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Starting Out: Find an Agent<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s dangerous to go alone.<\/p>\n
Most heroes have a mentor to help guide their journey. This is no exception \u2014 selling a house on your own can be difficult and time-consuming, for many reasons<\/a>. Because of that, you\u2019ll want to find a real estate agent to work with. Of course, then you\u2019re faced with a new challenge: how do you find the right agent for you?<\/p>\n First off, don\u2019t just settle for the first one you come across. Janet Weidmann, a top seller\u2019s agent in Johns Creek<\/a>, notes that \u201ca lot of sellers might think that all real estate agents are created equal and they’re absolutely not.\u201d You want the right one for you and your beautiful snowflake of a property.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to find that First, interview a handful of agents.<\/strong><\/p>\n Sadly, 77% of homeowners go with the first real estate agent they speak to. This is someone who is going to handle one of the largest transactions in your life. You\u2019re going to spend your days with them, pour over contracts with them, and put a significant amount of faith in them. While there are plenty of great agents out there, it\u2019s a better practice to chat with at least two or three before you make a final decision.<\/p>\n Don’t be tempted by websites that let you ‘sell your house fast for cash!<\/a>‘ You’ll end up losing thousands of dollars you could have made if you hired a real estate agent and waited out the process just a little longer. While the result isn’t immediate like one of these sites promises, the money you’ll get from the sale is worth it.<\/p>\n Ask for specific anecdotes about the agent\u2019s experience. <\/b><\/p>\n Here\u2019s where the conversation gets interesting. In the agent\u2019s initial pitch, you need to find out everything you can about how they get the job done.<\/p>\n Ask them questions like:<\/p>\n Look at online reviews but take them with a grain of salt.<\/strong><\/p>\n Reviews are good indicators of the real estate agent\u2019s customer service skills and they can give you a peek into the way they interact with clients. Unfortunately, online reviews are anecdotal. An agent with positive reviews might not be able to sell your house as fast as another agent and an agent with a few bad reviews might have just had a bad day.<\/p>\n Talk to previous clients and get details on previously sold properties. <\/strong><\/p>\n Ask your potential agent if they have a client or two that you could talk to \u2014 someone who has sold property similar to what you\u2019re selling, if possible. Ask them questions about the experience of working with the agent: what they liked, what (if anything) they didn\u2019t like, and any other questions you can think of.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got a few candidates narrowed down, look at their real estate license. <\/strong><\/p>\n Licensing and discipline are done on a state-by-state basis. Check with the regulatory body in your state to make sure that your real estate agent is licensed and see if there have been any complaints about them. A quick Google search should do the trick<\/a>.<\/p>\n Watch for these red flags:<\/strong><\/p>\n One red flag is if the agent doesn’t know much about your neighborhood, although this will depend on where you live \u2014 in some areas, there are huge variances in price from neighborhood to neighborhood. In other areas, it might not make as much of a difference.<\/p>\n Another one is that the agent only does real estate part-time. You want a full-time professional who has their finger on the pulse of the real estate market and knows all the ups, downs, and intricate details of it.<\/p>\n In addition to a license, agents can get credentials for completing additional training. <\/strong><\/p>\n The most relevant initials to watch out for are:<\/p>\n Last but not least, if an agent uses the term Realtor with a capital \u201cR\u201d, that means they\u2019re a member of the National Association of Realtors<\/a> and have formally pledged to support a code of ethics.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a few other types of real estate agents<\/a> but there\u2019s no need to cover them here.<\/p>\n One last thing: HomeLight makes all of this easier<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019d be remiss if we didn\u2019t mention that you can compare real estate agents by their housing transaction data<\/a>, tailor your search specifically to your property, and get additional help from a trained agent concierge by entering your address on our homepage<\/a>.<\/p>\n Okay, I\u2019ve found an amazing real estate agent, what\u2019s next? <\/strong><\/p>\n Great! That\u2019ll make the rest of the sales process much easier.<\/p>\n The next thing you need to do is start preparing your house. We\u2019ll get more into house prep in the next section, but in the meantime, start decluttering your entire home.<\/p>\n Janet suggests packing up clothes, toys, and anything else you won\u2019t be needing in the next 30-60 days. \u201cYou\u2019ll be packing and moving anyways \u2014 this gives your rooms a more spacious appearance, and you get a head start on packing!\u201d This ridiculously thorough decluttering guide<\/a> can get you started.<\/p>\n Start prepping your home for an open house before it\u2019s listed \u2014 there\u2019s a lot to do and it\u2019ll be much less stressful than rushing through everything last minute.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Janet\u2019s home-prep checklist:<\/p>\n Paint any rooms that have bold colors to light neutral colors \u2014 gray is the color for 2016-17 (she suggests Pediment by Sherwin-Williams for walls and Snowbound for trim). Remove 99% of your personal photos and knick-knacks, along with any ugly storage containers (replace them with baskets, if you must have them).<\/p>\n Deep clean everything, including vacuuming dust from vents and dusting fans. Replace all of your energy efficient light bulbs for the time being (sorry environment<\/a>). They take time to brighten up, which can give buyers a bad impression of your home. Replace them with instant bright bulbs<\/a>, so your buyers aren\u2019t wandering around in dim rooms.<\/p>\n Remove everything <\/i>from the countertops, then put one item back (a bowl of fruit or a piece of favorite pottery). The idea: to make the counters look as though there\u2019s plenty of room for cooking. Remove all magnets and notes from fridge doors, sides, and top. Remove all area rugs from around the sink or the fridge \u2014 this lets the flooring show through.<\/p>\n Replace all towels with white towels. Remove all throw rugs and everything from the shower\/tub area. Once that\u2019s done, roll up a few white towels and set them at the corner of the tub with a package of nice spa soaps or bubble bath.<\/p>\n Remove pet bowls and litter boxes. Don\u2019t ever use candles to make a house smell good \u2014 buyers will think that you\u2019re trying to cover up pet odors. Instead, use an odor eliminator like Febreze<\/a>.<\/p>\n Remove broken blinds, along with all screens from the house windows. \u201cThe screens make the difference between looking through a foggy lens and a clear one \u2014 removing them gives potential buyers a much clearer idea of what they\u2019ll be able to see.\u201d Along the same lines, wash all windows, inside and out.<\/p>\n Trim back the bushes and limb up trees. Trees need to frame the house, and bushes shouldn\u2019t touch the exterior of the home or block the view from the windows. Add fresh pine straw or mulch to flower beds, and remove debris, hoses, yard art, and any other miscellaneous items from your yard, then power wash your sidewalk.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the first thing buyers see. While you or your agent stands at the door fumbling with your keys, buyers will look around and notice the details. Get a fresh coat of paint on the front door, add a flower pot near the door, look at everything else on the porch and around the entryway (hardware, etc.) and make sure it\u2019s all shined up and spiffy.<\/p>\n Professional staging (from Janet: \u201c90% of houses need it, and even when it\u2019s okay, it could usually be done better\u201d), pre-listing inspection, and sometimes a home appraisal, depending on where you\u2019re at in the market and how unique your property is.<\/p>\n John Mick, the #2 ranked seller\u2019s agent in Round Rock in 2016<\/a>, says this stage is where one of the biggest misconceptions comes up: \u201cSellers have to realize that buyers don\u2019t buy rationally, they buy emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019ll have clients who know they need to replace their carpet or repaint but they\u2019d rather just give the buyer a carpet allowance in the closing costs. The problem is that it just doesn’t work that way.<\/p>\n \u201cThe buyer needs to be able to see themselves in your home, living in it, enjoying it. They can\u2019t do that if it looks bad.\u201d<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve worked together with your agent to do all the pre-listing prep, it\u2019s your agent\u2019s turn to list the house, set up an open house, and market your home. When the day of the open house rolls around, you should probably make yourself scarce. It\u2019s natural to want to be around to answer questions but that\u2019s your agent\u2019s job \u2014 and your presence might keep buyers from being honest with their comments and questions.<\/p>\n If potential buyers can\u2019t be honest with their questions, their sales objections won\u2019t get addressed by the agent and they probably won\u2019t make an offer.<\/p>\n Working with your agent, you\u2019ve completed the open house and the offers are rolling in. Your agent will guide you on how to evaluate offers, but overall, here\u2019s what you\u2019re looking at:<\/p>\n Price, <\/strong>obviously.<\/p>\n Earnest-money deposit,<\/strong> a sum of money (also referred to as a good faith deposit) that might accompany the offer. Sometimes this deposit is paid in two parts: a flat fee when the offer is submitted, and the rest (usually a percentage of the purchase price) when the contract is signed. The idea behind this is that if the buyer backs out, they forfeit this sum, meaning there\u2019s less risk involved for you. (If they don\u2019t back out, the money is typically applied towards closing costs.)<\/p>\n The down payment, <\/strong>or how much the buyer plans to pay in cash towards the purchase price. The higher the down payment (ideally, it\u2019ll be 20% or more), the greater the chances of a successful loan. Don\u2019t forget to look at when the buyer will be making the down payment (for example, 10% down within the first two weeks of signing the agreement, and the other 10% at closing).<\/p>\n The financing contingency, <\/strong>or how the buyer plans to put together the rest of the money (unless you\u2019ve received an all-cash offer). Ideally, the buyer will be pre-approved. You\u2019ll also want to see what the financing schedule is \u2014 how soon before the closing date the buyer will be able to confirm their financing. If you can, negotiate for the soonest confirmation date you can to prevent last-minute snags.<\/p>\n If your real estate agent knows their stuff, you should be pleasantly surprised with the offers.<\/p>\n However, nobody\u2019s perfect \u2014 so even if they did everything right and are knowledgeable about the market, you might both find that the offers are lower than you wanted. When it comes to this scenario, trust your real estate agent and don\u2019t forget to take into account other factors (taking a lower offer might be necessary if you want to sell the house ASAP, for example).<\/p>\n By the way, you should consult a lawyer either during or after the home sale is closed.<\/p>\nspecial someone<\/del> real estate agent:<\/p>\n\n
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![\"Level](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/video-game-screenshot-representing-steps-to-sell-a-house.jpg\")
<\/a>Level 2: Listing, Marketing, and More<\/h2>\n
General Maintenance:<\/h3>\n
Kitchen:<\/h3>\n
Bathrooms:<\/h3>\n
Pets:<\/h3>\n
Windows:<\/h3>\n
Exterior:<\/h3>\n
Last but not least, make sure the front door is flawless.<\/h3>\n
There are a few other things that need to be done before listing your home:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/selling-the-house-traps-like-a-video-game.jpg\")
<\/a>The Final Stretch: Negotiations and Closing<\/h2>\n