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Seller's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

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 of real estate agents 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.

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Step 1: Understand Why You're Selling

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.

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Step 2: Determine Selling Price

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 of real estate agents with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.

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Step 3: Start Preparations

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.

Default Image

Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

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.

Default Image

Step 5: Evaluate Offers

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.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

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.

Default Image

Step 7: Get Ready to Close

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.

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Step 8: Close

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.

 

Congratulations!

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.

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"Kaitlyn helped me purchase a condo. She worked tirelessly to get me the best deal and made sure I understood the entire process. She stayed composed in stressful situations and her ability to communicate to all of the different stakeholders was extremely impressive. I would recommend her services to anyone who is looking for a real estate agent. The combination of her market knowledge, experience, and personality made her an awesome person to work with. I still can not believe how great of a deal I got on my condo and how easy she made the process all the to getting the keys in my hand!"
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"I had used Janine’s services when we sold our home right after Covid and knew that I needed her help selling my deceased client’s condo. I found that this time Janine far exceeded my expectations. Janine had the right network of vendors for cleaning windows, floors, staging and removal of items that didn’t sell. She handled the pricing and showcasing with ease and got my client’s beneficiaries the best deal during a slow and difficult sales climate! I would not hesitate to recommend or use her services again, she is “simply the best”!"
Daryl R.
"Janine is so knowledgeable. She is supportive and helpful in everything you need. She is patient, prompt and lets you know every step of the way. Her kindness and gentle response, never did I worry, I could have never done this without her. Everyone who knows her feels the same way, she is respected and liked by all who know her. My home sold before it was even open to the market. She is so organized, she informs you of everything before you even have to ask. I highly recommend Janine! Not only is she my realtor but a great friend forever!"
"Janine is so knowledgeable. She is supportive and helpful in everything you need. She is patient, prompt and lets you know every step of the way. Her kindness and gentle response, never did I worry, I could have never done this without her. Everyone who knows her feels the same way, she is respected and liked by all who know her. My home sold before it was even open to the market. She is so organized, she informs you of everything before you even have to ask. I highly recommend Janine! Not only is she my realtor but a great friend forever!"
Holly A.
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"Going into the home buying process we heard horror stories of the market and how difficult it would be to find a home that met our needs. We were fully expecting to settle for a home that was not exactly what we were looking for or pay way too much. Working with Kaitlyn was so amazing. She immediately found us homes in our budget and after a day of looking we found our house and had an offer accepted within that same week. Our house exceeded our expectations and Kaitlyn was so easy to work with and helpful through every step of the process. We are so grateful!"
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B.M.
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"As a first time home buyer, I started this journey with very little knowledge of what the process entails. Working with Kaitlyn was the best decision I could have made. She was extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the process and was always willing and able to answer my questions, big or small. Despite some unpredictable road blocks, I never had a doubt that Kaitlyn would help me navigate through them. She made me feel comfortable and confident during a major life decision and for that, I am forever grateful to her!"
Julia Binder
"Working with Jill and Ashley was an absolute dream! They guided us every step of the way, making the process of finding our perfect home seamless and enjoyable. Their dedication didn’t stop at closing—they continued to support us with any issues that arose after the sale. Their expertise, patience, and genuine care made all the difference. We couldn’t be happier and highly recommend them to anyone looking for their dream home!"
"Working with Jill and Ashley was an absolute dream! They guided us every step of the way, making the process of finding our perfect home seamless and enjoyable. Their dedication didn’t stop at closing—they continued to support us with any issues that arose after the sale. Their expertise, patience, and genuine care made all the difference. We couldn’t be happier and highly recommend them to anyone looking for their dream home!"
Amon-Ra St.Brown & Brooklyn Adams
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"We are grateful to Jill and her incredible work for us! She was always communicating and available to us when we needed her. She is very knowledgeable about the real estate market and she made sure to connect us with multiple resources to maintain our home even after closing. Jill and the Crain Homes team went above and beyond to make sure we were settled into our home and the area."
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J.B & Nikki Bickerstaff
"Shondell is a star! She has sold three houses for us and for family members, ensuring that we received the highest possible offers. Even with an unexpected hiccup on the buyer’s side in the most recent sale, we never worried with Shondell in charge. She also helped us to purchase our current home, calmly guiding us through all the decision-making and stress that a big purchase can involve. Her wealth of experience and steady hand serve her clients well. We recommend Shondell highly and without reservation."
"Shondell is a star! She has sold three houses for us and for family members, ensuring that we received the highest possible offers. Even with an unexpected hiccup on the buyer’s side in the most recent sale, we never worried with Shondell in charge. She also helped us to purchase our current home, calmly guiding us through all the decision-making and stress that a big purchase can involve. Her wealth of experience and steady hand serve her clients well. We recommend Shondell highly and without reservation."
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"We were thrilled with our experience with Shondell Patterson as our realtor. Shondell was able to find a buyer before we listed the home. For both transactions, Shondell kept us informed and provided exceptional expertise and guidance throughout the process. She exceeded our expectations in all aspects of selling and buying our homes."
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"Ashley, Jill, and Kate are an amazing team! They helped me through every step of the process of selling my home, including providing me great advice to get the home ready for sale, negotiating a strong sale price, and providing great referrals for services I needed to move. They made a potentially stressful situation easy and relatively stress free. I would absolutely use them again! "
Dr. Tracy Busse
"The Crain Homes team has an unrivaled ability to thoughtfully understand their client’s needs, and then match them up with the perfect home. Their knowledge of the real estate industry, experience within the overall home category, combined with backgrounds in marketing - truly make them unique."
"The Crain Homes team has an unrivaled ability to thoughtfully understand their client’s needs, and then match them up with the perfect home. Their knowledge of the real estate industry, experience within the overall home category, combined with backgrounds in marketing - truly make them unique."
Katie Cotant Emerine
"Ashley Crain is incredible to work with! Ashley was extremely patient with us, and worked really hard to find us a beautiful home that we love. On top of finding us the perfect home, Ashley went over and beyond to help us settle into a new city that we weren't familiar with. Even after the sale was complete, she made sure we had everything that we needed to be comfortable in our new home and our new city. If you need to buy or sell a home, I highly recommend Ashley Crain."
"Ashley Crain is incredible to work with! Ashley was extremely patient with us, and worked really hard to find us a beautiful home that we love. On top of finding us the perfect home, Ashley went over and beyond to help us settle into a new city that we weren't familiar with. Even after the sale was complete, she made sure we had everything that we needed to be comfortable in our new home and our new city. If you need to buy or sell a home, I highly recommend Ashley Crain."
Jared Goff
"Ashley went above and beyond to put our family first when searching for our home. Ashley truly cared about our desires and needs as we started this next chapter in our lives, being available morning, day and night to answer any questions or schedule home tours. She was the perfect amount of patient and persistent to ensure we were meeting our timeline. Ashley was extremely knowledgable about the homes we were touring and went above and beyond in every aspect to ensure we had a seamless experience. I would recommend Ashley to anyone who is searching for their dream home...she truly is unlike anyone else!"
"Ashley went above and beyond to put our family first when searching for our home. Ashley truly cared about our desires and needs as we started this next chapter in our lives, being available morning, day and night to answer any questions or schedule home tours. She was the perfect amount of patient and persistent to ensure we were meeting our timeline. Ashley was extremely knowledgable about the homes we were touring and went above and beyond in every aspect to ensure we had a seamless experience. I would recommend Ashley to anyone who is searching for their dream home...she truly is unlike anyone else!"
Francesca & Samy Eid
"Ashley was a great partner throughout the sales process. She was always there to show the home and in a few instances went well out of her way from a time and expense standpoint to make sure the home was properly prepared to show. She was always on time, prepared and provided prompt, honest and balanced feedback from each showing. She was always looking out for our best interests and was very helpful in the negotiation and closing processes. I have bought and sold many home over the years and would highly recommend her whether you are on the buy side or sell side. She is the best."
"Ashley was a great partner throughout the sales process. She was always there to show the home and in a few instances went well out of her way from a time and expense standpoint to make sure the home was properly prepared to show. She was always on time, prepared and provided prompt, honest and balanced feedback from each showing. She was always looking out for our best interests and was very helpful in the negotiation and closing processes. I have bought and sold many home over the years and would highly recommend her whether you are on the buy side or sell side. She is the best."
Bob R.
"Ashley Crain is one of the best real estate professionals in the business. Her ability to find the right home was simply amazing. The best thing about Ashley is her awareness of homes that are not publicly listed. She has a unique ablity to identify the right home for her buyers and has the a strong reputation when representing sellers. She is simply the best!"
"Ashley Crain is one of the best real estate professionals in the business. Her ability to find the right home was simply amazing. The best thing about Ashley is her awareness of homes that are not publicly listed. She has a unique ablity to identify the right home for her buyers and has the a strong reputation when representing sellers. She is simply the best!"
Anup P.
"We had an amazing experience working with Ashley. She is highly knowledgeable and hardworking. Our house was under contract within weeks. I would highly recommend her!"
"We had an amazing experience working with Ashley. She is highly knowledgeable and hardworking. Our house was under contract within weeks. I would highly recommend her!"
Kelly S.
"Did everything we hoped and more. Went the extra mile to make us feel special and very well taken care of! The best!"
"Did everything we hoped and more. Went the extra mile to make us feel special and very well taken care of! The best!"
Jonny E.

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