The Selling Process

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 real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.

It’s all about curb appeal, and your property needs to shine inside and out before putting it on the market. Whether it needs a solid cleaning, staging, landscaping, or simple touch-ups, Deborah will strategize with you and her network of vendors to ensure improvements are done to give Buyers a reason to visit your property. Prepping a home not only makes your property stand out, it increases the value of your home. And that’s the ultimate goal, right? To maximize your profit to the best of her ability.

Once all of the marketing is complete and ready to launch, your property will be listed on the local MLS and syndicated to ALL area brokerage sites and EVERY real estate portal. Remember, the real estate industry has changed over the years. Marketing via the internet is your most critical element in your marketing plan. 98% of all Buyers search for a home via the Internet so your property’s presence there is paramount. In addition, Deborah will use some tried and true methods by leveraging her expansive network to increase exposure and create strategic events and open houses to showcase your property and attract Buyers.

Once you receive an offer, Deborah will guide you through the details and explain its intricacies including the offer price, the down payment, and all of the contingencies. At this stage, you can either accept, counter, or reject. It is Deborah’s job to guide you through the decision-making process to ensure you are comfortable and confident with all aspects of it. If you accept, you move onto the next step. If you reject, you hope that the Buyer presents another, more attractive offer. If not, we go back to aggressively showcasing your property for sale. If you counter, you will enter a negotiation period. Negotiations can include many offer items such as price, down payment, contingencies, Buyer financing, furnishings, closing date, closing fees, and the list goes on. This is where you need a broker with experience. Counter offers require expert-level advice so it’s crucial to have a broker who understands negotiation nuances. Once you and the Buyer come to terms on a price, you are onto the next step.

NOTE: In Massachusetts, signing an offer agreement is binding with a refundable, monetary deposit. It will later be replaced and superseded by the Purchase and Sales Agreement. In NY and CT, the agreement is verbal and not binding until it reaches the Contract stage. In NH, the offer agreement and the Purchase and Sale are one and the same throughout the transaction.

The Contract or Purchase and Sales (P&S) is the agreement between you and the Buyer to sell your property. In MA, NY, and CT, this is drafted by an attorney you hire to represent you who focuses on the legal details all the way through to the closing. (Have no worries...Deborah isn't going anywhere! She will continue to be with you every step of the way, working in conjunction with your attorney to make sure the rest of the transaction progresses smoothly)! In these states, the Contract is typically done after home inspections and other due diligence is satisfied but it can be done beforehand. In NH, it is drafted by the Buyer’s agent who works with a Title company who does the back-end title search, etc., and the closing. In this state, it is typically drafted immediately with the home inspection and due diligence included. The Contract/P&S is a more detailed version of the original offer and includes the purchase price, any unsatisfied contingencies, closing date, and details the escrow deposit. Once this document is mutually agreed upon, signed by both parties, and the escrow funds have been deposited, the agreement becomes binding.

Once the lender has approved the Buyer’s loan, they will issue a ‘clear to close’ with instructions to all parties. Deborah will work with you, your attorney/Buyer’s title company to gather all necessary information, documentation/certifications, closing timelines, etc., and review all other items associated with the closing process. In addition, Deborah will work with you to ensure all personal items are removed from the house and all of the included items remain. You will also make sure the property is free of any tenants and is broom clean. This is also the time to call all service providers and homeowners insurance, etc., to cancel service for the date of closing.

You’re almost to the finish line! Now onto the formal closing where you should expect to sign a lot of paperwork! After both parties have signed the closing documents and funds have been received, the buyer's attorney will record the deed and keys will then be exchanged.