Selling Tips

First Impressions Last!

• The front door greets the prospects. Make sure it is clean and inviting. Paint gutters and downspouts. Keep your lawn well manicured.
• Faded walls and woodwork reduce appeal. A small investment in painting will make your home look fresh and can return more in additional selling price.
• Pay attention to details - loose knobs, sticking doors and windows, pushed out screen doors and other minor flaws detract from your home's value.
• Fix that faucet! Dripping water discolors sinks and implies faulty plumbing. Always make sure sinks and drains are clean and clear.
• Bathrooms help sell homes. Check and repair caulking around tubs and showers. Make this room sparkle, enhance it with fresh flowers, clean guest towels and bathmats as you would for a special guest.
• Arrange bedrooms neatly. Remove excess furniture and use attractive bedspreads and freshly laundered curtains. Open the windows and let lots of fresh air in.
• Make closets look bigger. Neat, well ordered closets show that space is ample. Closet lights are a special bonus: put some in!
• Display the full value of your attic and basement by removing all unnecessary articles. Perhaps, now is the time to start packing some of these items, and have neatly stacked boxes instead of cluttered shelves.
• Let the sun shine in! Open drapes and curtains to show how cheerful your home can be. Turn on every light in the house including closet lights.
• Soft music is inviting. Have the intercom or stereo tuned to a station of soft background music.
• Pets underfoot? Keep them out of the way - preferably out of the house. Pay special attention to pet odors in the house: air it out often.
• Silence is golden. Be courteous but don't force conversation with the potential buyer. He wants to inspect your house, not pay a social call.
• Three's a crowd. Avoid having many people present during inspections. The prospect will feel like an intruder and will hurry through the house. Too many people in a house makes it look smaller.

Selling Your Home

When you're ready to think about buying or selling your property, you need to ask yourself the following questions: Do you have the time, energy, sources of information, and contacts to do the job yourself?

If you were one of the 'do-it-yourself' people, would the results be as good or better than they would be if you had professional assistance? Would it have gone smoother? Would it have given you more personal time? Would you have purchased for less, or sold for more, if a real estate agent was involved? There are obvious advantages to both.

Pricing

This process generally begins with a determination of a reasonable asking price. Your real estate agent can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms, and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.

Marketing

The next step is a marketing plan. Often, your agent can recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the salability of the property. Marketing includes the exposure of your property to other real estate agents and the public. In many markets across the country, over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. Your agent acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service or other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc.

Advertising is part of marketing. The choice of media and frequency of advertising depends a lot on the property and specific market. For example, newspaper advertising statistically has minimum effectiveness in selling a specific property.

There is a misconception that print advertising sells real estate. The National Association of REALTORS studies show that over 80% of homebuyers today begin their home search on the Internet.  82% of home sales real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends and family, and personal contacts.

Security

When the property is marketed with an agent's help, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Agents will generally pre-screen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.

Negotiating

The negotiation process deals with much the same issues for both buyers and sellers, as noted above under the buying process. Your agent can help you objectively evaluate every buyer's proposal without compromising your marketing position. This initial agreement is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections, and financing -- a lot of possible pitfalls. Your agent can help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will be more likely to make it through the process.

Monitoring, Renegotiating and Closing

Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. For example, unexpected repairs are required to obtain financing or a cloud in the title is discovered. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Your Helen Adams Realty agent is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).

How Do Real Estate Agents Get Paid?

Real estate agents or brokers are generally paid through the sales commission paid by the seller when a transaction closes. Agents have expenses and financial obligations just like you, so it will be to your mutual benefit if you choose a real estate agent and stick with that person. The agent will respect your loyalty and respond with a sincere commitment to you.