Pre-Listing Preparation
Determine Market Price
Before your agent can provide you with a market price, your agent will need to tour your property and take detailed notes about your homes features and condition. Your agent will ask you questions about your home so that they can get a real feel for what living in the home is like. The goal is to accurately portray your home's lifestyle to a prospective buyer. If there is an issue that may negatively affect the overall value of your home, your agent will discuss how to address it in the marketing. Once your agent has all the information needed, they will prepare a market analysis for your home. This report will show you what has recently sold in your area as well as the other homes for sale in your area that our your homes direct competition. The report contains an estimated price range for your home. Depending on market conditions, you and your agent will discuss and determine the pricing strategy that is best for your property.
Preparing the Property
Other than major repairs, you should never have to "break the bank" to prepare your home for sale. A good cleaning and a fresh coat of neutral colored paint are usually all most sellers need to do. If you have pets or smoke, you may want to consider renting an ozone generator to help eliminate lingering odors. You should also declutter your closets, countertops and cabinets, and depersonalize the home by removing family photos and keepsakes. Additionally, if there are any items that will not be included in the sale (that chandelier grandma gave you) you should remove and/or replace the item prior to photographing the property.
Curb Appeal and Staging
When buyers first pull up to your property, make sure your home is giving off a great impression. Mow the lawn, trim the hedges and pull up the weeds. Make sure toys, tools, ladders and equipment are stored properly and neatly away. Walkways and driveways should be swept and clear of debris. Inside the home, rearranging furniture to make living spaces appear larger and more open can help your home sell faster. You don't want the rooms to look too cluttered or too empty. The property should look move in ready so that buyers can visualize themselves living in the home. If you would like information on professional stagers or landscapers in our area, your agent should be able to provide you with that info.
Photography and Description
When your home is photographed, every room will be meticulously shoot from every angle and with various lighting effects. The exterior of the property will also be photographed from all sides. A photographer can never take too many photos. By having a large number of photos to select from, your agent can pick and choose the best images of your home. This will allow your agent to showcase your property at its absolute finest. Not only will your home's story be told in pictures, your agent will write a description that highlights the unique characteristics of your property. The goal is to accurate portray your home's lifestyle to a prospective buyer.
Marketing
MLS and IDX Feed
Every property marketed for sale is entered into NEREN, NH's local Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This MLS allows real estate agents from all over New England to view and share properties for sale with their buyers. From the MLS, properties are then syndicated out to a variety of other real estate websites through an IDX feed (internet data exchange). Your property will be advertised on big name real estate sites such as REALTOR.com, Zillow.com, Homes.com, as well as hundreds of other websites that participate in the IDX feed.
Social Media and Geo-Fence Ads
Not only will your property be on hundreds of real estate websites nationally and international through the IDX feed, but your property will also be advertised on all the major social media platforms. In addition, state-of-the-art "geo-fence" technology can target prospective buyers. You know how when you search for something on Google and the next thing you know you are getting ads for that item on every website you visit? Well, by identifying and analyzing consumer behavior, "geo-fence" ads do the same thing - following prospective buyers from site to site, keeping your property relevant and fresh in that buyers mind.
Signage, Print Media & Direct Mail
Your agent, with your permission, will place a "for sale: sign in front of your property along with a take one box containing custom full color property brochures. Additionally, custom property information packets will be created and left inside the home for buyers to take when viewing the property. Your property may also be advertised as needed in a variety of print medias and through direct mail campaigns that target local and out-of-state buyers.
Broker Tours, Open Houses and Private Showings
Your agent, again with your permission, will host broker tours and / or public open houses as needed. Broker tours are open only to real estate agents and allow these agents to preview your house in advance for their buyers. Open houses are open to the entire public. They can be very successful in low inventory "seller markets" as they allow multiple buyers through the door quickly. Private showings can be scheduled by buyers or buyer agents by calling your agent directly. Your agent will work with your schedule to arrange these private showings. Additionally, you should discuss the pros and cons of assisted vs. unassisted showings with your agent so that your property is shown in the way you want it to be.
Getting to Closing
Reviewing Offers
When an offer to purchase your property is receive from a potential buyer, your agent will review it with you carefully. They will explain each of the contract's contingencies so that you can make an informed decision on whether you want to accept, counter or reject the offer. In the case of multiple offers, contract contingencies sometimes are more important than the offer price. For example, if you want a quick close, a cash offer with no inspections and a buyer willing to close in 30 days might be a more appealing than the offer that is $5,000 higher but has a financing contingency and the buyer can't close for 60 days. Only you know what is right for your circumstances, so talk with your agent to make sure you understand the benefits and pitfalls of each offer before you accept and sign any contracts.
Inspections
If the offer you accept allows for a homes inspection, the buyer will hire a home inspector to make sure there are not any problems with the property. Your agent will coordinate with the inspector to provide them with access to your home. The inspector will provide the buyer with a home inspection report. The buyer may ask for repairs, replacement of items or money off the sales price if the report shows any items of concern. Your agent will help you determine the best course of action and response to the buyer's requests. Not all items of concern are deal breakers but some can cause the buyer to walk away. Your agent will be in your corner negotiating on your behalf an in your best interest during the entire process.
Appraisals
If the offer you accept has a mortgage contingency, this often means the bank will need to send out an appraiser to assess your home's value. Again, your agent will work with the appraiser to coordinate access to the property. If the appraisal comes in at or above the contract sales price, the buyer will be able to move forward with the sale. If the appraisal comes in below the contract price, the buyer may try to re-negotiate the sales price. The buyer's financial circumstances, the current housing market and the amount of the appraisal gap will all make a difference in how you and your agent will respond. You can rest assured, if the appraise is short, your agent will provide you with advice and negotiation guidance that is best for you.
Closing Day
Prior to closing, the buyer's title company or attorney will reach out to you to obtain critical information needed to prepare the closing documents and find out how you want to receive the proceeds of the sale. NEVER provide social security numbers or banking information via email without calling and verifying with the sender that the request is real. You will also need to hire an attorney to prepare the new deed into the buyer's name. Often, the buyer's title company can do this for your for less than an attorney can, so make sure to ask if this is something they can do for you.
In the days leading up to the closing, make sure you remove all of your personal possessions from the property, unless the contract specifically indicates an item is to stay. Most contracts state the house needs to be in "broom clean" condition, so a once over cleaning is always a good idea.
On the day of closing remember to bring your government-issued photo ID and any extra set of keys you may have for the property with you to the closing. The title company or attorney will walk you through all the the paperwork you need to sign including the deed transferring the title of the property to the buyer. The attorney or title company will record the new deed at the registry and you will receive your proceeds from the sale! Congratulations on selling your home!