Selling

Selling Your Home, A Successful Partnership

Thinking of selling your home in Sarasota, Charlotte, or DeSoto County? At Realty by Dale Thomas, we use a comprehensive marketing strategy to get your property noticed. From the MLS to social media, Zillow, real estate magazines, and investor markets, we ensure your home reaches the right buyers. With over 10 years of experience and a proven track record of selling homes, commercial properties, and land, we know how to negotiate the best outcomes. You’ll work with a dedicated agent backed by our entire team, guiding you through every step of the selling process and positioning your property for success.

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.

Declutter: Pack away personal items, photos, and large furniture. Consider renting a storage unit to help.
Deep clean: Clean windows, sills, fans, light fixtures, plate covers, baseboards, and trim.
Replace light bulbs: Ensure all light bulbs are working and replace any burnt-out ones.
Check smoke alarms: Replace batteries in any chirping smoke alarms.
Make repairs: Fix leaking faucets, running toilets, and replace missing hardware.
Professional carpet cleaning: If you have carpet, have it professionally cleaned. Consider replacing it with easier-to-maintain flooring like laminate or tile.
Repaint: Freshen up your space with a new coat of paint in light, neutral colors. Consider painting trim, baseboards, and doors if needed.
Remove pet evidence: Eliminate any visible signs of pets (litter boxes, pet hair) to appeal to all buyers.
Organize closets and garage: Keep spaces tidy to highlight storage capacity and make rooms feel larger.
Change the A/C filter: Regularly change your A/C filter to ensure it runs efficiently.
Fresh caulk: Re-caulk bathrooms and kitchens to give them a clean, updated look.

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 selling 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 Selling 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 selling 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

Want to know who will see your home?

Click here to check, where your Listing goes.

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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