Let’s sell your home.

The first step in getting ready to bring your home to market is scheduling a visit with me to tour and learn more about your home in order to determine its value. Many variables go into pricing your home including the condition of the property, the location, square footage, recent comparable sales, amenities, and other factors.

You can make your home more appealing to buyers and add both perceived and real value by decluttering, staging, remodeling, or just sprucing up your place with a fresh coat of paint. As an experienced agent and designer, I can advise you on some improvements or stylistic fixes that will generate the most excitement among buyers. For most sellers, these efforts can begin and end with simple cleaning, decluttering, and depersonalizing to make the home ready for photos and showings. The main rule is to “neutralize” the environment. Remove personal photos, waste cans, cosmetics and personal effects. From there, you may want to also consider rearranging furniture or even removing or adding a few pieces. You want your property to look its best to potential buyers!

Once your home is ready for its close-up, your property is photographed by a professional photographer who will make certain your home makes a stellar first impression online. Home buyers are visual creatures and great listing photos can mean the difference between creating a stir and gathering dust. I will create a comprehensive marketing plan for your home, one that includes digital advertising, social media exposure, and email campaigns.

Showings showcase your property to the public seeing it for the first time, so it should look its best and buyers don’t overlook anything. Make sure your entire home is clean from top to bottom, even inside the appliances. Throw away the trash, organize all closets and drawers, get rid of children’s and pet toys to minimize clutter, depersonalize as much as you can, and remove pets from the premises when possible. For showings, you will want to leave so that buyers will feel more comfortable to move around and discuss your property freely with their agent.

Buyers will request a home inspection after the offer is accepted and before the contract is signed. The inspector will make sure all mechanical systems are in working order and survey the home to identify any defects or issues that may surface in the coming years. The buyer then receives a detailed inspection report which points out potential issues with the home and also provides good information about the maintenance history of the home. If any significant issues are noted on the inspection report, buyers will typically ask that repairs be made by the seller or that a credit be provided by the seller at closing. Upon completing inspection negotiations, the agreed terms are included in the purchase contract before it is signed.

During the time between singing the contract and the closing, I am in constant communication with the buyer’s agent and your attorney and coordinating any details required to close in a timely manner, including bank appraisals and buyer walk-throughs prior to closing.

If you are selling your home you will also incur closing costs. Knowing what these are upfront can help you plan your next move and make your transaction go smoothly. Generally, closing costs for selling a home include the real estate commission you have agreed to pay your agent, the mortgage principal remaining on the property, your real estate attorney’s fees, recording fees, New York State transfer tax, and any past due taxes or HOA fees. These costs are payable from sale proceeds. Plus, you may get some credits back for taxes and fuel you’ve already paid.