I've Contacted You To Sell, Now What?

You are a seller, and you might not know me - or you do, maybe you were referred to me from a past client, or maybe we have done business together.

In any case, my goal in this business is to leave you more educated when you leave me than at our first contact. To that end, I determined it might be valuable to have a transparent breakdown of what happens after that first contact when selling a home, so you can understand why and how I do this process.

Step 1

Meeting 1: Visit and See Home/Meet

So, after first contact, we would have decided upon a time to meet in the next few days, in order for me to meet you, and see your home. This is important because as I price the home, having seen the home allows my information to be most accurate, and thus the price more accurate. The alternative is a much wider range of sales price, with no guarantee as to whether that would work out, in the end.

This might seem like a pushy/obligatory meeting, but it is not. I come with clipboard and tax card, and we meet for the first time; You then show me the property, and tell me all about the pros and cons.

More than likely, this first meeting would include some value-based suggestions regarding cleanup, staging, and de-cluttering. These suggestions are given with intent to manage your expectations: if we work together to sell the home, I expect you to do everything to can to take these suggestions, as they result in higher prices and quicker sales (there is a method to my madness!).

Step 2

Due Diligence Period: I.E. My Research

As you might know, my goal is to educate everyone I interact with, so the least you get out of meeting with me, is information. After we meet, I do thorough due diligence:

• I price the home for you, based on current market value:
  • This would include information about property that sold (comparables) and on-market property (competition);
    
  • Unlike most Market Evaluations, this comes with an adjustment analysis, showing the price adjustments that would be made by an appraiser for a more accurate price;
    
• I visit city hall, including town clerk, tax assessors, building department, department of sanitation, fire marshal to get as much information on the home as possible. This added step saves huge amount of time/frustration down the line as the process continues. I call it a mini-title search.
  
• I determine fair market value for rent, if you decide that is an option, using similar method to bullet point #1.
  

Meeting 2: Price/Marketing Presentation

Upon our second meeting, I share with you the information gathered, as well as a price range in which I think your home can sell. Depending on the location and price point, there are so many flexible options to listing a home at a given price, that not all is lost if our expected sales prices don't match.  Please Note: I am not giving you a price in order to get your home as a listing, I am giving you a determination of fair market value.

I educate you about my marketing, and what is necessary to get the home sold (I would check out The Game Plan for more information on marketing).

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If you have read this far, then you are considering going through these first steps with me. I promise to give you as much solid information as I can, with the expectation that one day you might think of me first when you decide to sell.

In any case, enjoy the information, and hopefully this process doesn't seem too overwhelming. I like to think knowing what is in store makes you feel more comfortable about this fact-seeking mission.