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Prepare to Sell

Seller's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

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.​​​​​​​

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Step 1: Understand Why You're Selling

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. Make sure you convey these needs to your real estate agent once you choose one so he or she can adjust your selling price accordingly.

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Step 2: Determine Selling Price

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 leads to receiving less than what your home is worth. Working with a real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.

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Step 3: Start Preparations

If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

I will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. My team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. I will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once I deem the offer is acceptable, I will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your agent.

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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. 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 by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, I will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.

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Step 8: Close

You’ve reached the last step in the seller’s process. When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. I will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your real estate agent to 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.

Congratulations!

Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. 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.

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Testimonials

Read what my clients have to say about working with me.

Giselle is friendly, courteous, and very knowledgeable. She is very active and will reach out to her contacts to find the best deal whether you are buying or selling. She is honest and straightforward. Giselle found the right buyer at the right time for the right amount of money. I sold my house thanks to her diligence and knowledge of the market.
Giselle is friendly, courteous, and very knowledgeable. She is very active and will reach out to her contacts to find the best deal whether you are buying or selling. She is honest and straightforward. Giselle found the right buyer at the right time for the right amount of money. I sold my house thanks to her diligence and knowledge of the market.
Angela C.
Giselle is a top-notch realtor. She has assisted me in 3 real estate transactions in the past 2 years. She is extremely dedicated, hard-working, reliable, and personable. She will find you the best deal and make sure to follow through until it closes. You need to call her. You will be very pleased with the results! Giselle is an excellent contact!
Giselle is a top-notch realtor. She has assisted me in 3 real estate transactions in the past 2 years. She is extremely dedicated, hard-working, reliable, and personable. She will find you the best deal and make sure to follow through until it closes. You need to call her. You will be very pleased with the results! Giselle is an excellent contact!
Seller
Giselle was so helpful when it came to buying and selling our home. She was always available for any questions and made sure that my experience of buying a house was one of a kind.
Giselle was so helpful when it came to buying and selling our home. She was always available for any questions and made sure that my experience of buying a house was one of a kind.
Angie B.
She is very professional and helpful with all parties, always available anytime you call and arrives with plenty of time before the scheduled. I definitely recommend Giselle; call her and see for yourself what I mean.
She is very professional and helpful with all parties, always available anytime you call and arrives with plenty of time before the scheduled. I definitely recommend Giselle; call her and see for yourself what I mean.
Seller
I have worked with Giselle from Blue Pen Realtors on both the sale of our home and the subsequent purchase of land and construction of our new home. Giselle is a seasoned professional with great knowledge of the real estate market and a superior work ethic. She will stand by you every step of the way.
I have worked with Giselle from Blue Pen Realtors on both the sale of our home and the subsequent purchase of land and construction of our new home. Giselle is a seasoned professional with great knowledge of the real estate market and a superior work ethic. She will stand by you every step of the way.
Seller
Giselle is a skilled negotiator and excellent real estate agent. We were blessed to have her working with us and getting our dream home. Plus, she helped us sell our old home. Everything worked out perfectly. You can’t go wrong when you have Giselle running your real estate deals!
Giselle is a skilled negotiator and excellent real estate agent. We were blessed to have her working with us and getting our dream home. Plus, she helped us sell our old home. Everything worked out perfectly. You can’t go wrong when you have Giselle running your real estate deals!
Michelle D.
Giselle helped us with our home purchase, even with a difficult seller's realtor! We were the backup offer and she helped us secure all the paperwork and all the info we needed to get everything pushed through. I highly recommend Giselle because she will go above and beyond to help you close your sale. And she’s not one of those annoying pushy realtors. She shows you all the properties you want to see and gives you her recommendations based on what she sees - good and bad.
Giselle helped us with our home purchase, even with a difficult seller's realtor! We were the backup offer and she helped us secure all the paperwork and all the info we needed to get everything pushed through. I highly recommend Giselle because she will go above and beyond to help you close your sale. And she’s not one of those annoying pushy realtors. She shows you all the properties you want to see and gives you her recommendations based on what she sees - good and bad.
Daniel
Amazing͏ Realtor and person! Giselle was wonderful to work with. She is very knowledgeable and efficient. Giselle communicated very well and always made herself available for our questions and concerns. Couldn’t have asked for a better realtor. Thank you, Giselle!
Amazing͏ Realtor and person! Giselle was wonderful to work with. She is very knowledgeable and efficient. Giselle communicated very well and always made herself available for our questions and concerns. Couldn’t have asked for a better realtor. Thank you, Giselle!
Kristina R.
Excellent experience. This is a truly special person who prioritizes their clients' interests, tirelessly working to achieve complete satisfaction. We are very happy with their service and the team they work with, and we highly recommend them. Having people who understand your needs and fight for them as if they were their own is a privilege.
Excellent experience. This is a truly special person who prioritizes their clients' interests, tirelessly working to achieve complete satisfaction. We are very happy with their service and the team they work with, and we highly recommend them. Having people who understand your needs and fight for them as if they were their own is a privilege.
Raonel D.
Just had the opportunity to work with Giselle & her partner, Daryl. Great communication, transparency & diligence. Together we sold the property at 1023 NW 3rd Ave in Homestead. Hope to do business again with you in the future.
Just had the opportunity to work with Giselle & her partner, Daryl. Great communication, transparency & diligence. Together we sold the property at 1023 NW 3rd Ave in Homestead. Hope to do business again with you in the future.
Melissa A.
Excellence. Gissele is a very professional agent with a lot of knowledge. Very courteous and explains everything about transactions. She is always available when you call her. I highly recommend her.
Excellence. Gissele is a very professional agent with a lot of knowledge. Very courteous and explains everything about transactions. She is always available when you call her. I highly recommend her.
Orlando F.
Great service and dedication. 10/10 experience!
Great service and dedication. 10/10 experience!
Jennifer
Working with Giselle was a game-changer in our home-buying process. Her expertise, dedication, and attention to detail were evident from the start. She truly understood our needs and went above and beyond to find the perfect home for us. Her professionalism and friendly demeanor made every interaction a pleasure. We couldn't have asked for a better real estate agent. Highly recommended!
Working with Giselle was a game-changer in our home-buying process. Her expertise, dedication, and attention to detail were evident from the start. She truly understood our needs and went above and beyond to find the perfect home for us. Her professionalism and friendly demeanor made every interaction a pleasure. We couldn't have asked for a better real estate agent. Highly recommended!
Humberto Z.
Everything was excellent.
Everything was excellent.
Baltazar T.
Makes the difference! I was recommended Giselle by a family member, and I’m so grateful my husband and I decided to work with her and her team! They have made an often painful experience a lot easier than expected, and we have been able to short-sell and buy successfully in a lot less time than expected. Giselle and her team make the experience a better one!
Makes the difference! I was recommended Giselle by a family member, and I’m so grateful my husband and I decided to work with her and her team! They have made an often painful experience a lot easier than expected, and we have been able to short-sell and buy successfully in a lot less time than expected. Giselle and her team make the experience a better one!
Daily B.
Very professional with her job.
Very professional with her job.
Barbara S.

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