A Guide to Selling Your Home

"What does your home look like to a potential buyer?"

It's time to take an unbiased look at your house to assess how to make it more appealing and valuable to potential buyers without spending a lot of money. As your agent, I will offer suggestions.

First impressions are vitally important.
How often have you heard someone say, "My gut reactions was really good...or really bad?" Generally you want to have some control over first impressions that buyers have. you create a great first impression if the lawn is well cared for, or in the winter, the driveway is plowed and the walkways are clear. A seasonal door decoration adds warmth and a friendly welcome.

Remove all clutter.
Whether it's your closets, the basement, or main living area, keeping all areas free of accumulated clutter makes your home more spacious and appealing to the potential buyer, who therefore perceives it as worth more. So toss out, give away, and hold that garage sale now before your house goes on the market.

Keep things light and bright.
Keep as many lights on as possible and open drapes to let the sun in. Well-lit rooms look larger and give visitors a more positive feeling. Clean windows also help.

Nothing brightens like paint.
There's nothing like fresh paint to make a room seem new. While vibrant colors can "punch up" a room, neutral colors are safer. Aside from de-cluttering, painting delivers a greater return than almost anything you might do.

Highlight best features.
If the jewel of your home is a beautiful view or a charming fireplace, think about arranging your furnishings or using colors in a way that will spotlight that feature.

Create special touches.
When someone is walking through your home, they are picturing what it would look like to live there. So to fuel their imagination you may want to go the extra mile to create a truly inviting atmosphere with scented candles or making sure there are fresh flowers out when your house is about to be shown.

How do you set the right price?
A pricing strategy that is sensitive to market trends is most likely to achieve the best end result. Pricing a home for an optimal result is both science and art, and as your agent, I will apply considerable study and skill to this critical professional task.

As a starting point, I will thoroughly research comparable homes in your neighborhood and town. I will advise you of recent sales prices and how similar homes are priced now , as well as review homes that didn't sell and were taken off the market. Location, property size, features, style, age, physical condition, special features, and recent enhancements will all be considered in assessing your home's value.

That collective data will then be carefully evaluated alongside the many market influences that impact price, including supply of homes versus demand, how the local economy is faring, home appreciation rates, and price trend projections.

If the trend is for rising prices, that future price growth will be factored into the suggested price range. We will determine the best asking price for your home.

"What is my agent doing to do for me?"

The Home Team does our homework in order to effectively sell your home.

In an initial meeting, we will measure each room in your home, take exteriro and interior photos, and assess the key features of the house. The agent will also ask about any improvements you may have made over the years. Other topics of discussion might include how to make your home more valuable to the average buyer and whether major appliances will be included in the sale.

This also is an opportunity for you to bring up whatever concerns you may have. Rest assured that we want you to feel 100% comfortable and confident about the process ahead and we welcome and expect questions. We may have some questions for you as well to help uncover any worries or reservations you've not yet voiced.

After this initial meeting, your agent will return with a customized marketing plan and presentation that will give you a clear idea of what to expect of us. That presentation may include:

	A comprehensive Price Trend Analysis
	A schedule of marketing activities
	Ad copy, along with a list of newspapers and marketing publications in which the ad for your home will appear
	A sample of how your home will be promoted online, on our leading website at www.homes4saleva.com and other prominent sites
	Promotional materials with photos of your home and its special features - prepared as handouts to prospective buyers or for distribution to a custom mailing list.

"What is a seller Disclosure?" How can we determine who is a qualified buyer?"

At the time of listing, you will be asked to fill out a Seller Disclosure. A Seller Disclosure is an important protection tool that benefits buyers and sellers alike. It is essentially a written statement listing any known defects as well as any past problems that have been remedied.

The intention is to give the buyer a sense of the condition of the house. A Seller Disclosure minimized misunderstandings that could come up later and jeopardize your sale and also give you some protection from legal liability, with respect to disclosure items.

It is as important to us as it is to you that buyers are
"ready and able" to purchase.

In addition to utilizing their professional training to assure that potential buyers are serious and qualified, our agents urge buyers to obtain an actual mortgage credit approval before they start looking for a home.