Preparing to Sell Your Home

"What do you need to consider when preparing to sell your home?"
To be certain your home will be its most appealing to a potential buyer:

• Make a great first impression.
  • Well-cared-for lawn
  • Plowed driveway in winter
  • Seasonal door decoration
• Make all necessary repairs.
• Remove clutter to make your home more spacious.
  • Neat closets
  • Organized basement
• Keep things light and bright.
  • Sunny, well-lit rooms look larger
  • Fresh paint makes them seem new
• Highlight your home's best features.
  • Arrange your furnishings to spotlight a beautiful view
  • Use colors to draw attention to a charming fireplace
• Add special touches to create an inviting atmosphere
  • Fresh flowers
  • Scented candles

Most importantly, have someone take an unbiased look at your home's appeal. A knowledgeable person, like myself, a seasoned profressional Weichert Sales Associate, will offer specific suggestions that let you add to its value without spending a lot of money.

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Home Sellers' Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q.  Why shouldn't I price my house a little high, since I can always drop the price later?
A. That's a strategy that sounds good – but, in fact, is more likely to result in a lower price. Here's why. The first few weeks a house is on the market is when it will have the most activity. If a house is overpriced, it has to compete with houses at that higher price level, which are almost certainly larger or have newer/more luxurious features.

So the overpriced home is unlikely to attract an offer. Worse yet, those first weeks are when real estate agents preview the house. If it's overpriced, they may not even bother to show it to their buyers. Eventually, the seller will have to drop the price – and may end up with an even lower price because buyers will wonder why the house has been on the market so long and may factor that into their offer. A Weichert Price Trend Analysis provides a unique method for arriving at a selling price that takes your local market situation into account.

Q. What is meant by the term "contingency" in a sales contract?
A. Sales contracts typically contain several "contingency" clauses, or stipulations that the sale is subject to. For example, with a mortgage contingency, if the buyer is unable to obtain financing within the specified timeframe, neither the buyer nor the seller is required to complete the purchase. Among other common provisions in the "subject to" section are termite and other inspection issues and the purchaser's need to sell a current home first.

Q. What is an escape clause?
A. An escape clause, also known as a kickout or knockout clause, is a provision that allows the party to void the contract. For example, the seller may retain the right to look for a more favorable offer, with the original purchaser retaining the right, if challenged, either to firm up the first sales contract (such as by waiving a contingency) or to void the contract. As another example, sellers might insist upon an escape clause in a contract that hinges on the buyers' selling their home.

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What's My Home Worth?

A pricing strategy that is sensitive to market trends is most likely to achieve the best end result.
Pricing a home for an optimal result is both science and art, and Weichert Sales Associates apply considerable study and skill to this critical professional task. Determining an attractive initial listing price is especially important, because homes almost always gain the most attention in their first two weeks on the market. As you can see from the chart below, pricing greatly affects the number of buyers you will attract.

As a starting point, I will thoroughly research comparable homes in your neighborhood and town and advise you of recent sale prices and how similar homes are priced now, and even review homes that didn't sell and were taken off the market. Location, property size/features, style, age, physical condition, special features, and recent enhancements will all be considered in assessing your home's value.

To analyze the data, use a unique tool called a Price Trend Analysis. It goes beyond the capabilities of a typical Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) by projecting local price trends. With this method, I can use the many market influences that impact price – including supply of homes versus demand, how the local economy is faring, and home appreciation rates – to help you determine the best asking price for your home.

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Marketing Your Home the Right Way

"What does it take to bring you buyers?"
The process begins with getting to know you and your home. In an initial meeting, before you ever commit to hiring me as your Sales Associate, I will take exterior and interior photos, measure each room, and assess your home's key features. I will also ask about any improvements you may have made over the years and listen to whatever concerns you may have.

Everything I learn will go into creating a customized marketing plan that will provide you with a clear idea of what will be done to attract the most potential buyers to your home. Your plan will include such features as:

• A schedule of marketing activities
• A list of print materials and websites that will carry the ad for your home
• Promotional materials to hand out or mail with photos of your home and its special features
• The use of our Open House program to bring you potential buyers

Once you list with Weichert, I will immediately start putting the marketing plan into action to help you achieve a timely sale at the best possible price.

To make an appointment for an initial meeting,
please call 407-227-3621 or click on the contact form below

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Open House Program

Did you know that almost 3 of every 4 homebuyers visit at least one open house*?
Although not everyone decides to hold an Open House, I recommend very strongly that you do. Our commitment to our industry-leading Open House Program has turned it into an especially powerful marketing technique. Weichert Open Houses lead directly to thousands of home sales each year.**

Weichert holds more Open Houses than anyone else because we understand how to make them work so well for our clients. More than just an Open House, in fact, our Open House Program is a 3-step process. We have learned that what's done beforehand and after are just as important to selling your home as the Open House itself.

Step one: Use every means to drive customers to attend.

• Online and traditional advertising
• Direct mail and phone calling
• The familiar Weichert signs with their yellow balloons***

Step two: Don't just "show" the home, conduct tours.

• Explain your home's benefits using detailed highlight sheets
• Emphasize its affordability by presenting several mortgage options

Step three: Follow up

• Contact every visitor who signed your guest registry
• A phone call within 24 hours

Marketing Your Home to the Right Buyers

"What happens after I receive an offer?"
When you receive an offer, you'll get an excited rush. If the offer is a little low, however, you may want to counter that offer, and that's where the negotiating skills of your Sales Associate will come in. Rest assured that I am well trained in the techniques and complex psychology of negotiation and can negotiate on your behalf with your best interests in mind.

If the buyer counters your counteroffer, you'll want to set aside the emotions involved and frame your next move. Often introducing an issue other than price can be a winner for you. For instance, I may suggest to the buyer that while your price is firm, you will agree to leave behind major appliances that the buyer would otherwise have to purchase out-of-pocket.

I can help you get favorable terms as well. A flexible or delayed closing date, for example, can give you the time you need to purchase another home. Conversely, an early closing date can have real financial benefit if you've already purchased another home and need to close quickly to avoid carrying two mortgages.

When you receive an offer, or if more than one offer comes in, you also want to look at how "solid" the offer(s) is. I can help you assess offer(s) by weighing such crucial factors as whether the buyer has a mortgage pre-approval, how much they're putting down, whether they have a home to sell, and so on.

Sometimes the most emotionally charged negotiating follows the various home inspections that come after the contract is signed. "Who pays for what" is strictly a matter of negotiation, and I will help you take a balanced stance that's 1) tough enough to protect the home equity you want to walk away with, yet 2) has enough cushioning to avoid alienating the buyer and jeopardizing the sale itself.

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