find out whether or not the individual is prequalified or preapproved to buy your home. If so, then you and your agent will review the proposed contract, taking care to understand what is required of both parties to execute the transaction. The contract, though not limited to this list, should include the following: * Legal description of the property * Offer price * Down payment * Financing arrangements * List of fees and who will pay them * Deposit amount * Inspection rights and possible repair allowances * Method of conveying the title and who will handle the closing * Appliances and furnishings that will stay with the home * Settlement date * Contingencies At this point, you have three options: accept the contract as is, accept it with changes (a counteroffer), or reject it. Remember: Once both parties have signed a written offer, the document becomes legally binding. If you have any questions or concerns, be certain to address them with your real estate agent right away.
   
   
6. Negotiate to sell. Most offers to purchase your home will require some negotiating to come to a win-win agreement. Your real estate agent is well versed on the intricacies of the contracts used in your area and will protect your best interest throughout the bargaining. Your agent also knows what each contract clause means, what you will net from the sale and what areas are easiest to negotiate. Some negotiable items: * Price * Financing * Closing costs * Repairs * Appliances and fixtures * Landscaping * Painting * Move-in date Once both parties have agreed on the terms of the sale, your agent will prepare a contract.
   
   
7. Prepare to close. Once you accept an offer to sell your house, you will need to make a list of all the things you and your buyer must do before closing. The property may need to be formally appraised, surveyed, inspected or repaired. Your real estate agent can spearhead the effort and serve as your advocate when dealing with the buyer's agent and service providers. Depending on the written contract, you may pay for all, some or none of these items. If each procedure returns acceptable results as defined by the contract, then the sale may continue. If there are problems with the home, the terms set forth in the contract will dictate your next step. You or the buyer may decide to walk away, open a new round of negotiations or proceed to closing. Important reminder: A few days before the closing, you will want to contact the entity that is closing the transaction and make sure the necessary documents will be ready to sign on the appropriate date. Also, begin to make arrangements for your upcoming move if you have not done so.
   
   
8. Close the deal. "Closing" refers to the meeting where ownership of the property is legally transferred to the buyer. Your agent will be present during the closing to guide you through the process 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. In some states, an attorney is required and you may wish to have one present. After the closing, you should make a "to do" list for turning the property over to the new owners. Here is a checklist to get you started. * Cancel electricity, gas, lawn care, cable and other routine services. * If the new owner is retaining any of the services, change the name on the account. * Gather owner's manuals and warranties for all conveying appliances.

Getting the Best Price for Your Home

Effective marketing is the key to selling your home quickly and getting the highest price. Aggressive, effective marketing of my client's property by every available medium is how I've become a top Realtor in the Southeast Florida area. It's my job to assure that you get as many qualified offers as possible; allowing you to extract the highest price the market will bear.

One of the most important elements of marketing your home effectively is setting the price right. Set the price too high, and you won't get any offers and your home will take too long to sell. Set it too low and you cheat yourself by not getting your homes full, fair value. As an expert in Southeast Florida area real estate, I analyze the market and set area home prices every single day. I'll work closely with you to assure that everything possible is done to get the highest price, in the time frame you need.

The condition and appearance of your home are also critical factors in getting the best price for your home. I'll personally walk through your home with you and advise you of what you can do to properly stage your home most effectively. Some areas are much more important and more likely to pay off than others! Often, the buyer is motivated by emotional responses as much or more than financial issues. There are usually things I can point out to you that are easy and inexpensive, yet go a long way towards triggering those "buy" emotions.

As your agent, I'll negotiate furiously on your behalf throughout the entire process to ensure that your best interests are protected. Real estate negotiations and contracts can be intimidating in their complexity. Most people have almost no experience in these negotiations after all, how often do you buy or sell a new house? As a top real estate professional, getting you the best terms and prices in all negotiations is simply part of my job.

 

Setting the Sales Price

Before we set the sales price of your house, I'll run a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that will show the listing price of similar houses in the area as well as the prices at which the houses actually sold. Additionally, the analysis will give us information about houses currently on the market and about houses that were on the market but never sold.

Next, I'll ask you about your goals in selling the house. Everyone who sells a house has different goals that need to be factored in when calculating the selling price.

• Is your goal to get the maximum sales price for your house?
  • If so, are you willing to have your house on the market for many months?

• Is your goal to sell your house quickly?
  • If so, are you willing to sacrifice some of your potential profits to sell more quickly?

• Would you like to establish a balance between selling your house quickly and selling at the top end of market value?

Market conditions will play a role in setting the sales price of your property.  I'll factor in how quickly houses are selling in your area, interest rates, the strength of the school system, and finally whether it is a buyer's or seller's market.

I'll then recommend a price at which to list your property to meet your goals in the local market area.

 

Why you should get an Inspection

Whether you are buying or selling a home, you should have a professional home inspection performed.

A home inspection will look at the systems that make up the building such as:

• Structural elements, foundation, framing etc
• Plumbing systems
• Roofing
• Electrical systems
• Cosmetic condition, paint, siding etc

If you are buying a home, you need to know exactly what you are getting. A home inspection, performed by a professional home inspector, will reveal any hidden problems with the home so that they may be addressed BEFORE the deal is closed. You should require an inspection at the time you make a formal offer. Make sure the contract has an inspection contingency. Then, hire your own inspector and pay close attention to the inspection report. If you aren’t comfortable with what he finds, you should kill the deal.

Likewise, if you are selling a home, you want to know about such potential hidden problems before your house goes on the market. Almost all contracts include the condition that the contract is contingent upon completion of a satisfactory inspection. And most buyers are going to insist that the inspection be a professional home inspection, usually by an inspector they hire. If the buyers inspector finds a problem, it can cause the buyer to get cold feet and the deal can often fall through. At best, surprise problems uncovered by the buyers inspector will cause delays in closing, and usually you will have to pay for repairs at the last minute, or take a lower price on your home.

It's better to pay for your own inspection before putting your home on the market. Find out about any hidden problems and correct them in advance. Otherwise, you can count on the buyer’s inspector finding them, at the worst possible time.

 

Staging Your House

One of the first things I will do before putting your house on the market is prepare your house for sale. I want to show your house off in its best light to maximize your earning potential. I will tour your house with the eye of a buyer - what works, what doesn't work.

 

Getting the Highest Price for Your Home

Does your house have curb appeal? Can we give it a little more pizzazz to draw the buyer in? Would a bit of touch-up paint add dollars to the sale? What about the garden? Is the lawn in order and neatly edged? Are trees and bushes neatly pruned? Are flowers in bloom? If not, it may be time for a garden upgrade. Adding colorful annuals to the front garden will make a big difference. Remember, creating curb appeal will add dollars to your house's final selling price.

Curb appeal is key and could make a difference whether people stop and take a flyer, or drive right by. Here are a few tips to increase the curb appeal of your home. Staging your home is important. Many buyers will stay in your home longer if it's staged appropriately. I have compiled some ideas to present your home in the most effective manner.

Closing Costs to Expect:

• Title insurance fees depend on the sales price of the home.
• Broker's commission is a full-service fee and will cost anywhere between 5% to 7%.
• Local property transfer tax, county transfer tax, state transfer tax, and state capital gains tax are the charges that you'll pay for the privilege of selling your home. Credit to the buyer of unpaid real estate taxes for the prior or current year are variable and depend on when you close and when your taxes are due.
• FHA fees and costs are all fees are now negotiable between an FHA buyer and seller.
• Home inspections fees are in some circumstances paid for by the seller and include pest, radon and other inspections.
• Miscellaneous fees can accrue from correcting problems noticed during the home inspection.

 

 Find out how much your closing costs could be.

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