Step-by-Step Seller's Guide for Connecticut Homeowners

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 a strategy for going on the market. 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 real estate agent once you choose one so he or she can adjust your selling price accordingly

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 real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and make suggestions for possible repairs or upgrades to make sure you get top dollar for your home.

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. Don't forget about the outside, too! Cleaning up the yard and any garden beds, power washing the house, decks and patios, and touch up painting helps attract buyers who are looking for a move-in ready property.

A marketing strategy that drives buyers to your property through open houses, social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, and SEO advertising will be individually developed to showcase your listing in today's market.

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. I 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.

Once we deem the offer is acceptable to you, I 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 timing, and closing date that works for you. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be signed.

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 and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. I will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, I will coordinate with your closing attorney 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.

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. Once the closing appointment is scheduled with all parties, you can wrap up the remaining to-do list, such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and making sure you completed a change of address with the post office.