The Selling Process
There are several reasons why people or investors decide to sell or not, some are because of the need to relocate, downsize, upsize, family matters, lifestyle changes and the list goes on. When deciding to sell your home, it is important to not only understand what your house is worth, but also understand what is going on within the local market – every price range and location has its own unique Sub-Market. Call Mike Schwagler to start this process and we can discuss your options.
It is a great idea to interview your potential agent early on before you decide on your representation for such a large investment. Contacting a random agent or broker on the internet can be risky, many unexperienced agents pay sites like Zillow to market themselves and collect leads hoping to hook a few deals. Sellers should interview past agents, community experts, or referrals from a trusted source. A reputable agent should have experience, references and explain to the seller in detail how they will market your home and steps to sell successfully. Interview me today, I am always prepared to answer your questions and provide a market study unique to your home or property.
Your agent should provide their opinion on the market value of your home or property. Putting together a unique market study should show an accurate range based on sold, active and pending properties. Sometimes with unique or luxury properties other methods to find value need to be undertaken. The seller is the one who ultimately sets the price and will make the final decision, not the agent. With that being said, we hope you take our data and information into consideration during the process of setting the price.
The next step towards being on the market is officially hiring your agent and putting together the paperwork. The listing agreement is a contract that is legally bound between the seller and the brokerage. This document indicates the duration of the listing, compensation and commission agreed upon and duties of all parties involved. This is also the time where you and your agent will put together MLS Data sheet which will allow the local MLS to show every detail, public description of the property and allow information to cooperating agents on how to show the property. Another item is to complete the property condition disclosure, in which you will have answer the required questions of what you know or do not know of the condition of the home inside and out.
It is a fact homes sell quicker and for more money when potential buyers and drive by traffic find your home attractive. Your budget, market conditions and other factors will determine how far you may want to go in preparation for becoming a live listing. Some suggestions to create more showings and potential offers on your property include: Professional Staging, updated flooring or area rugs, professional cleaning, remove all clutter, cleaning windows, landscaping work to create curb appeal and a possible rehab or renovation if budget and market conditions allow. When your home is ready we will take high end professional photography and complete a 3D Matterport tour of your property.
We will have already done some preliminary marketing behind the scenes with your permission before we are officially live on the MLS which will help jump start the full campaign when your home becomes a live listing. Once live on the MLS we will field calls, schedule showings and continue advising on how to keep the home showing well. See the marketing section right here in this section of my website, which goes over everything we do at our expense to market your home.
During this timeframe, we must keep the home prepared for showings and communication between all parties is key when we have a lot of activity. Things our team looks for during this period especially early on is: How many showings were there? Any offers on the table and if not why? What was the feedback from buyers? Buyers tend to search in 25k increments, are we missing the main buyer pool by being overpriced? We will track this information and advise you on the best strategy. As the seller we will keep you updated on showing schedules and all that you are required to do is simply to keep the home showing as best as possible and to vacate the home for showings. We will have a lockbox for home entry that tracks all agents and buyers who have entered the home.
Every deal is different! Although you are excited having an offer on the table this can also be a stressful time. We have expertly negotiated every deal and have the experience and results to always get you the best deal possible. With every transaction we will come up with a strategy together and then act on it. With multiple offers we have seen it all, choosing the best offer in this situation has many different angles. Typically, when negotiations are done, and an accepted deal has taken place it will be a win/win situation for all parties involved.
The road to closing is a process and we will get there as painless as possible. There are many hurdles we need to jump to get here such as appraisal, home inspections, septic or well inspections and the list goes on. Hopefully we have an all cash deal with no contingencies, but typically that is not the case. We will follow and send you the timelines to get everything done contractually and correctly to get your deal closed without any headache. If you have any questions about the whole process or would like to see if we are a good fit to represent and protect you during your home sale, give us a call! Also, please download my Sellers Guide here and see the process intimately step by step.
What's My Home or Property Worth?
With extensive knowledge of the real estate market here in North Idaho, we offer a complimentary value range or opinion on your home or property. Any property from a home in a subdivision to luxury waterfront estates and even vacant land. We have sold it all and can put together a detailed informative study for you. Whether you want to sell now or just looking to see where you are in the market we would love to help. Although we are not licensed appraisers and do not pretend to be, we can make sure you have an appropriate and accurate opinion of value. Just click on the button below to get started!