Information for Sellers

Why You Should Use a Real Estate Showcase REALTOR® to Selling Your Home Studies show that home sellers who use a REALTOR® to represent them generally get a better price than those who sell the home themselves. REALTORS® are up-to-date on critical processes and can help keep you out of trouble. They can also help you get your home sold at the best price in the right timeframe.

Equally as important, REALTORS® add objectivity to an inherently emotional transaction: The successful sale of your home. Selling your home is probably the one of the biggest decisions you'll make in your lifetime. Having an experienced, knowledgeable Real Estate Showcase professional representing you in the sale of your home just makes good sense. Selling your home can be a life-changing event. Real Estate Showcase agents fully understand the real estate process - and just as important, they understand your local market.

Selling Your Home the Traditional Method

It is the one thing that almost everyone does at one point in their lives - sells their home. This can be a very confusing time, filled with many questions and few answers. It is hard to understand all of the questions you may have about selling your home. Fortunately, Real Estate Showcase can help.

Real Estate Showcase can help you with all of the questions you have about selling your home and has many years of experience in the real estate industry. We pride ourselves on quality customer service. Our customers come first and we strive to make sure that the home selling process is as painless as possible.

Let's begin the home selling process so that you can understand how easy and hassle-free Real Estate Showcase agents make it for our valued clients.

Choose a link from the list below, or follow them step-by-step to learn more:

• Preparing to Sell your Home
• Determining your Properties Value
• Getting your home out there
• During the Listing Period
• Closing Process

#1 Preparing to Sell your Home

The first question you might want to ask yourself is, "Why do I want to sell my home?" The reasons and your motivation for selling your home can affect the potential sale of your home and the negotiating process of that sale.

You may also want to begin by making a list of all the interior and exterior projects that you want to complete before placing your home on the market.

For example:

• Touch up interior and exterior paint as needed.
• Install new carpeting and flooring if it appears worn or dated.
• Make sure the front is clean and spruced up - curb appeal will create a favorable first impression.
• Trim bushes and plants as needed, and make sure the lawn is kept mowed and trimmed. In autumn, rake the leaves; in winter, keep the snow shoveled.
• Keep the interior clean, de-cluttered and odor-free. Eliminate evidence of pets.
• Minimize personal items such as family photos. You want buyers to see themselves living in the home.
• Consider putting excess furniture and belongings in storage. Now's the time to clean out the garage and basement and sell, give away or throw away items you don't need anymore.
• Consider having a pre-listing inspection performed. Buyers will be hiring professional inspectors; here's your chance to address problems in advance.
• Consider engaging a professional stager to give your home the right emotional appeal.

Contacting a Real Estate Showcase Agent will point you in the right direction, too. Our agents have the knowledge and understanding of the industry. They can provide reliable information and get you moving in the right direction towards the sale of your home.

#2 Determining Your Properties Value

There are a number of factors that go into determining the value of a home.

The 4 most important are:

• Location
• Market Conditions
• Condition of the Property
• Price

Other factors to consider:

• It is realistic to compare the homes in your area and the asking prices of those homes.
• The law of supply and demand always comes into play. Do you live in an area with increasing job opportunities or an increasing supply of homes?
• Owners needs greatly impact the selling price of a home. Do you need a quick sell or do you have time to sit on your sale?
• The selling price is not cut and dry. On many occasions, the seller will negotiate the price, split closing costs or offer different allowances to the buyer, to make the sale of the home complete.

Only a qualified Real Estate Showcase agent can provide a fair market analysis of the homes for sale in your area. A Market Analysis is usually free and without obligation. For more information on how to receive a FREE Market Analysis that will help you properly determine the value of your home, contact Real Estate Showcase at 888-674-7610, or contact us here.

#3 Getting Your Home Out There

There are a number of different ways that a Real Estate Showcase Agent uses to drive traffic to view your home:

• Multiple Listing Service (MLS)
• Open Houses
• Websites/Internet
• Print Advertising
• HOMES™ Magazines
• Real Estate Showcase Marketing Strategies

#4 During the Listing Period

• When potential buyers visit your home, either be absent or make yourselves as inconspicuous as possible.
• Have fresh flowers in the entryway. It makes for a friendly introduction into your home.
• If offers are made that don't match your hoped-for price, don't reject them out of hand. Pay attention to your agent's advice.
• Consider dropping the price if several months go by with few or no offers. But if you and your agent have priced your home properly from the start, this shouldn't be necessary.
• Don't get discouraged. In buyer's markets, homes take longer to sell than during boom times. Your home will eventually sell; it's a matter of your Real Estate Showcase agent finding the right buyer for you.

Help Your Agent

• You have the best chance of selling your home if you work closely with your Real Estate Showcase agent. Make sure all showings are coordinated through him or her. If you have a brochure box, be sure to keep it filled. If prospective buyers want to discuss your property or negotiate price or other terms, defer to your Real Estate Showcase agent. He or she is the expert and can best handle all these details without emotion.

Receiving an Offer

An acceptable offer depends on many different things:

• Is the proposed offer near the asking price?
• The timeframe of the buyers & sellers.
• The strength of the Buyers financing.
• Inspections and contingencies

Negotiating

The negotiating process can at times seem very complicated. However, if you are using a Real Estate Showcase agent, all of this can be made hassle-free.

During the negotiating process of the sale of a home, the seller can react in one of three different ways:

1. Accept the buyer's proposed offer
2. Decline the buyer's offer
3. Make a counter-offer

It is important to remember that the negotiating process requires some give and take. Be willing to concede conditions in exchange for other considerations conceded by the buyer.

Remember to rely on your Real Estate Showcase Agent to advise you. They have the experience and professional knowledge when it comes to negotiating a successful sale of your home.

#5 The Closing Process

The closing process is always changing. It is even referred to as "settlement" or "escrow" in different parts of the county. With increased technology, most closings are completely automated and both parties do not have to be present at the same time to sign.

Closings usually take about 30- 45 days to complete. This mainly depends on the buyer's financing availability, successful home inspection completion, and various lender conditions (ex. title search, title insurance, termite inspections, surveys and appraisals).

The closing process is the transfer of the title of the property from the buyer to the seller. The buyer will receive the keys to the home or the deed to the land, while the seller receives payment for the property. The amount the seller receives is based upon the amount that is still owed on the mortgage, any outstanding fees or taxes and any additional closing costs. All legal papers are filed with the local record office.

It is this step where the buyers and sellers do very little. It is important that the buyer take a final walk through the property to make sure the property's condition as not changed. It is equally important for both the buyer and seller to make sure the paperwork they are signing reflects the agreement of the original sale.