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.​​​​​​​
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. We will discuss these unique needs in our Listing Consultation to determine what pricing strategy works best for your particular sale.
Meet with me to discuss your plans & goals, trends in the marketplace, and assess your home’s unique qualities and selling points. We will review the required paperwork & fees together and then you’ll sign an Exclusive Right to Sell contract giving you full access to my network, strategies, tech insights, and hands-on service. I’ll analyze comparable property sales, assess the competition, work with you to determine pricing, and outline a strategic plan to achieve the best possible result for you as a seller.
If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority. Most homeowners require some level of prep before they go on the market, and I’m here to guide you every step of the way. From applying a fresh coat of paint to rearranging furniture, I will help to ensure your home is ready for photos and showings. We will discuss potential staging and renovation or repair needs and outline a budget and timeline as needed. I highly recommend taking this time to declutter and box up as much of your personal belongings as possible...you have to pack it up eventually, and your home will show much better for it!
Don’t want to front any of your own money for listing prep? Ask me about the Compass Concierge program.
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 leaves money on the table. I like to think of the list price as a marketing tool to launch your listing… together we will determine the right marketing price for your home based on your needs & goals, what other comparable homes are selling for, the current market, and if needed, an independent appraisal or community price opinion event.
I will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your particular home — connecting you with serious buyers, pricing with confidence, and protecting your equity. Compass’ 3-tiered marketing plan gives you various options to sell on your terms, whether you want maximum exposure or value privacy & exclusivity. My plan drives the right people to your listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, SEO advertising, and the latest tech innovations available, and my proven strategies unite as a single curated campaign that delivers top results for you with minimal disruption.
Once your home looks its best, I’ll schedule a professional content shoot for photography and/or videography, commission an illustrative floor plan, and prepare an enticing listing description. Professional presentation is of the utmost importance to me, so you can rest assured that your listing will stand out — in a great way.
Depending on the listing strategy we’ve selected for your home, you will launch as Compass Private Exclusive, Coming Soon, or directly to our local Multiple Listing Service. This is where the fun really begins! Buyers & their agents will be notified automatically if your home matches their saved criteria, and we can begin fielding showing requests & inquiries.
I will produce beautifully creative print & digital collateral to strategically showcase your property, and execute an intelligent advertising plan. Based on our initial strategy, it will span numerous platforms ranging from social media to print mailers, to eye-catching property signs and more. I continuously leverage professional contacts and the Compass network to connect with ideal buyers and their brokers. Open Houses are hosted for both brokers & buyers on a regular basis, and I love getting creative!
Maximum showing traffic is vital to your listing’s success, so we will work together to make sure every appointment goes well. It’s very important to keep your home as clean and tidy as possible during this time period, and to approve as many showing requests as you can. I will conduct regular assessments of the market response & provide you with data-driven feedback and reports. Together, we will adjust the listing strategy as needed to achieve your desired outcome within the ideal timeframe.
Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. I will evaluate each offer for viability and verify their proof of funds. Once an offer has been vetted, I’ll contact you to review in detail the terms of the offer. With my guidance, you’ll decide how to respond to the buyer in one of several ways: accepting the offer, rejecting the offer, or countering the offer. If you receive multiple offers, we can make a plan to move forward with an offer deadline that puts you in control. I will advise you on the pros and cons of every outcome and both parties will go back & forth until we have reached an agreement with a buyer on price, terms, timing, & contingencies.
Once you deem an offer is acceptable, the buyer will begin their due diligence. The offer is non-binding on both parties at this point, so it’s important to act with a sense of urgency — the buyer can back out of the deal for any reason at this point. In most cases, the buyer will complete an inspection to verify the overall condition of the property within the agreed timeline. If any issues arise, they can renegotiate the terms of the deal or ask for repairs. I will be there to guide you in this process & troubleshoot any unforeseen issues or circumstances.
New York and Connecticut Real Estate transactions require attorney representation in most cases, so please ask me if you need assistance connecting with one of my trusted referrals. At this stage, the real estate agents for both parties compile all terms of the agreement into a “Memo of Agreement” or “Deal Sheet” and send it to both attorneys. The seller’s attorney will draft the contract & once both sides have agreed, the buyer(s) will sign and place their contract deposit. Once funds have been received by the sellers’ attorney, you will sign the contract and we will be officially “In Contract”. Breathe a sigh of relief, you now officially have a deal.
You have accepted an offer and it feels like your selling journey is almost over... 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 in time for the closing.
If the buyer is financing their purchase, they will now work in close connection with their lender to obtain a mortgage. This includes scheduling the bank appraisal, which ensures that the buyer is paying a fair price for the house. If there is an appraisal contingency in the contract, there are some risks involved for you as a seller. Sometimes, appraisals may come in too low, which can impact the amount of money the bank is willing to lend. In the event this happens or any other issues arise with the buyer’s financing, I’ll be there to help you navigate renegotiations with the buyer. Assuming everything goes well, the bank will issue a mortgage commitment letter to the buyer & it will be delivered to your attorney to remove the mortgage contingency.
In the meantime, the buyer’s attorney will order the title search and discuss any issues that may arise — liens, ownership disputes, survey issues, and other title concerns are not necessarily common, but they do occur from time-to-time and almost always have a reasonable solution. It might feel like not much is happening during this time, but your attorney and I are hard at work in the background alongside the buyer’s team making sure you get to the finish line on time. Now is a good time to start boxing up the rest of your belongings and reviewing your moving options, but don’t make any firm moving plans just yet!
Once all conditions have been met and the bank has officially cleared the buyer’s loan to close, the attorneys will schedule the closing date. During this time, you can also make plans to book movers, 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.
Note: In New York, the closing date stated in the contract is usually “on or about” a certain day, which means that either party has a 30-day window to postpone with reasonable cause. I cannot stress this enough - please do not make any firm moving plans without a confirmed closing date from your attorney. It is extremely common to close later than the specified date in the contract in New York State.
Prior to closing, the buyers will do a walk-through of the property. It’s important as sellers to ensure you’ve met all conditions of the contract: the home is “broom clean” in the expected condition with reasonable wear, any negotiated repairs were completed, all personal items other than anything included or explicitly listed in the contract have been removed, & any available keys, warranties, remotes, and service instructions were left behind. If the buyer raises any reasonable issues in their walkthrough, you will need to remedy them prior to closing.
When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. You will meet with your attorney to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. Once all parties have signed the required paperwork, the buyers or their lender will deliver funds to you and you will hand off the keys to the new buyers.
Pop some champagne… you’ve successfully sold your home, which is no small feat. 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. I’m always here to help you with any home-related needs or questions after your sale, so keep my information handy and stay in touch. Cheers to you and your new adventures!
ADDRESS 68-70 THE CROSSING CHAPPAQUA NY 10514
ADDRESS 68-70 THE CROSSING CHAPPAQUA NY 10514