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. Make sure you convey these needs to your Realtor® once you choose one so he or she can adjust your selling price accordingly.
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.
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.
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.
Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. We 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.
Once we deem the offer is acceptable, we 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.
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, we 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.
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. We 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 Realtor® 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.
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.
Kim was very helpful in many ways, from preparing the house to sell to showings, to going through the sale process itself. She was always very responsive to our questions and concerns. Kim was friendly and caring, and a true pr...
Kim has extensive knowledge of the real estate market in all of Fairfield County. She is also amazing at understanding a client's needs and works hard at thinking outside the box to try and solve issues creatively. She is extre...
The most amazing hardworking agent I’ve ever dealt with. Even after a couple of setbacks, Kim persevered. An amazing person.
As first-time buyers, we were not aware of many things but Kimberly educated us on everything that we need to know before proceeding. I wish there were more than 5 stars.
I still can’t believe how lucky I was to have Kim as my Broker. She was knowledgeable and kind, had my back through the entire process, and had a top-notch work ethic and good communication. She was incredible on every level.
Kimberly is a kind, patient and knowledgeable agent. She was instrumental in both the sale of our home as well as finding our new home. She is an invaluable member of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices team. I will definitely ...
Kim would not stop until we found our dream home. Not only is Kim knowledgeable about the area, but she is also someone who goes the extra mile. Kim worked incredibly hard on our behalf, is so patient, and is such a pleasure to...
Kim grew up in a Vermont country inn, where she learned how to become incredibly resourceful. Kim not only solves problems, but she also identifies them and offers a solution. Our experience with Kim was exceptionally positive....
Kim was absolutely fantastic to work with and is a kind, wonderful, and honest person. She went above and beyond to assist us in our search and has unparalleled knowledge of the town and surrounding areas and really took the ti...
Kim is exactly who you want at your side if you're looking to purchase a home. We were first-time homebuyers and extremely picky at that. Throughout the entire process, Kim was receptive, responsive, and honest. She does her du...
Kim has a wealth of practical knowledge in her line of profession. She helped me find rentals in a nick of time. From my experience, Kim knows the Wilton, Danbury and Norwalk areas very well. In addition of her professionalism...
Words cannot express how grateful and how lucky I feel that we had Kim as our realtor. Kim is patient, having vast knowledge and great sense of the housing market. Kim quickly understood our needs. Kim worked really hard and fo...
Kimberly wants to make the home buying/selling process as seamless as possible. Change is a good thing and buying a home is an exciting time. You will know that she has your back every step of the way to try and make the process as stress-free as it can be.
