10 Steps For Selling Your Home In Central Vermont

 

 

You’re thinking about selling your home in Central Vermont, but you aren’t really sure where to start. In this article we will give you an overview of the home selling process and what to expect as well as how you can make the process less difficult. We’ve broken the process up into 10 steps. 

 

1. Find A Listing Agent

   1. This is probably the most important step in the process simply because it will make every other step in the process easier. A good listing agent will meet with you, tour your home and identify potential fixes that may become a problem later on in the process or will increase the value of your home. They can also prevent you from spending money on fixes that will have no potential on the value of your home or the ability to sell it.

2. Pick A Competitive Listing Price

   1. Pricing your home too high or too low will either leave your home on the  market for too long or will sell quickly and make you lose money. While it's okay to observe how much homes in your neighborhood are selling for in order to determine the potential value of your home, we strongly advise against pricing your home on your home. A listing agent is able to get an in-depth look at the past, present and potential future market data of your home, neighborhood, city and state. A comprehensive report and a pre-listing consultation goes a long way when choosing a competitive listing price for your Central Vermont home. 

3. Create A Marketing Strategy

   1. Once your home hits the market, you don’t want to scramble to figure out how to market it. Your listing agent will review the marketing strategy with you, but one of the benefits to having a listing agent is that you don’t have to worry about the marketing. Your listing agent and their brokerage pretty much does most of the work for you.  From professional photos, and email blasts to social media posts and ads, a great listing agent gets your home in front of as many potential buyers as possible. 

4. Prepare Your Property For Showings

   1. Now that your property is on the market it is time to prepare for showings and open houses. You know the saying: don't judge a book by its cover? Well when you're selling your home everything is judged, including the cover.  Increase your curb appeal by sprucing up the outside with a freshly cut lawn in the spring/summer, flowers and maybe even a driveway power wash. Get rid of clutter on the inside and make your home as spacious and light as possible. 

5. Review Offers

   1. The offers are in, now it's time to accept one. Going through this process with a listing agent can ensure that the offer you accept is in your best interest and if there are changes that need to be made your agent can go into negotiations on your behalf. In addition to this, when you are in the middle of a seller’s market (as we are at the time of this article writing) getting 20 offers can be overwhelming. Your listing agent takes away some of that stress.

6. Negotiate and Accept Offers

   1. You’ve accepted an offer but you or the buyer had a few contingencies and now it's time to negotiate them. Your listing agent is a crucial part of this process, as you negotiate with your intended buyer on various items like home repairs, appliances, move out/move-in requirements and whatever other contingencies have been listed in the offer. 

7. Wait For Escrow

   1. Now that you’ve accepted an offer the buyer will provide earnest money. During this time your agent puts everything together to ensure the transaction closes on time. Making sure that all funds, required forms, documents and clean title are in place

8. Meet With The Property Appraiser

   1. Most likely before you sold your home you met with your own property appraiser, or a Green Light agent to determine the value of your home. This time the property appraiser for the buyer will do an appraisal of your home. This is usually required by the buyer’s lender so that they can confirm the current value of the property. 

9. Help With The Property Inspection

   1. The property inspection is something that the buyer may choose to do before closing on the home or after they have moved in. This can go really smoothly or you may find yourself with some necessary repairs. 

10. Prepare For Closing

    1. It’s time to complete the sale of your home! Once all the above is in order your agent gets all paperwork signed and meets with the buyers and their agent. 

 

While we’ve simplified this process to make it digestible for this article, selling your home is no easy walk in the park. At Green Light Real Estate we represent sellers in areas like Montpelier, Barre and Waterbury providing the opportunity to make selling your home as painless as possible. If you’re thinking about selling your home, call us for a free home valuation at 802-225-6425 or send an email to info@greenlight-realestate.com.