Home Selling P.A.T.H.
Dear Homebuyers and Sellers,
Even for experienced homeowners, buying or selling a home can be a challenging journey. In addition to finding a home with the features you want or doing the work to prepare your property for sale, you also face the complicated contract process, competition from other buyers and sellers, interest rate pressures, inventory pressure, access to too much information which is not always accurate or relevant, input from family and friends, and fear of making a mistake - and more!
We have helped hundreds of buyers and sellers successfully navigate through the process, and we created our Buyer and Seller PATH systems to make sure that you have the information you need to make the best decisions, find or sell your property, and avoid regrets.
When we help you, you will feel confident that you have the best information and process, which allows you to navigate this transition, while avoiding paying too much, worrying that you chose the wrong home, or selling for less than you could have. You will go from feeling worried and uncertain about the process and the market, to being well-informed and living in the right home without regret.
Based upon our many years of experience, our process consists of a very specific set of steps that have been found to almost guarantee success. Each of these steps applies to both the seller, and the agent handling the sale. The fundamental steps are: Plan, Assess, Take Action and Head for Home.
- PLAN: The first and most important step in selling a home is to develop a plan. For most sellers, making a plan creates clarity, and helps to highlight things, like timing, which need to be factored into the process.
- ASSESS: We will help you asses yourself and your home, the neighborhood, the market, interest rates, and all of the other variables that impact your success.
- TAKE ACTION: We will help you take the steps needed to prepare and present your home, and will implement our marketing and other plans to ensure your success.
- HEAD FOR HOME: From contract negotiation to acceptance, inspections and repairs, and all of the steps that get you to your ultimate goal, we will be there with your Home Selling PATH and everything you need for success!
PLAN
Having a Plan keeps you on track and moving forward with the highest chance of success.
“I/We will sell _________________ in ___________ by ______________ so we can ___________________”
This sounds simple, and it can be. Writing your plan out can not only help clarify what must be done, it also makes the process seem “real”, and is the bridge between thinking about selling a house, and actually doing it!
We conduct a comprehensive pre-marketing consultation to determine all the details of your home, the benefits and features of your home and area, so that we can properly market your property.
- MONEY: By money, we mean financial considerations, and we will analyze inventory, comparables, property condition, cost to prepare for sale, estimated net proceeds, moving expenses, qualification for new home, etc.
- MOTIVATION: We will discuss what is important to YOU! Is the move mandatory, or optional? Is it contingent upon a minimum net from the sale? What will you do if you do not net the proceeds you were hoping for?
- MUST HAVE: What items are not negotiable in terms of the selling process, the terms, and the plan?
- MAY HAVE: What would you love to have happen, but will be satisfied without? What may happen, such as temporary housing, carrying two mortgages, date changes?
- WHERE: What are the neighbor property condition, neighborhood (in general) condition, and the market near your house?
- WHEN: What is the latest date that you can sell your home and meet the desired outcome of your plan?
PRICING YOUR HOME
The correct selling price of a home is the highest price the market will bear.
To assist you in determining the correct asking price we have provided you with a comprehensive market analysis of comparable properties that have been recently offered for sale in your neighborhood. This analysis is based strictly on homes that can be considered similar to yours, and has been specially prepared for you over the last few days.
This ‘Comprehensive’ property analysis is divided into four categories:
1. Similar properties that are currently listed (Active)
2. Similar properties that have recently sold (Sold)
3. Similar properties that have sales pending (Contract)
4. Similar properties that failed to sell (Withdrawn/Expired)
By carefully studying the comparable property locations, features, and the terms under which they are offered, we can develop a clear picture of the potential market for your property.
By looking at the properties currently listed, we can see exactly what alternatives a serious buyer has to choose from. We can be certain that we are not under pricing the property.
By looking at similar properties recently sold, we can see what homeowners have actually received over the last few months. This is the acid test that is used by lending institutions to determine how much they will be willing to lend a buyer for your home.
While we naturally want top market value for the home, we can agree that there’s a point where the price would be too high. By looking at homes that didn’t sell, we can accurately determine that price point and be careful not to get too close to it. By doing our homework diligently, we can get maximum dollars in a reasonably short period of time.
To learn more about Pricing Your Home, check out these videos:
Why is One Variable Pricing Your Best Choice?
Why Does Pricing on The Bridge Net Sellers More Money?
STAGING
While we can make suggestions regarding the staging of your home, we recommend that you have your home professionally staged. The expertise of a stager can significantly affect the “showability” of your home, but more importantly it affects how your home looks in the photographs in the virtual tour. With the importance of the virtual tour in the current market, professional staging is an important consideration.
Depending on the package selected, we will virtually stage 3 to 6 rooms of your home (if vacant):
PAPERWORK
If your home is part of a Homeowners Association, a Condominium, or has any easements (like shared driveways, etc.) it is important to obtain those documents as soon as practical. For the HOA and Condo docs, you must request a resale package from your HOA or Condo association.
A copy of your current documents will not suffice because there may have been changes to the rules, or the financial status of your community. Buyers are entitled to new copies.
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER
The appearance of your home can best be captured using a professional photographer with the appropriate equipment. Our photographer will arrange to photograph your home within a few days of signing the listing agreement. Once the photographs have been taken,we will develop the virtual tour, and create the marketing materials that will be used to market your home.
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ITEMS
In addition to staging your home, it is imperative that all maintenance items be up to date, and that there be no pending work or projects when the home is being shown. Carpets must be clean, paint must be clean or new, tubs and showers must be spotless, and re-caulked if necessary. All light bulbs must be functioning, and use the highest wattage allowable for each fixture.
WARRANTY
If you have made the wise decision to place a warranty on your home,we will order the warranty
prior to the home going on the market. If you have selected Owner Coverage, this will protect you as well from unforeseen items which may arise while your home is listed.
SIGN PLACEMENT
Our sign is designed to be simple and clean, and to capture the eye of anyone near your home. Our sign features a phone number, capable of calls and texts which can be assigned and forwarded to the appropriate person.
MARKETING
We are committed to the highest standards of professional service to our customers. We assure you that your property will be marketed to its full potential so you will receive the highest net proceeds. To do this we will utilize:
We create a buyer lead generation platform (sample website below) around your listing to literally drive hundreds of interested buyers for your home to us. The MORE buyer leads we generate for your home, the more buyers I talk to and show your property to:
• Initiate a geographically-targeted inside-out marketing campaign focused on the closest neighbors.
• Unique seller letter and card marketing to create buyer connection with the property.
• Pre-qualify potential buyers & Present all offers, help you select the best offer, and follow that with a relentless and systematic contract to close system.
SHOWINGS
We have contracted with ShowingTime for all showings for your home. This service allows us to put the showing instructions in their system. When interested agents go in the system they will schedule an appointment online. You will receive an email or text from ShowingTime to schedule each showing.
SHOWING FEEDBACK
Every time an agent shows your house they will receive a Feedback survey, for us to know what they thought about the house.
WEEKLY MARKET UPDATE
Each Tuesday you will receive a Market Snapshot which provides market information as well as any new listings or listings with a change of status which might impact the sale of your home.
WEEKLY CONSULTATION
Each Week we will call you to discuss the information in the Feedback, as well as the weekly market report and the number of showings, and to make suggestions for any changes or improvements based upon this information.
UPDATED COMPARATIVE MARKET ANALYSIS
You will receive an updated comparative market analysis of your home monthly, which will be part of the discussion on the subsequent weekly phone call.
AUTOMATIC SUMMARY EMAIL
To ensure that we fully communicate everything we are doing on your behalf, you will receive an automatic summary email (from [email protected]) that are part of all the completed tasks of the transaction.
OFFERS RECEIVED - TECHNICAL EVALUATION
When you entrust your move to the Head for Home Team, we do more than just market your home. When you receive an offer on your home, it will be scrutinized on two levels. First, the contract will be closely evaluated for completeness, necessary forms, etc. It will also reviewed to make sure that the dates, timelines, contingencies, and other aspects of the contract are realistic, and if they conform to your requirements. There is no point in pursuing a contract that is not viable, regardless of the offer amount!
OFFERS RECEIVED - FINANCIAL EVALUATION
Once the technical evaluation has been completed, the offer will be evaluated to determine what your proceeds would be if you accept the offer. This information will be shown in a comparison spreadsheet.
COMPREHENSIVE CLOSING SYSTEMS
The Head for Home Team has developed a detailed and systematic process to ensure that each home that is sold has the highest chance of going to settlement. Sadly, many homes which go under contract never reach settlement, because of inexperienced, inattentive, or disorganized agents. When you list with us, you can rest assured that we will stay on top of every detail, communicate promptly, and manage the process diligently.
SELLER RESOURCES
Below, you will find some helpful resources to help you navigate the Home Selling P.A.T.H.
To download a PDF version of this Home Selling P.A.T.H., Click Here!
Thank you for the opportunity to present our qualifications, systems, and plan to help you sell your house.