10 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL HOME SALE

Step One:  Pricing Strategy

Determine the best competitive asking price for your home. Your agent will discuss with you about the risks of overpricing and show you a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), which compares your home with the sales prices of recently sold homes and homes currently on the market with similar features to your home in your area. Your agent will also take into consideration the state of the market and the condition of your home to assist you in setting the listing price.

Step Two:  Marketing Strategy

Listing your home on the FMLS and Georgia MLS to expose your home to thousands of real estate agents and potential buyers searching on hundreds of public versions of the MLS database on the Internet.  Advertise through For Sale yard signage, flyers in brochure box, holding open houses, and other supplemental advertising to target markets.

Step Three:  Writing a Customized Ad in Public Remarks of Your Listing

Your agent will write descriptive remarks specific to your home in the Public Remarks section of your listing to advertise your home.

Step Four:  Getting Your Home Ready for Showings

How your home looks will have an impact with home buyers’ first impressions and it may affect how soon you could sell your home and whether or not you could get a fair market value for your property. Click on "Preparing Your Home to Sell" on the Menu on how to make your home most appealing.  Your agent will also make specific suggestions for your home, if needed, to make your home most presentable.

Step Five:  Showing Your Home

For showings by agents, instruct agents to give you a "Courtesy Call" (your phone number will be printed on your FMLS and Georgia MLS listing and they will call you directly).  Agents usually call you one day before showing (if they do not provide a time frame of their visit or you need to know, you can ask them).  Most agents do not like by Appointment Only since it is hard to schedule one home at a specific time when they usually show numerous homes in a day.

Step Six:  Offer

You will be advised by your agent when an offer comes in to purchase your home. Your agent will review the document, which includes items such as the offer price, the seller’s contributions toward closing costs, earnest money amount, the financing and any other contingency periods, special stipulations, and present the offer to you.

Step Seven: Negotiating the Offer

Most offers will require a degree of negotiation. Sometimes it may mean walking a tightrope. Through intuition, psychology, flexibility and patience, your agent will help you with the negotiations until a meeting of minds could come together. Some of the items that you may need to negotiate are the sales price, closing costs, repair items, and any contingency items. Your agent’s knowledge on the legalities of the real estate contract will protect your best interest through the negotiations.

Step Eight: Home Inspection Items

If you have negotiated to make any repairs to your property, find the vendors that you will need. Your agent could recommend a list of vendors. Prior to the closing date, a walk-through by the buyer will be set up to confirm that the repairs have been made.

Step Nine: Pre-Closing Preparation

The closing attorney’s office will send a Seller’s Pre-Closing Information form in preparation for the closing for you to complete. This form enables the closing attorney’s office to obtain your loan payoff amount and other pertinent information. Your agent will follow up with the closing attorney’s office to check if the closing is proceeding as scheduled and receive your Settlement Statement as soon as possible to review with you.

Step Ten: Closing

Your agent will be present at the closing to make sure everything goes smoothly. Should any last minute problems come up, he/she will mediate in order to close.