Process to Selling Your Tyler Home
Once you have decided to place your home for sale, a first priority should be to clarify your motivations, and draw up a basic time frame for the selling process.
1. Why Sell My House? Why do you want to sell your house? Do you intend to simply, find a larger home, or do you plan on moving to another neighborhood, school district, city or state? Initially you might think your reasons are obvious, but it will benefit you to consider the implications of all options for your lifestyle, opportunities and finances. Being clear about your intentions for selling will make it easier for your Tyler real estate agent to determine the most appropriate option for your specified financial, lifestyle and Tyler real estate goals.
2. When Should I Sell? Establish your desired time frame for selling. By hiring Claudia Carroll, you will have an edge on the competition by gaining knowledgeable representation who will review the current Tyler area market conditions and assist you with finding the most favorable time to sell.
3. What is the Current Condition of the Tyler area Market? When you work with Claudia Carroll, you can be sure that you will have her knowledge, expertise and negotiating skills at work for you to arrive at the best market prices and terms. Claudia will keep you up-to-date on what is happening in the marketplace, price, financing, and terms and conditions of competing properties. With Claudia, you will know exactly how to price, and when to sell your Tyler area home.
4. How Do I Optimize My Finances? Deciding to sell your home demands a serious consideration of your current financial situation and future possibilities. With the help of Claudia Carroll, you will be able to effectively assess the cumulative impact of these changes, estimate potential proceeds of selling your home, and plan effective tax savings and estate planning strategies. We will ensure that you not only take control of your finances, but use them to their fullest potential.
Selecting a Tyler Real Estate Agent
Here are a few factors to keep in mind when choosing a Tyler Real Estate Listing Agent:
1. Experience and Expertise. You should choose a full-time agent who is familiar with the Tyler market, and with the type of property you intend to sell. Does he or she employ a diverse range of marketing and advertising strategies? How tech-savvy is your agent? How many similar properties has he or she been able to sell in the past?
2. Availability and Commitment. Your agent should be capable of prompt and decisive action during the course of selling your home. Do they make it a point to keep in touch with you constantly? Can they easily be contacted in case of emergencies, or even for the simplest questions?
3. Rapport. Do they take the time to listen to your goals and clarify your needs? Can they understand your unique situation and be genuinely concerned about the outcome of the process? When selecting Claudia Carroll, she will be your guide every step of the way, providing you the support you will need, during this crucial decision.
To gain more detailed information about Claudia, please visit our About Claudia Carroll page.
Preparation for Selling Your Home
There are several things you can do to make a lasting impression on potential buyers, as well as increase the appeal and value of your home for sale.
1. Curb Appeal. Keep your landscape pristine. Add creative touches to your yard such as colorful annuals, fresh mulch, and potted plants. Any of these items can create an immediate and lasting impact on potential buyers.
2. Home Repairs. Completing appropriate exterior and interior repairs, polishing doorknobs, having your carpets professionally cleaned, or a fresh coat of paint are all examples that can instantly brighten up your home.
3. Cleanliness and Staging. Make your home look as spacious as possible. Organize your closets and kitchen cabinets, and if you have things stored in the attic or basement, make sure they are presentable. If you are showing during the day, pull back your curtains and drapes to show how bright and cheery your home is. If you are showing at night, turn on all of the lights to create a warm and welcoming environment for the prospective buyers. A home that is marked with your personality and style may be harder to sell. You might even consider such things as removing obvious clues to your political affiliation and tucking away any biased literature that may be visible. This will reduce distractions and help the buyers to visualize the home as their own.
Accepting an Offer on Your Home
1. The Price Isn't Always Right. "The higher the price, the better the offer." Do not let yourself be fooled by this popular misconception. Price is not always the primary determining factor in choosing among multiple offers, for several important reasons: the initial offer is often not the final offer, and there are a number of terms and conditions that may influence the final outcome of the deal.
2. Receive an Offer. When a buyer decides to buy your home, an offer will be presented. Your real estate agent will advise you as to whether or not the prospective buyer is qualified to purchase your home. After all, there is no reason to review an offer if the person(s) making it will not be able to actually buy your home.
You and your real estate agent will then review the written document, taking care to note what is required of both parties to execute the transaction. The contract should protect the best interests of all parties involved and should be comprehensive in nature.
Remember that the legalities of this phase are very important. If you have any questions or concerns, be certain to address them with your real estate agent right away.
3. Negotiating to Sell. Most offers to purchase your home will require some level of negotiation to come to a win-win agreement. Your real estate agent is well versed on the legalities of the real estate contract used in your area and will handle the responsibility of protecting your best interest throughout these negotiations. In addition, your agent has a thorough understanding of the contract itself, including what each contract clause means to you and your buyer, what you will net from the sale of your home, and what areas in the contract lend themselves easiest to negotiation. Your agent will review the written offer with you to make sure that you thoroughly understand what the buyers are offering and what they are asking in return.
Escrow, Inspections, & Appraisal
1. The Title Company: In most cases the buyer selects a title company, whose job it is to examine and insure the title. After researching the complete recorded history of your property, they will certify that 1) your title is free and clear of encumbrances (mortgages, leases, or restrictions) by the date of closing, and 2) all new encumbrances are duly included in the title. The title company will draw up a preliminary report at the end of the process, which your real estate agent will review with you in detail.
2. Inspections: Before completing the purchase of your property, the home buyer reviews every aspect of the property, as provided for by purchase agreements, including:
- Obtaining financing and insurance
- Reviewing all pertinent documents, such as preliminary title reports and disclosure documents
- Inspecting the property. The buyer has the right to determine the condition of your property by subjecting it to a wide range of inspections, such as roof, termite/pest, chimney/fireplace, property boundary survey, well, septic, pool/spa, or mold.
Depending on the outcome of the inspection, one of two things may happen:
- Each milestone is successfully achieved and the contingencies of the contact will be removed.
- The buyer, after reviewing the property and the papers, requests a renegotiation of the terms of contract.
How do you respond objectively and fairly to the buyer when a renegotiation is demanded? This is when Claudia Carroll, a professional Tyler listing agent, can make a real difference in the outcome of the transaction. Having dealt with various property sales, we guarantee our expertise and total commitment to every client.
3. Loan Approval and Appraisal. We suggest that you accept buyers who have a lender's pre-approval letter, which is a better guarantee of loan approval than a pre-qualification. Expect an appraiser from the lender's company to review your property and verify that the sales price is appropriate.
Buying Your Next Tyler Home
Now that the transaction on your home sale is well on your way to a successful close, it is time to start preparing for your next home purchase.
As your trusted real estate partner, we are ready to help you articulate and prioritize your goals for this next project. Claudia Carroll will get you off to a good start by helping you find the best interim arrangement for you while you are in between homes, or assist you with finding your next Tyler home.
Close of Escrow
When you have come this far, it means only one thing: congratulations, you have successfully sold your home! Hopefully, everything went smoothly and you will be vacating your house in the time frame that you had anticipated. You will need to make sure that all of the local services (i.e. electricity, gas, lawn care, cable, etc.) have been cancelled or, if the new owner is going to retain some of the services, the name for the account should be changed. The property and anything assigned to the buyer according to the contract should be prepared appropriately for the new owners. This will make the transition as smooth and effortless as possible.