Sellers – What to expect / the process
You can expect that your RE/MAX Mountain West agent will fight hard to get the best price in the shortest amount of time! Once you have chosen your RE/MAX Mountain West agent, they will be by your side through the entire process.
Evaluate: is it time to sell?
Sellers have many different reasons for wanting to sell their property. It’s important to be able to discuss those reasons with your agent. It doesn’t matter ~what~ the reason is, only that you are clear and purposeful. This will help your agent inform you, guide you and help you go through the sales process, keeping your specific goals in mind.
Pick the best Realtor® for YOU!
Your Re/MAX Mountain West agent should be able to:
- explain the different ways that agents work with sellers and buyers, sometimes at the same time,
- listen to your reasons for selling and understand your goals,
- show you comparable sales in your area,
- work with you to establish a price and time frame for the sales process.
When you work with a RE/MAX Mountain West licensed agent, you are working with a professional!
List your property.
This is where you will sign a legal contract with your agent to officially sell your property. Your agent will explain the entire contract to you and will answer any of your questions.
You and your agent will discuss how your property will be shown to prospective buyers. Think ahead about what will make you comfortable with others looking through your home, such as putting up a sign about not letting the cats out. It’s really important that buyers and their agents have as much access as possible to all spaces on your property, so plan ahead and discuss with your agent.
Time to clean! If you are selling a residential property, it’s time to pretty it up. De-clutter, organize, clean. Photos are going to be taken of your home, so you want to have it looking as nice as possible. Outside could also be tidied up, whether you pull weeds, mow and weed whack, or trim the shrubs.
Go under contract with a buyer.
Some showings have happened, and a buyer makes an offer! This is an exciting moment, someone wants to buy your property! As emotional as it is, now is the time for you to put your emotions ASIDE. Your agent will guide you! Depending on market conditions, you might get more than one offer at a time, and again, this is where your agent is invaluable. Your agent can review the offers, point out which offers align with your goals, and help you understand the differences. Keep your personal goals in mind during this process.
Depending on the type of property being sold, the buyer will order an inspection of your property. An impartial inspector will come into your home, take pictures, and write a report about the structural soundness of the foundation, structure, roof, plumbing, electrical and any other systems that are installed. Often, the inspector will find something that you didn’t even know was an issue. Be prepared! The buyer can use the information in this inspection report to negotiate with you to make repairs, change the price, or to terminate the contract.
Prepare for the closing.
The nice thing about real estate transactions is that it takes time for them to complete; these things don’t happen overnight. Since you know the date that you will be closing, you will have time to do whatever work is needed. You might be packing up a lifetime of stuff, you might be making repairs after a tenant moves out, or you might need to do work that resulted from inspection objections.
Right before closing, your buyer is going to walk through the property to make sure any open items have been resolved and that your property is in the condition they expect.
The closing experience is pretty straightforward. Most often you’ll go to the title company’s office to sign all the paperwork. Depending on how you and your agent negotiated with the buyer, you may be handing the keys over to the buyer at the closing table. Congratulations, you just completed one of the biggest financial transactions of your life!!