THE SELLING PROCESS

This is the selling process that takes a home from your home, to a sold home.here. (pdf)

DANGERS OF OVERPRICING
When developing a pricing strategy, it is important to be mindful that overpricing a property can be a serious misstep. If a property is perceived by the market as being unrealistically priced, it will likely sit for a long period of time with little to no activity. Eventually, in order to create a renewed sense of interest, the price will need to be adjusted down — often below the level where initial interest would have been greatest. Careful market analysis helps to avoid such pricing pitfalls and facilitates the efficient marketing of your property.

SELLER DISCLOSURES
At the time that you list your home for sale, a detailed disclosure statement will be prepared, identifying such things as prior improvements, repairs, renovations, and other potential concerns. While this can feel somewhat challenging, the disclosure statement is actually intended to create trust with potential buyers and avoid misunderstandings.

SHOWING YOUR PROPERTY AT ITS BEST
Being ready to show off your home to Seattle buyers is the most important tool we have. Seattle buyers have a lot of different properties to choose from and making sure your property is ready for its’ debut in the marketplace on the first day we list it is a priority. I will do a couple of walk-throughs of your home and we will talk about what needs to be done before we go live on the MLS.

TOOLS I USE TO MARKET YOUR HOME

MLS: Your home will go onto the MLS (the Multiple Listing Service) which will expose the home to all of the real estate agents in Washington. The MLS will also automatically update the listing on all public real estate sites.
Neighborhood Look-Book: I create a personalized, full color neighborhood look-book for the home. The book contains all of the pertinent and fun information on the neighborhood: restaurants, parks, transportation, and schools. We also put utility bills, title information and any other pertinent information for the buyers into the look.
Advertising: Your home will be featured in the John L Scott page of the Sunday Seattle Times. Your home will have it’s own web page on John L Scott.
Direct Mail: I send an open house invitation to 300 homes in the neighborhood, for condos I send 300 invites to renters in the area.
Email Marketing: I have an e-mail list of over 300 that I send out invites to
Brokers Open Houses: I have a real estate agent’s only open house right when the house goes on the market. We send out invites to all agents in the area and have a nice lunch for agents to get them excited about the home.
Neighborhood Open Houses: Holding lively open houses are fun for the neighborhood and a great way to create excitement for your home. I will always have lots of signage to bring people driving around looking our way. I always follow up on everyone who sees the home and or their realtor.

ONCE WE HAVE A BUYER - WHAT'S NEXT?

Negotiating the Terms
Let me handle the back and forth of negotiating. I know what you want the outcome to be and it is my job to know what the buyer wants and the position they are in. We will have a plan for negotiating before we even list the house. We will talk about all the different things that could come in with an offer and we will have a plan for our response.

Title and Escrow
We will have opened title before we list the home, to make sure there is nothing on the title that will adversely effect the sale of the home. I will handle all the paperwork for closing and take the pressure off of you. I will get a net proceeds report from escrow, so you will know before you close what your total funds will be upon closing.

Making Sure Your Home Closes
There are many details and check-ins that I will do each day before your home closes: Making sure the buyer's loan is holding up; getting reports from the lender; knowing who is appraising the home- and if there is any doubt about appraisal, making sure the appraiser has the information and comparables that we are working off of; and making sure that the buyer comes to the table ready to sign for a smooth close.

I love making the sale and having my clients feel very well taken care of. Read about what my clients say about working with me.