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Home Selling Guide

Give Your Home a Facelift

Are you trying to sell a fixer-upper? If not, you must make sure that your house is in good condition. Buyers will have an eye for things that need updating. They may see things that you would never have noticed. Luckily, you have an opportunity before any buyers see it to address any of your home’s flaws. Have your HVAC system, plumbing, water heater, gutters, and roof been inspected (and if necessary, fixed) to ensure that your home is ready to be viewed? We have vendors that offer discounted pre-listing home inspections to ensure that you sell your house for top dollar.

If you have a laundry list of things that need updating but are trying to get out of your house sooner rather than later, go over the list with your Jeff Cook agent. They can tell you where your money will go the farthest and what repairs and improvements are most likely to generate offers at higher prices. Jeff Cook Real Estate also offers an immediate buyout program that allows you to sell your house as-is.

When Should You Meet with a Jeff Cook Agent?

The earlier, the better. Find a real estate professional that is experienced in your area and knows your market. Your real estate professional will:

  • Assist with home condition decisions, review repairs, coordinate vendors or inspectors as needed at a discount
  • Determine the optimal asking price for any given home
  • Market your home so that the offers start rolling in
  • Provide expert advice and implement strategies to show off your property
  • Find any home-related services you need during the selling process
  • Give you a report on all open houses and home showings
  • Provide you with updates on local and/or national market changes that could affect your property’s sale price
  • Evaluate each offer with you in a promptly manner
  • Negotiate the highest possible price with the buyer or their representative
  • Handle the transactional details, including matters related to the contract and title
  • Make certain that all required items are signed, sealed, and sent on closing day

Set the Best Possible Asking Price

Few things are more important than setting the optimal asking price when selling your house. If your asking price is too high, it will sit on the market for months. Too low and you’ll miss out on the opportunity for a more lucrative sale. Please keep in mind homes that are priced and marketed correctly will typically sell quickly, within 1 to 2 months.

Your Jeff Cook Real Estate agent will present you with a detailed Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) along with the rest of their listing presentation that outlines how they intend to sell your home. The CMA relies on Multiple Listing Services but also takes into account our agent’s experience working in your actual market. We will provide pictures and recent sale prices of similar properties.

It’s always a good idea to leave room to negotiate from the initial asking price. Our Jeff Cook agent will help you determine the ideal amount of wiggle room above and below the asking price.

Marketing Your Home

Once you’ve arrived at the asking price, it’s time to put your house on the market. We will make sure any necessary repairs have been completed before we take any pictures of your house. We will hire a professional photographer to take pictures of your house. In order for your house to be in the best selling condition, you need to stage your home to prepare for the photographer and the potential buyers that will be visiting your house. Staging means removing clutter and getting rid of anything that might steer a buyer away. By “removing” we don’t mean stuffing things in the closet. It may be wise to hire a moving company or rent space to store your things. Our Jeff Cook agent can help.

Most buyers today find their homes on the internet. Many internet buyers won’t even look at a home unless it has majority of the following:

  • Professional photos
  • Detailed information about the property
  • Contact information for a real estate agent
  • Information about the neighborhood
  • Map views of the surrounding areas

You should lean heavily on your Jeff Cook agent to market your house. We will be actively and aggressively marketing not only your house, but the surrounding community as well. Real estate is a numbers game. The more serious buyers you reach, the more likely you are to get the asking price. That’s why we will also market your house via:

  • Open houses
  • Personal websites
  • Social media platforms
  • Multiple Listing Service (MLS)
  • REALTOR.com® | Zillow.com | Trulia.com | Homes.com
  • Real estate search mobile applications
  • Other REALTORs® with additional buyers and their websites

Negotiate

Here is where your Jeff Cook agent proves their true worth: during negotiations. When you get an offer, it will be in the form of a contract that includes everything from the buyer’s requested sale price to the closing and possession dates and the down payment amount. We will review each offer with you and help you decide whether to accept or counter each offer. Remember, it is our responsibility to represent your interests every step of the way.

Closing the Deal

Trivia question: How many people are involved from the time an offer has been accepted to the close of ESCROW? The answer is 52 people, on average. Everyone from inspectors, attorneys, mortgage professionals, buyers, sellers, appraisers, and more — but not to worry, we have closed over 7,000 homes in our career and have a time-tested closing process to make sure none of the details fall through the cracks and that you close on time. If you and the buyer have fulfilled all obligations set forth in the purchase agreement, the closing should conclude without any surprises!