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.​​​​​​​

main

Step 1: Choose a Real Estate Agent

Can you shop for, look at, and ultimately make an offer on a home without a real estate agent? Technically yes, but why would you when it costs you nothing for an agent like me to take much of the stress off your shoulders? Not only will we help identify properties you might be interested in, arrange showings, and ultimately handle the offer process, but we also have knowledge of the market that you don’t possess. Finding the perfect home can be a daunting task, this is where our expertise and wealth of knowledge come into play. Let us show you around some homes that meet your dream home criteria so you can find the one that's right for you.

main

Step 2: 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.

main

Step 3: 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 team of real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of real estate agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.

main

Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

We 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. Our 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.

main

Step 5: Evaluate Offers

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.

main

Step 6: Accept an Offer

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 team of real estate agents.

main

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. We 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.

main

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. 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 team of REALTORS 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.

Please complete the following form to download our home seller’s guide

HOW MUCH IS YOUR HOME WORTH?

  • Instant property valuation
  • Expert advice
  • Sell for more

Our Testimonials

Jon H.

Jon H.

You couldn't ask for a better REALTOR than Willie. He is there every step of the way answering any questions that may arise. Will definitely use Willie again down the road.
Read More
Collins P.

Collins P.

Willie is honest, trustworthy, diligent, and pleasant. In an industry that is oversaturated with agents, there is a reason why Willie remains very successful compared to many of his competitors.
Read More
Patrick M.

Patrick M.

I couldn't be happier with the job Willie did as my REALTOR. He must have shown me a couple of dozen homes before we found my condo, but was never discouraged. As a first-time home buyer, I really appreciated that.
Read More
Brad M.

Brad M.

Willie is a pleasure to work with and his experience, professionalism, and extensive market knowledge are second to none! I've completed multiple transactions with Willie's representation over the years and highly recommend his...
Read More
Seller

Seller

5 stars! Willie was an absolute pleasure to work with! especially during these very uneasy times (Covid-19) for everyone. He always kept me in the loop and went above and beyond. I felt very comfortable being 5 hours away from ...
Read More
Brad

Brad

It was a great experience working with Willie Lane to sell our home. He is extremely knowledgeable and professional and made the process easy for my wife and me. Most importantly, he got us what we wanted for our home! I highly...
Read More
Matt M.

Matt M.

Willie was top-notch. Working in this industry myself, I have seen plenty of REALTORS who strictly work to get to the closing table and get their commission. That wasn’t the case with Willie. Willie worked tirelessly to find me...
Read More
Lauren

Lauren

Born and raised in the Beaches, Willie is the guy you want when trying to buy in the area! He is very well-connected with local contractors, agents, sellers, etc, and can help you beyond just looking at homes. He has your best ...
Read More
Buyer

Buyer

Willie has been my REALTOR since I moved down to Jacksonville Beach a year ago. His experience and knowledge of the market were indispensable during my search for a new home. With his help, I was able to purchase a new home for...
Read More
Jack I.

Jack I.

I would never recommend another REALTOR over Willie. Willie stuck with me as I searched for a home for over a year. I am picky, and he helped me constantly find homes that suited my needs and understood my needs. I have worked ...
Read More
Faris

Faris

Willie made buying our first home far easier than anticipated. He was patient with us through the process, knowing we were waiting for the perfect home to come on the market. He listened to the features and aspects we wanted in...
Read More

Work With Us

We pride ourselves in providing personalized solutions that bring our clients closer to their dream properties and enhance their long-term wealth.

Follow Us on Instagram