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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.

Third transaction with Patricia. Patricia takes a high degree of ownership throughout the listing and buying process. I've worked with Patricia on 3 properties. Great job each time, Patricia!
Third transaction with Patricia. Patricia takes a high degree of ownership throughout the listing and buying process. I've worked with Patricia on 3 properties. Great job each time, Patricia!
Eric
Patricia is more than a real estate agent. We have worked with Patricia Tabachuk on multiple transactions. She is thorough, knowledgeable, and a good communicator. We have so much confidence in her knowledge of what we want and need that we have purchased two properties without an on-site tour of the property. She has her finger on the pulse of who some of the best contractors, service people, etc are. She has always provided trustworthy references for electricians, plumbers, inspectors, contractors, etc. Patricia is more than a real estate agent; she is a long-term service provider.
Patricia is more than a real estate agent. We have worked with Patricia Tabachuk on multiple transactions. She is thorough, knowledgeable, and a good communicator. We have so much confidence in her knowledge of what we want and need that we have purchased two properties without an on-site tour of the property. She has her finger on the pulse of who some of the best contractors, service people, etc are. She has always provided trustworthy references for electricians, plumbers, inspectors, contractors, etc. Patricia is more than a real estate agent; she is a long-term service provider.
Beth
Straightforward and honest, I felt after meeting with her that we got along as far as being straight to the point and no nonsense. She always had a person she could recommend for any possible work or service that might need to be done.
Straightforward and honest, I felt after meeting with her that we got along as far as being straight to the point and no nonsense. She always had a person she could recommend for any possible work or service that might need to be done.
Cara
We couldn't have made Douglas our home without Patricia. We couldn't have made lovely Douglas our home without Patricia's attention to detail and super helpful area knowledge. We're so grateful to Patricia for being there for us with follow-up questions.
We couldn't have made Douglas our home without Patricia. We couldn't have made lovely Douglas our home without Patricia's attention to detail and super helpful area knowledge. We're so grateful to Patricia for being there for us with follow-up questions.
Karen
First-class realtor. My wife and I were looking for just the right getaway spot in Holland, MI. Patricia listened to our wish list and offered up several possibilities along with the one we decided to purchase. Any one of the choices met our needs; however, finding a spot on Lake Macatawa ended the search. Patricia handled the negotiations and closing with an out-of-state seller without a hitch. I highly recommend Patricia Tabachuk as a first-class realtor.
First-class realtor. My wife and I were looking for just the right getaway spot in Holland, MI. Patricia listened to our wish list and offered up several possibilities along with the one we decided to purchase. Any one of the choices met our needs; however, finding a spot on Lake Macatawa ended the search. Patricia handled the negotiations and closing with an out-of-state seller without a hitch. I highly recommend Patricia Tabachuk as a first-class realtor.
Larry
Very professional. I highly recommend Patricia; she made the sale of my house seamless. Patricia is very professional, timely, and easy to work with!
Very professional. I highly recommend Patricia; she made the sale of my house seamless. Patricia is very professional, timely, and easy to work with!
Josh
My experience was flawless. I will definitely be working with Patricia again.
My experience was flawless. I will definitely be working with Patricia again.
Franc
Great Communicator: Patricia was always in communication with us every step of the way. Did I mention patient? As first-time sellers, we had a lot of questions and uncertainties; however, Patricia always reassured me, took the time to explain, and was always there. I felt very comfortable and confident with Patricia as my agent
Great Communicator: Patricia was always in communication with us every step of the way. Did I mention patient? As first-time sellers, we had a lot of questions and uncertainties; however, Patricia always reassured me, took the time to explain, and was always there. I felt very comfortable and confident with Patricia as my agent
Natasha
Patricia was fantastic! Patricia was fantastic! This was our first experience buying a home, and we needed a lot of guidance and help throughout the process. Patricia made it easy, as she always made herself available to answer questions and offered her professional advice when we needed it. She is very friendly and knowledgeable, and we felt we could really trust her. It was a pleasure to work with Patricia, and we highly recommend her to anyone!
Patricia was fantastic! Patricia was fantastic! This was our first experience buying a home, and we needed a lot of guidance and help throughout the process. Patricia made it easy, as she always made herself available to answer questions and offered her professional advice when we needed it. She is very friendly and knowledgeable, and we felt we could really trust her. It was a pleasure to work with Patricia, and we highly recommend her to anyone!
John
Our next move is in Texas. Patricia has already offered for us to reach out and be put in contact with a fellow broker.
Our next move is in Texas. Patricia has already offered for us to reach out and be put in contact with a fellow broker.
Matt

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