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SELLER'S GUIDE

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced agent and this easy to follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.​​​​​​​

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Step 1: Understand Why You're Selling

What do you want to accomplish with the sale of your home? Do you want to make a certain amount of money that you can put toward a larger or nicer home? Do you need to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a move to a new city or area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your offer. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you might want to price your home lower than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. Make sure you convey these needs to your Real Estate Agent once you choose one so he or she can adjust your selling price accordingly.

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Step 2: Determine Selling Price

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.

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Step 3: Start Preparations

If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

I will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. My team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. I will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once I deem the offer is acceptable, I will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your agent.

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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. But first, you and the buyer must make a list of what needs to be done before closing. In some cases, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. I will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, I will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.

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Step 8: Close

You’ve reached the last step in the seller’s process. When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. I will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your Real Estate Agent to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.

Congratulations!

Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. Whether this is relocating to a new city, moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life as empty-nesters, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind for your new path.

Featured Testimonials

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Natalie W.

My husband and I asked Billy to help us with the purchase of our first home, and we couldn't have asked for a better realtor. Billy checked in on us through every step of the process, called and texted to make sure that all of ...
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Kallen B.

Billy helped us with the purchase of a property in Ojai. There were some hiccups in the process that Billy was able to work through for us. He was extremely engaged and responsive, regularly reaching out to see if we needed any...
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Buyer | Seller

Billy is kind, funny, and works for his client! Through this process, we have become friends! He is responsive and most importantly “honest”! Will for sure use him again and always recommend him to others!
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Peter E.

It has been a pleasure working with, Billy Davidson, from the very first day my wife and I had the good fortune of having him as our real estate agent. From the outset, he was there for us, guiding us throughout the entire proc...
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Robert C.

Billy Davidson is the most friendly person you will ever meet. He is the hardest-working person I have ever had the pleasure of working with and is genuine and passionate about his everything he pursues. Billy is successful bec...
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Ted K.

I am writing to wholeheartedly recommend Billy Davidson for his exceptional skills and dedication as a realtor. From the outset, Billy has consistently demonstrated a remarkable level of expertise, professionalism, and commitme...
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Ryan T.

I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Billy as his loan advisor partner, and I can confidently say he is one of the best in the real estate world. Billy has an incredible ability to understand his client's needs, guiding ...
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Jeremy D.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Billy on several property appraisals, and I can confidently say he is one of the most thorough and client-focused real estate agents I’ve ever met. His attention to detail in providing rele...
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Jacob W.

As a first-time homebuyer, I was looking for a real estate agent who is helpful, supportive, and knowledgeable. Billy fit the bill perfectly. He was 100% invested in our home purchase process from the first day we started worki...
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Kathleen W.

As first-time home buyers, we couldn’t have imagined a better realtor. Billy was incredibly helpful, kind, knowledgeable, and went out of his way to make us feel comfortable with the process. We appreciated his efficiency, time...
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Experienced CPA turned Real Estate Agent. Helping clients achieve financial freedom through real estate.

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