Step by Step: How to Sell Your Home
Step 1: Find a Realtor
Your very first step when considering selling is speaking with a Realtor and getting a market analysis on your home. Interview several agents!
You will want to meet each agent at your home. They will then make suggestions for marketability, go over the recent neighborhood sales, and recommend a listing price.
How to Choose a Quality Realtor
9 Red Flags when Choosing a Realtor to Sell Your Home
Step 2: Make the Plan
Every home is different, and every home seller’s circumstances are unique. Your agent will walk you through what to expect, as well as different courses of actions depending on your priorities.
Your agent can walk you through alternative selling scenarios that may apply, like short sales, owner financing, loan assumption, or selling directly to an investor.
Choosing a Price for Your Home
What Does it Cost to Sell Your Home?
What to Expect When Selling to an Investor
Step 3: Prepare
Most often, you will want your home to be move-in ready. That may mean new carpets and paint, or perhaps even more work. Your home is not just a house – it is an experience. You want buyers to see themselves in your home the moment they walk in.
Improving the Condition of Your Home For Sale
8 Laws of Selling Your Home Vacant
8 Laws of Selling Your Home While Living In It
Step 4: Get Listed
Your home is ready. Now it’s time for pictures and to get listed on the MLS, Zillow, Realtor.com, and everywhere else in the world for buyers to see. This step may also include some paid advertising like Facebook ads. Anything that gets your house in front of buyers.
Get Exposure to Get Eyeballs
Your Listing Photos: Compare Amateur vs. Professional
Step 5: Show Buyers
Great. You have some buyers interested. Now you need to get them inside! That means getting other Realtors access to the property to show their clients. Yard signs, electronic lock boxes, open houses, and the works. And remember, you never know which buyer will be the one. So the answer to “can I show the home” should always be “YES!”.
If your home has been on the market a while without offers, it may be time to reassess. Your agent should get feedback from each showing, open house or property tour. Based on that feedback, consider making adjustments.
Making Your Home Accessible
You Lose $6,111 if Your Home Doesn’t Sell in a Month
Why Hasn’t My Home Sold Yet?
Step 6: Receive and Negotiate Offers
Congratulations! An offer! Your agent will walk you through each part of the contract, compare it to the offer terms you were hoping for, and make a recommendation. Your agent is an expert on the prevailing market conditions and what to expect. You are not committed to anything until you say “yes” and sign the dotted line.
The Contract
What to Expect During the Offer and Negotiation
Step 7: Get to Closing
Once under contract, the process of getting to closing begins! Your buyer will have the home inspected and may try to renegotiate if repairs are required. You aren’t obligated to anything until you sign! Your responsibilities will be getting the title company your personal information, mortgage payoffs, and fulfilling any agreements you made with the buyer in the contract.
How to Choose a Title Company for your Home
Due Diligence and Home Inspections
Step 8: Close
You’re here! Either at the title company or with a mobile notary, you can sign your documents and be done! Once both parties have signed and the funds have cleared, you will get a check for any amounts due, usually within 24 hours.
Not Fast Enough?
Selling your home on the market can take 3-6+ months. If you are in need of faster options, find out more below.
Technologically Savvy
Using the most current available technology helps in ever facet of selling your home – better marketing to tech savvy millennials, systematizing processes so important items don’t fall through the cracks, and adopting software that makes the experience easier on you. I built this website myself (do provide feedback below!) and am comfortable on a computer.
I also have a paid subscription to Inman, a real estate online magazine that keeps me updated on the latest in industry trends and technology.
SELL YOUR HOME WITH US!
Professional Photography
Your pictures are the first impression on your buyers. Don’t mess it up with lousy pictures taken by an agent. Professional photography makes a tremendous difference to you, the seller. Always have your best foot forward when your future buyer is on Zillow, browsing homes online, and sees these great pictures that sell your home by themselves.
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Extensive Market Knowledge
No one gets deeper into the market and numbers than I do. I dig into our local MLS all the time trying to come up with insights into our local market. I will give you a complete, realistic analysis of what your neighborhood trends are. You will know what to list your home for and what to expect during the process.
SELL YOUR HOME WITH US!Targeted Facebook Ads
Speaking of technology, it is important to get your home as much exposure as possible. That means some paid advertising, like the Facebook ad I created here. Simple? Yes. But effective. This particular ad got 4,594 views, 40 “likes” and 27 comments. Oh, and this listing went under contract in less than 7 days after posting the ad – with multiple offers and over the asking price.
SELL YOUR HOME WITH US!
Expertise and Professionalism
Not only do I learn our market, I learn about my industry – real estate. I take my education seriously, beginning with the GRI course designation as a Realtor that I earned my first year as a full time agent. I always attend the annual Texas Association of Realtors State convention where I learn more about the best practices as a real estate agent.
SELL YOUR HOME WITH US!
Advertising on 100s of Websites
A major part of getting your home sold is exposure. That is, getting people’s eyeballs on your house. Facebook ads are a part of that – announcing to the world you have a home for sale.
The other critical element is getting it on all the online websites for your consumers. That means Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, as well as the MLS that all the local Realtors will be showing their buyers. That is a major advantage of working with an agent when selling your home – getting your home the exposure it needs on all of these online sites in order to find that one buyer who is looking for exactly what you’re offering.
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The Brian E Adams PACE Strategy
I have an entire philosophy I’ve developed and nurtured that I call the “PACE” Strategy. The above value-adds are just a small part of the bigger picture about getting your home sold for the most, on time, and with a great experience. I wrote an entire e-book guide, tailored to the Fort Hood area seller, that explains my strategies, talks about the market, the process, and what to expect.
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The Frustrated Seller
Killeen, TX: One Month Listing Agreement, 99.2% of the asking price in 7 days
This home had been listed with another agent for 6 months when the sellers contacted me.
I offered them a 1 month listing agreement, betting on myself that I could get it sold or they were free to use a different agent We found a buyer and were under contract in 7 days for 99.2% of their asking price.
We closed less than two months after signing the listing agreement.
SELL YOUR HOME WITH US!
The For-Sale-By-Owner
Harker Heights, TX: $10,000 more than they were asking, 100% of the list price in 22 days.
This home’s owners were a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) who had their home listed for sale on Zillow and other websites.
I reached out to them with some market information on their home and neighborhood. I recommended listing it for $10,000 more than they were asking for online. They agreed to give me a shot and signed a listing agreement with me. It was under contract in 22 days for our full asking price.
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Full Price Offer
Copperas Cove, TX: Under Contract at 100% of the asking price in 12 days
This seller was an investor who needed to sell quickly to get his money back out. We priced it well and got a full price offer, closed in 56 days so he could use his funds for his next deal.
SELL YOUR HOME WITH US!What Next?
Schedule an interview with us today! We will get you all the information you need to make a decision about your next step.
SELL YOUR HOME WITH US!
