Prepare to Sell

You can do a lot to increase the appeal of your home and create a lasting impact on potential buyers. Move-in condition is what buyers want today, typically they picture themselves in a home, they want to see a home as a product. Most buyers put all their money on the down payment or they work a lot, and do not have the time to fix up a home. Selling your home is a battle with other listings for the qualified buyers that are out there, a battle with everything else a buyer has to do for their time and attention and a battle with every other thing they could be spending their money on.

A well-priced, impeccably-staged home is the A-number-one weapon you must wield to win this war. Data has shown that homes prepared by professional stagers sell faster and for more money.

Curb Appeal. Keeping your landscape pristine, and adding creative touches to your yard such as colorful plants and flowers, will create an immediate impact on potential buyers. 45% of the decision process is made by the exterior and location of home before they even walk into the front door.

House Repairs. Keep it simple, such as window, fence and door repairs, and a fresh lick of paint in the most frequently used rooms, instantly brighten up your home.

Cleanliness and Staging. Keep your home uncluttered, odor free and well-lit from top to bottom. Some buyers won’t even walk into a home that is dark and smelly. Keep home immaculate, dust, mop, wash windows, power wash walkways and driveways, remember buyers want to feel they can  just move-in and relax, especially after a hard day at work. Pay attention to details: put away the kitty litter, have your carpets cleaned, you might think about refinishing wood floors, de-personalize by putting away the family pictures, buyers want a home not your memories. Let us check the house before you accept any potential buyers or photographer, to see how you can improve the staging further. An experienced realtor knows what buyers want, in today’s market. We are here to help you on getting your property ready for market, our team has a proven track record of selling homes.

Disclosures and Inspections.  We are very familiar with the legal procedures involved in disclosures and are ready to help you develop a thorough disclosure statement, as well as suggest home improvement measures before placing your property on the market (such as termite and physical inspections). You must disclose any insurance claims in the past 5 years, as well as a death on the property in the past 3 years.

Showtime. Presenting your home to potential buyers is a job that we will take care of for you. Buyers feel more comfortable discussing the property with the agent if you’re not there. Moreover, as your agents we will know what information will be most useful in representing your interests when speaking with prospective buyers.

For more information and for any additional questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Accept an Offer

You can trust Madelaine to help you thoroughly evaluate every proposal without compromising your marketing position.

Negotiating The Right Way. We take the ethical responsibility of fairly negotiating contractual terms very seriously. It’s our job to find a win-win agreement that’s beneficial to you. Oftentimes you will have to deal with multiple offers before ratifying the one you judge to be the most suitable for you – and as your agents we’ll guarantee a thorough and objective assessment of these offers to help you make the right choice, favorable to you.

Escrow: The Initial Agreement and Deposit. An escrow is a legal arrangement whereby an asset (such as a home buyer’s initial deposit) is delivered to a third party (an escrow holder) to be held in trust pending the fulfillment of conditions or contingencies in a contract. Once an offer is ratified, the home seller and buyer will agree upon the amount for the good faith deposit and set up an escrow account. This reflects the buyer’s intention to purchase your property and ensures that no funds or property will change hands until all instructions in the transaction are followed.

Some Important Tips. Keep these tips in mind to streamline the process even further:

• Keep written records of everything. For the sake of clarity, it will be extremely useful to transcribe all verbal agreements of everything from counter-offers and addendums, and convert them to written agreements to be signed by both parties. I will assist you in drafting addendums in your contract to ensure you’ve got all the bases covered.
• Stick to the schedule. Now that you’ve chosen your offer, you and the buyer will be given a timetable to mark every stage in the process of closing the real estate contract. Meeting the requirements on time ensures a smoother flow of negotiations. During the process I’ll keep you constantly updated so you’ll always be prepared for the next step.