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 team of real estate agents 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 team of Real Estate Agents once you choose one so they 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 team of real estate agents is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of real estate agents 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

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.

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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. 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.

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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.

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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. 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.

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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. 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 Real Estate Agents 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.

Our Testimonials

See why our clients love working with us.
Valeria H.

Valeria H.

We absolutely loved working with Debbie! We are officially first time homeowners. Debbie was able to walk us through every step of the way and made our experience smooth and stress free. She was very responsive, made sure to an...
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Megan S.

Megan S.

I am so thankful for Jeanene! I ran into difficulties attempting to sell my home by owner, so I reached out after seeing her listing in my neighborhood. I wasn’t expecting her enormous kindness and willingness to help. Jeanene’...
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Todd H.

Todd H.

Debbie is absolutely the best realtor we have ever used! We have bought and sold over 10 properties and no other realtor has come close to the experience and outstanding service she provided us. She worked tirelessly to match o...
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Marie R.

Marie R.

Jeanene and Patricia were a great asset for selling our home in Kershaw County. From the time they entered our home for an evaluation to signing the contract for the sale of our home, they were there every step of the way. Thei...
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Proud Army Wife

Proud Army Wife

Debbie is an honest, professional realtor who is responsive and always has her client's best interest at heart. She was always available to answer any of our questions or concerns. She was very knowledgeable concering the regua...
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Tyler S.

Tyler S.

Absolutely awesome realtor Pat went above and beyond in so many ways. Very polite and coureous as well. She knows the housing market and knows how to play the game very well. I could not be more happier with my experience buyin...
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Myranda S.

Myranda S.

Jeanene and her team go above & beyond what is expected of a realtor. The best photography I’ve seen for homes. When I say they treat you like family I 100% mean that in every way possible, if it’s not good enough for their fam...
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Benjamin

Benjamin

We found Pat through Google Maps and are so glad that we did, as she is the definition of professional. Pat is very knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions throughout the entire process. Her communication was ...
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Buyer

Buyer

I consider Jeanene the 'gold star standard' of real estate professionals when it comes to buying a property! She was always available to answer my questions and was very quick to respond. Other agents I have dealt with over the...
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Gloria R.

Gloria R.

Jeanene is the best realtor we've ever had! She truly takes her job seriously and had our best interests in mind the entire process. She knows the area well and took the time we needed to show us around and help us decide what ...
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Kevin W.

Kevin W.

Jeanne is the best. She guided us through the process of getting our house ready to sell. All the legal stuff was a breeze. The day came to list our house. We sold it within 6 hours after she listed it. Wow! I have been recomme...
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Andrew W.

Andrew W.

Sydney did an outstanding job helping us find the perfect home. Sydney has lived in the area her entire life so she is very familiar with the local market. She was very helpful answering my questions and made it a stress free h...
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Charleen A.

Charleen A.

If you are looking for a top notch realtor, look no further. Jeanene Campbell treats all her clients like family and works hard to get your house sold in short order. Hands down the best realtor I have worked with and I have wo...
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Joe P.

Joe P.

From the very start, before we even listed the property with Janine, she was very helpful and professional. She provided invaluable recommendations and guidance to us. Even with the challenging property, the entire process was ...
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Steve H.

Steve H.

Sydney is a pleasant professional that is willing to go the extra mile working to listen & find the appropriate properties that fit requirements. She is a young hardworking individual that I will use in the future to acquire or...
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Rosemerry W.

Rosemerry W.

Jeannine was fantastic! Very knowledgeable and really looks out for you. She has a delightful personality and is a joy to work with. I highly recommend her!
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Alyssa G.

Alyssa G.

Jeanene was outstanding to work with! She continually went above and beyond, was responsive and brought joy throughout the transaction. Highly recommend!
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To us, luxury is not just a price tag. Luxury is a client experience that is truly extraordinary. And one that provides a level of expertise, professionalism and communication that sets us apart from other Real Estate Agents. Whether your home is $100,000 or $1,000,000, you deserve an individualized business plan, a full-time Real Estate Agent with expertise in local inventory and market values, professional photography, and national and international marketing exposure.

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