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Selling

Selling Your Home, A Successful Partnership

Where does your Listing go?

Seller’s Obligations

After you make the decision to sell you must take a step back in time and call on your experience as a Buyer. We have all heard it thousands of times, first impressions are everything. A tidy, well-maintained home both inside and outside, will provide a higher selling price and a shorter time on the market. Both of which are favorable to your bottom line.

Exterior Impressions

The appearance of the exterior is crucial. Most Buyers now scout out properties in advance of the first showing. Even if your inside is amazing you may not have the opportunity to get them through the front door if the outside looks neglected. Here are some inexpensive, time saving tips to create WOW FACTOR curb appeal.

  • Pressure wash the full exterior including gutters, soffit, fascia, lanai, screens, driveway and walkways
  • Clean exterior of window after the home is pressure cleaned
  • Clean the debris from the gutters
  • Prune bushes & hedges, trim trees. Landscape should not touch the house or pool cage. Tree limbs should be off the roof. These are all issues that a property inspector will note in their findings. Hedges should not be high enough to obstruct a window view
  • Keep your lawn looking healthy and green by mowing it often, fertilizing it, and keeping it edged and trimmed. During the rainy season, the lawn should be mowed weekly.
  • Clean up and dispose of pet mess.
  • Treat fire ants and remove wasp nests.
  • Weed your gardens. Best to treat with a weed killer like RoundUp first. Strictly weed whacking will cause more weeds to grow and provide ground cover conducive to more weed growth
  • Plant colorful annuals or add exterior flowering pots so you can move with you
  • Freshly mulch beds

Interior Impressions

Now that your outside looks amazing your potential Buyer is excited to get their sights on the interior. Your home must be aesthetically appealing and smell good to attract a Buyer with a strong offer. With our busy lives: careers, children, school, extra curriculars; we understand the difficulty in keeping things top notch. However, it is extremely crucial to the process and give buyers the impression that you take good care of the home which should positively impact their pocketbooks in the future.

  • Free your home of excessive clutter. Pack away the knickknacks, personal effects, photos, large furniture, etc. This provides a jump on your own packing and people need to picture their family in the home, not yours. Sometimes renting a storage unit is necessary
  • It may not be Spring, but now is the time for a deep clean. Do not forget the windows, sills, fans, light fixtures, plate covers, doors, baseboards, trim, etc.
  • Change all burnt out light bulbs and replace chirping smoke alarm batteries
  • Repair leaking faucets, running toilets and replace missing hardware
  • If you have carpet in the home, please make sure it is professionally cleaned. Carpet is difficult to maintain in our environment. If the carpet needs replaced, you may consider more popular flooring options that are easier to maintain such as laminate or tile.
  • A new coat of paint cleans up your living space and makes it look bright and new. To make rooms look larger, choose light, neutral colors that will appeal to most. You may consider painting the trim, baseboards and doors too if they are dirty and marked.
  • Make sure all evidence or your pet can be removed. We may be pet lovers, but not everyone is. Some Buyers are turned off completely when they see a litter box or tumbleweeds of fur.
  • Organize closets and the garage. Clutter is distracting and can take away from the size of the space. Floridians understand the importance of storage space.
  • Change your A/C filter. This should be done monthly regardless.
  • Freshly caulk bathrooms and kitchens

Realty by Dale Thomas can offer a list of trusted vendors that can assist with any of the matters suggested above if you prefer to hire a third party.

Document Gathering

In order to expedite the sale of your home, please have the following documents readily available when applicable:

  • Survey
  • Title Information from your closing documents. Discounts may apply.
  • Floor plan
  • Home warranty information
  • HOA documents
  • Repair/maintenance receipts and invoices
  • Utility information
  • Current lease and tenant information if property is a rental

Our Obligation to You

As with any successful partnership, both sides must be fully committed to the end goal. When you choose Realty by Dale Thomas to list your home and represent you in the sale, we are committed to exceeding your expectations. You can count on our creative marketing, strategic negotiation skills and superior market knowledge to drive Buyers to your property and sell the home quickly at the best possible price. We are so confident in our level of service that we offer Sellers the ability to cancel the listing agreement, before an offer is accepted, without financial consequence. Unlike most of our competition, we never charge a cancellation fee.

Much of the work done by Realty by Dale Thomas is conducted behind the scenes.

Pre-Listing Obligations

  • Pull your property’s tax record to verify zoning, lot size, ownership and house details
  • Research active, pending and sold listings over the last 6 months from the MLS and public records to prepare a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to establish accurate pricing
  • Check local governing bodies to ensure no current violations exist
  • Review HOA information to determine fees, deed restrictions, buyer obligations, etc.
  • Determine average Days on Market (DOM) of comparable homes in vicinity to provide realistic timeframes
  • Schedule a listing appointment to view home and detail the marketing plan
  • Provide suggestions, similar to those noted above, to prepare the home for market

Listing Obligations

  • Review listing agreement, addenda and disclosures with Seller
  • Obtain a copy of the floor plan or measure room sizes if not available
  • Review land survey to compare with public records
  • Take a vast array of pictures and choose the best for the listing
  • Order aerial pictures taken by drone if property size and location warrant
  • Prepare showing instructions for buyer’s agents
  • Review utility usage and monthly costs
  • Prepare a list of upgrades, area amenities and any other facts that the Seller deems noteworthy
  • Disclose any items that will not convey
  • Arrange showing access with tenant where applicable
  • Install an electronic lockbox on the home that monitors all activity to provide security and Seller peace of mind
  • Prepare the MLS listing using descriptive detail and high quality pictures to market the home which syndicates to 100’s of other real estate websites including Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, etc. to provide maximum exposure
  • Install a professional real estate sign that complies with area restrictions
  • Conduct creatively themed open houses
  • Check on the property weekly if the home is vacant
  • Coordinate showings with owners, tenants, and other sales associates 7 days a week
  • Review comparable MLS listings weekly to ensure property is competitively priced
  • Upload listing to company and agent Internet site and highlight as a Featured Listing
  • Discuss feedback and any suggestions presented with Seller

Contract Negotiations

  • Review each presented offer and prepare a seller net sheet to provide Seller an estimate of their bottom line
  • Advise Seller on the potential benefits and pitfalls of each contract. Unfortunately, they all are not full price, cash offers without contingencies.
  • Obtain Buyer’s pre-approval letter or proof of funds demonstrating liquidity
  • Ensure contract, addenda and disclosures are properly executed
  • Provide title company with Seller’s current information
  • Verify receipt of earnest money with the title company
  • Place a pending rider on the real estate sign
  • Coordinate home inspections, septic inspections, termite inspections and appraisals
  • Coordinate and provide contractor referrals if repairs are required
  • Actively communicate with Buyer’s agent and title company to make certain time frames are met and contract terms are complied with

Closing

  • Assist in the resolution of any title issues or financing issues that may delay closing
  • Review Seller’s Disclosure from the title company to examine pro-rated figures and verify overall accuracy
  • Discuss final numbers with the Seller and answer any questions that arise
  • Coordinate the final walk through with buyer and their agent
  • Ensure keys, warranty information, garage remotes, etc. are transferred to Buyer at closing
  • Attend closing at the title company in case any last minute questions or issues arise when Seller is present
  • Make certain Seller has returned all closing documents timely when they are closing remotely
  • Provide Seller with a post-closing checklist

Once the home closes and ownership transfers, Realty by Dale Thomas is still available to answer any questions and advise on real estate matters. We look forward to an enduring relationship as your go to firm for all real estate needs.

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