SELLING PROCESS

Listing Presentation: The first step will be for us to meet at your home to discuss your goals and for us to present our strategy. We will provide you with market information, a comparable market analysis to show what your home is worth, team bios and sample agency agreements. We will conduct a home tour and provide a detailed assessment of the property. This could include a list of recommended repairs, updates or staging ideas prior to putting the house on the market. We encourage constant communication throughout this entire process, please feel free to reach out via phone, email or text should you have any questions along the way!

De-Clutter and Stage: Prior to putting your house on the market, you will want to de-clutter, pack all non-essentials and de-personalize your home by removing family photos. You will want to do a deep clean and possibly touch up paint in certain areas. Depending on the results of our property assessment, you may need to make repairs or updates. We will provide you a list of our referral partners and can manage certain projects for you.

Office Exclusive: Before the property is even listed, we can market on our internal site to over 900 agents. This presents a unique opportunity for you to sell your home pre-market, which often results in a quicker sale.

Photos: The quality of your listing photos can dramatically affect the interest in your property. We will hire a professional photographer that will take photos and edit them for color, clarity, composition and sharpness.

Marketing:

  • Multiple Listing Service: We add your property to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which drives activity by showcasing photos and providing detailed descriptions about your property to over 750 websites.
  • Property Brochures: We create a custom brochure specifically for your property which highlights the property’s best features.
  • For Sale Sign: We will also install a For Sale sign to draw attention to your property.
  • Social Media: We will market your property to all the local realtors via social media forums and word of mouth. We will also post your listing on our website and all social media accounts.
  • Open House: We hold an open house to expose your property to as many potential buyers as possible.

 

SELLERS FEES

Showing Preferences: We will ensure showings are scheduled when it works for you! Using our ShowingTime scheduling system, you can confirm or deny any showing requests that are made.

Receiving an Offer: Once we have received an offer on your home, we will review the offer and all the contingencies (home inspection, appraisal, and financing). Once we have thoroughly reviewed the offer, you can decide whether to counter the offer or accept the offer as is.

Ratified Contract: After negotiating the terms of the contract, you will sign the agreed upon contract. Once you and the buyers have signed the contract the contract is “ratified”. The buyer will then submit their earnest money deposit (EMD) to the escrow agent, which is typically 1% of the sales price.


Home Inspection: The home inspection will be conducted within 10 days (negotiable), after ratification. Then the buyers might ask for repairs for unsatisfactory conditions to major systems like electrical, plumbing, roof, etc. If you agree to the repair requests all items must be completed before closing. If not, we will negotiate until all parties can agree to which items will be repaired. If an agreement is not made, the buyer can void the contract.

Home Owner’s Documents: If your home is in a Home Owner’s Association or Condo Owner’s Association, we must provide a disclosure package from the association which contains the financial and legal status of the association. You may have to remedy any violations that may be found. if the buyer is not satisfied with any of this information, they have a 3 day right of rescission from the time they receive the HOA or condo package.

Termite Inspection: If there is any evidence of damage or termite/ wood -destroying insect activity, it is the responsibility of the seller to make necessary repairs and treatments.

Appraisal: If there is an appraisal contingency, and the property does not appraise for the sales price, there are 4 options:

  1. The buyer can pay the difference in cash
  2. The seller can lower the sales price to the appraised value
  3. The buyer and seller can negotiate and meet somewhere in the middle.
  4. In the event that an agreement can’t be made, the buyer has the right to void the contract and their EMD check will be returned.

Walk-Through: During the 7 days leading up to settlement, the buyer can conduct as many walk-throughs as needed to ensure that all appliances, utilities, and fixtures are in normal working order. Also, the buyer will check that the items agreed to in the homes inspection addendum have been completed. At this time the buyer will transfer all utilities into their name.

Settlement: Settlements can take place in person or remotely, depending on your preference. Please let us know ahead of time what you prefer so we can schedule appropriately. Congratulations, your home is sold! If you have any questions after settlement, please call us first. We are your support before, during and after the home buying process!

SELLERS FEES

When selling your home, there are expenses that the seller will need to prepare for before, during, and after the transaction. Please contact us if you would like us to prepare a seller net sheet.

Repairs and Updates: We will provide a property assessment at our listing appointment to discuss necessary repairs and updates that we recommend prior to listing the home. This could include: paint, new carpeting, repairing broken items within the home, etc.

Staging: If your home is vacant, we may recommend a staging company that will furnish the home.

Title and Settlement Charges: The Title Company that you select, will provide several services in preparation for closing. Some include: Closing fee, document prep fee, release tracking fee.

Recording and Transfer Fees: The seller is required to pay a State Grantor Tax, Regional WMATA Capital Fee and Regional Congestion Relief Fee.

Mortgage Payoff: This is the balance of your mortgage and home equity line of credit (if applicable).

Real Estate Broker Commission: The seller pays the real estate broker commission which is outlined in the listing agreement.

Prorated Property Taxes: The seller will be expected to pay for the prorated property taxes. Please contact us, we can calculate this for you.

Home Owners Association or Condo Association Package: If your home is located in a Home Owners Association or Condo Association, you will be required to pay for the package and deliver it to the buyer for their review. Depending on the association, these fees can sometimes be paid at closing.

Seller Concessions: These are funds paid by the seller to the buyer at closing. Seller concessions are negotiated and agreed upon both parties in the sales contract or may be negotiated after inspections of the property are conducted.

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