Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced team of real estate agents and this easy-to-follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.
What do you want to accomplish with the sale of your home? Do you want to make a certain amount of money that you can put toward a larger or nicer home? Do you need to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a move to a new city or area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your offer. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you might want to price your home lower than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. Make sure you convey these needs to your team of real estate agents once you choose one so they can adjust your selling price accordingly.
Knowing how to price your home is one of the most important parts of the selling process. When you set a fair price in the beginning, you’ll get the most interest from other real estate agents and prospective buyers. Overpricing your home could lead to reduced interest, and underpricing leads to receiving less than what your home is worth. Working with a team of real estate agents is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.
If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.
We will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. Our team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.
Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. We will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.
Once we deem the offer is acceptable, we will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your team of real estate agents.
You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. But first, you and the buyer must make a list of what needs to be done before closing. In some cases, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. We will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, we will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.
You’ve reached the last step in the seller’s process. When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. We will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your team of real estate agents to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining, and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.
Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. Whether this is relocating to a new city, moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life as empty-nesters, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind for your new path.
Patient and knowledgeable in the search for a new home as part of a cross-country relocation process. Very willing to assist and advise in all facets of the process. Very down to earth and I would highly recommend.
We enjoyed every step of this home-buying experience! Marlene and Steve did not only ensure we understand the current housing market but they ensured that we really get our money’s worth! We truly appreciate their patience, wealth of knowledge, and experience in the real estate market! As stressful as the house-buying process is, Marlene and Steve made it effortless! We never felt rushed or pushed into m...
Marlene and Steve were great, had a buyer lined up whose financing didn't work out, and they helped me do a renovation and relisted at a higher price. Was able to get multiple offers above the listing price!
Marlene and Steve are the most capable and caring realtors with the added benefit of being very good listeners. During my recent involvement with buying and selling real estate with them, I was so impressed by their professionalism and insight. Having this duo made this normally stressful process so much better.
Marlene and Steve worked so hard and patiently to find my perfect condo - I felt I was their only client (but know many others existed). They were both so communicative, available to show, and responsive throughout. Marlene figured out way before I did where I would be happiest - listen to her! She found me the 100% right fit - location, size, price point, and amenities. The inspection, lending, and clos...
Great experience. Patient, knowledgeable, responsive, helpful in more than real estate needs, and a trusted advisor in a difficult market.
Best realtor I ever worked with. We didn’t have to do anything. We just followed their advice and we sold our house within 1 month after the house was listed. Thank you so much, Steve and Marlene. Definitely recommend both of them.
We knew our Arts and Crafts one-of-a-kind home would be appreciated and valued significantly higher than the appraisal amount by buyers who would appreciate its very unique qualities. Marlene and Steve marketed the house with this understanding successfully attracted multiple offers, and achieved a sales price significantly higher than the appraisal. The house sold in six days! In addition, they are both...
I’ve been working with Marlene and Steve for ten years now and they are a spectacular duo. Marlene and Steve consistently go above and beyond for their clients and understand the DC real estate market like it’s the back of their hands. When I was selling my second home in DC, I was based in San Francisco the entire time. Marlene and Steve helped sort out some thorny real estate issues for me and worked s...
Love Marlene and Steve! Very friendly and attentive. We toured several properties with items on my wish list and they helped me find a couple that had what I wanted. Very appreciative of their patience and time.
Marlene and Steve were great to work with when we were selling my mother's home. Steve was incredibly patient, and thorough, walking my mother through the paperwork. Marlene was a great help in sourcing various handymen for repairs and helping stage the home to bring in top dollar. I was living out of state at the time and felt comfortable with Marlene and Steve leading the local charge. The house so...
Marlene and Steve were perfect realtors. Through every step, they made it easy by being helpful, supportive, and very enjoyable in all our interactions. Although they gave us choices to do work ourselves, they provided people who prepared our house for sale: removed whatever we left, cleaned, painted, and improved the landscaping. Our house sold within a month, and they walked us through the sale proces...
"Marlene and Steve were great to work with when we were selling my mother's home. Steve was incredibly patient and thorough, walking my mother through the paperwork. Marlene was a great help in sourcing various handymen for repairs and helping stage the home to bring in top dollar. I was living out of state at the time and felt comfortable with Marlene and Steve leading the local charge. The house sold f...
4800 Montgomery Ln Ste 100 Bethesda MD 20814
