Even if you have bought or sold a home before, the process can still be confusing. This chart will help you better understand the steps involved in your transaction.

What You Need To Know About Pricing Your Home

Five General Principles:

1. Value is determined not by what you need or have invested in your property but by what a buyer is willing to pay.
2. The higher you price your property above fair market value, the fewer the number of available buyers.
3. The greatest number of showings occur when your property first comes on the market; it quickly attracts the attention of the largest number of buyers looking for a property in that price range.
4. The closer the listing price of your property is to fair market value, the higher the selling price you’ll likely receive. Too high a listing price attracts the wrong buyers and the right buyers won’t see your property.
5. The length of time your property is on the market may affect the selling price you receive. In a buyer’s mind, too much time on the market indicates an overpriced property. To a buyer, it presents an opportunity to negotiate a price lower than you might have originally received.

The more closely your property is priced to fair market value when it first comes on the market, the greater the probability it will sell quickly at the highest selling price.

When Showings Occur

The greatest number of showings occur when your property first comes on the market; it quickly attracts the attention of the largest number of buyers looking for a property in that price range.

Appropriate pricing is important in selling your house because buyers tend to look at similar homes. If yours is priced higher than comparable homes on the market, they may forgo looking at it, thinking it’s out of their price range. Overpricing also tends to lengthen the amount of time the property is on the market. When properties are on the market too long, buyers may believe something is wrong and make lower price offers. As a result, an overpriced house may eventually sell for less than could have been obtained with an original, fair market price.

Dress Your House For Success

How can you help make a positive first impression?

If your home is going to get a second look from buyers, it needs to make a good first impression. The correct staging of your home can go a long way toward achieving a successful sale at the highest price. When you list with me, I will go through the home with you to make sure we are putting our best foot forward to get your home sold quickly. In the meantime, here are some tips for you to think about. You may even want to ask a neighbor or friend to walk through the home as though they were in the market to hear their opinion. In doing this, we will be ahead of most of the sellers (our competition) already on the market.

Showing Your Home: Making a good impression on the inside

When it comes time to show the property, here are some suggestions that will help make the process go more smoothly:

• Review the house inside room by room.
• Paint and make repairs to walls in any rooms needing it, clean carpets or drapes that need it and be sure windows are clean and sparkling.
• Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary to make rooms appear larger and allow buyers to imagine their own furniture in the room.
• The two most important rooms to a buyer are the kitchen and bathroom. Remove stains in the sinks and tubs. Make sure the floors have been scrubbed, and that all appliances have been well-cleaned and are in good working order.
• Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen and bathroom countertops. Set out matching towels.
• Tighten cabinet doors and lubricate squeaky or hard to open/shut doors.
• Fix leaky faucets and make sure the drains in your tub and sinks are not clogged.
• Replace the shower curtain (if needed) and clean the tile around the tub.
• Odors must be eliminated especially if you have pets, young children. If you are a smoker, consider smoking outside during the time that your home is on the market. You may not notice the smell but potential buyers do.
• Maintain the home in ready-to-show condition with beds made, clutter removed, dishes put away and so forth. Then, you're always ready for a showing as soon as you get the phone call.
• Showcase your home as if you are receiving guests – Place flowers in vases, light a fire in the fireplace if it’s cold outside, and play soft background music.
• During showings open all blinds/curtains and turn on all lights.
• Make sure your pets are confined to a safe and out-of-the-way place.
• During a showing try to step out for awhile. The buyer will feel more relaxed if allowed to view your home without any distractions.
• In some cases, silence is golden. If you are present for any part of the showing, it is best to reserve comments until the buyer has left your home. The Realtor® showing your home knows what to point out.
• You should put away your most valuable items such as jewelry and collectibles.

On the Outside:

Try to look at your house through the buyer’s eyes as though you’ve never seen it before. Have the fewest obstacles between prospects and the true appeal of your home by following these steps:

• In autumn, rake the leaves, in winter, make sure there is no ice on the sidewalk or steps.
• Enhance drive-up appeal by removing clutter and cleaning stains off the drive way.
• You may want to scrub or repaint your front door.
• Touch up your exterior paint where needed.
• Keep your lawn nicely trimmed and edged.
• Remove dead and dying flowers and consider adding color.
• Trim bushes, add fresh bark or rock flowerbeds for a fresh look.
• Pick up toys, flowerpots, charcoal bags, garbage cans or any items that tend to leave a cluttered look.
• Clean out gutters/roofs, make sure they are free of debris and moss.
• Make necessary repairs to your roof if it leaks.
• Check your fence. Repair and repaint it if necessary.
• Keep windows sparkling clean and replace any windows that may have cracks in them.

Through my multiple professional Realtor® networks locally, nationally, and worldwide, I can connect you quickly with the most people who are qualified to buy your home or find the right home for you.

Anticipation of Needs and Problems

I keep you prepared for every step of the home buying or selling process in order to save you time, money and frustration.

Facilitation of Your Home Sale or Search

I handle all of the legally required filings and paperwork, the steps of bringing your home on the market, scheduling, answering questions of your buyers and sellers, setting up showings, and many other critical activities that are part of a home sale or purchase.

Resource for Home Needs

I can refer and coordinate improvements and repairs that you may want to make or that may be required for your home.

Coordination of Closing

I coordinate the many parties, activities, and paperwork involved in closing a real estate transaction to meet the requirements and deadlines of the contract so your home sale or purchase closes on time and trouble free!

Disclaimer: All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information on this site was last updated 11/21/2009. The listing information on this page last changed on 11/21/2009. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of RMLS (last updated Sat 11/21/2009 12:00:00 AM EST) or Willamette Valley MLS (last updated Sat 11/21/2009 12:00:00 AM EST) or MLSCO (last updated Sat 11/21/2009 12:00:00 AM EST) or Southern Oregon (last updated Sat 11/21/2009 12:00:00 AM EST). Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than RE/MAX equity group, inc. may be marked with the Internet Data Exchange logo and detailed information about those properties will include the name of the listing broker(s) when required by the MLS. All rights reserved. --

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