What You Should Expect From Your Listing Agent

Communication

Selling a home is stressful, and lack of communication from your Realtor® can make it even worse.  You should expect feedback from every showing from your Realtor®.  Your Realtor® should be able to adapt to your preferred communication method.  If text messaging is preferred during “business hours,” that’s how the real estate agent should communicate.  If a real estate agent is unable to accommodate the preferred method, it’s very possible the level of communication is going to be sub-par. 

Prepare Your Home For Sale

Preparing your home to sell can be overwhelming.  Hiring an experienced listing agent who knows the process and how to maximize your property’s value can make all the difference.  She’ll take the time to walk through your home and property to identify any improvements or repairs (if any) to increase the your home’s value.   She’ll also be able to recommend useful contractors like inspectors, dry-wallers, handymen, painters, landscapers, roofers, etc.

A pre-listing home inspection of the roof, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, sewer, drainage, fireplace and other major components of your home can be helpful so there are no surprises when the buyer inspection is completed.   Depending on the types and size of repairs or improvements, your Realtor® may advise you to complete them or leave as-is for the buyer.

You want to ensure a return on investment when making repairs or improvements.  Your Realtor® can help you evaluate that ROI.  Today’s market has a low inventory of homes and homes often sell in less than a week and with multiple offers without having to make repairs.  With that said, if you want to get the most money for your home, it’s best to make those repairs and improvements prior to putting your home on the market.  Most buyers want a “turn-key” home and will pay more money for it.  

Assist You in Staging Your Home

We only get one chance to make a first impression.  From the second a buyer looks at your home’s photos on the internet, to the moment they walk in the front door, the way your home looks and makes them feel will be the deciding factor on how they proceed.

Your Realtor® will walk through your home with you to suggest the removal of over-sized furniture, clutter, wall hangings and other excess items to make the room feel larger.  While we believe it best to leave some furniture and decor in the room so that the home doesn’t appear “sterile”,  there shouldn’t be so much that the room feels small.

If you prefer, you can hire a professional staging company, who will provide furniture and decor specifically chosen for your home.  While professional staging can be expensive, ranging from $5k – $7k, it can net you 1% higher sales price.

Hire Professional Photographer

When your home is cleaned, decluttered, repaired, the improvements have been made and it’s been staged, it will be ready for picture day.  The Tilo Team provides professional photos as part of our listing services.  Higher end homes, homes with views and water-front properties include drone footage.

Assist You With Pricing Your Home

Your Realtor® will use certain criteria to create a comparative market analysis (CMA) to review comparable homes that have recently sold in your area.  This will give you a better understanding of what people are willing to pay for homes that are similar to yours, so you can set a competitive price.  It’s important to work with a Realtor® who’s familiar with the area and has sold some of the comps or at least shown homes in the area and has seen the comps in person.  We often have other top producing agents in our area comp our seller’s home in order to make sure our numbers are accurate.

Market Your Home to Potential Buyers

When you’ve settled on a price, you’re ready to list your home on the market.  Your Realtor® will list your home on the MLS, social media, KSL, Zillow, Trulia, and hundreds of other websites, etc.  We will have a “for sale” sign posted in your yard and a lockbox placed on your home.  The lockbox is used by other Realtors® to access your home.  The Tilo Team also sends out post cards and flyers to your neighbors will hold an open house and may employ other marketing strategies tailored to you.

 

A couple things to consider; Is your Realtor® active on Pinterest?  Is she an active blogger?  Does she have a strong following on Twitter?  If your Realtor® is lacking her own website, her own blog, or is not active on social media sites, you may want to reconsider selecting her to sell your home!

Close the Deal

When an offer is received, the Tilo Team will send an email to anyone who has viewed or favorited your home to make sure they get one more chance to make an offer before it sells.  Once all offers have been received, your Realtor® will review each offer with you to help you determine which one is best for you.

Once an offer is accepted, your Realtor® will guide your through the transaction by working with title to research the property and get a title report, working with the buyer’s agent to ensure the loan in on track, schedule the inspection with the buyer’s agent, negotiate any repairs, schedule the appraisal, negotiate the appraisal price should there be an issue, and ensure all of the necessary paperwork is in order and complete by the settlement deadline.  

When all of the deadlines have been met and the paperwork has been complete, the funds have been transferred to the seller’s and the home has been recorded into the new buyer’s name, the transaction is complete and the keys can be handed over to the buyer according to the contract.

 


Looking to Sell Your House?

*Required field