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Seller's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced agent and this easy to follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.​​​​​​​

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Step 1: Understand Why You're Selling

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 your offer. 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.

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Step 2: Determine Selling Price

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 may even suggest a home appraisal.

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Step 3: Start Preparations

If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. 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.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

I will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. My team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

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.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once I deem the offer is acceptable, 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 rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your agent.

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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

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, surveyed, 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, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, I will call the company closing the transaction 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.

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Step 8: Close

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. I will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your real estate agent to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.

Congratulations!

Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. Whether this is relocating to a new city, moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life as empty-nesters, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind for your new path.

Testimonials

"Elaina has been absolutely amazing from the very beginning! Elaina first helped our family purchase a house in 2019. Since then she has help us sell two houses and purchase another. No matter what obstacles we are faced with (there have been quite a few) she has alway fought until the very end making sure that we walk away with exactly what we wanted. No matter the circumstances, we will always recommend with full confidence, knowing she will get the job done!"
"Elaina has been absolutely amazing from the very beginning! Elaina first helped our family purchase a house in 2019. Since then she has help us sell two houses and purchase another. No matter what obstacles we are faced with (there have been quite a few) she has alway fought until the very end making sure that we walk away with exactly what we wanted. No matter the circumstances, we will always recommend with full confidence, knowing she will get the job done!"
Alisha H.
"Just bought my first house with Marissa. Made the home buying experience easy and painless. We closed on a house in 3 weeks. Had an excellent experience with her. She negotiated and was able to lower the purchase price, saving us thousands. She is humble and works hard. Once we decided to put an offer in, that night she wrote the offer up and we were able to send the offer in the same day. When we asked for an estimate she was able to get us estimates by the end of the week. Invaluable. She also has great connections to inspectors, and tradesmen."
"Just bought my first house with Marissa. Made the home buying experience easy and painless. We closed on a house in 3 weeks. Had an excellent experience with her. She negotiated and was able to lower the purchase price, saving us thousands. She is humble and works hard. Once we decided to put an offer in, that night she wrote the offer up and we were able to send the offer in the same day. When we asked for an estimate she was able to get us estimates by the end of the week. Invaluable. She also has great connections to inspectors, and tradesmen."
Jimmy Z.
"Elaina is the best agent I have ever worked with. She helped me find the perfect rental property and when it came time to buying a property for me and my wife, she came through big time. She works so hard to give you the best experience possible. I've never had a call or message go unanswered almost immediately and she truly works with your best interest in mind. Elaina is so personable and friendly. She has even connected me to specialists in the field of home repair that are top notch. I could not have been happier and wouldn't want to work with anyone else. If you are looking for a real estate agent who will go above and beyond to make your home buying experience special and painless, you have to go with Elaina Bellas."
"Elaina is the best agent I have ever worked with. She helped me find the perfect rental property and when it came time to buying a property for me and my wife, she came through big time. She works so hard to give you the best experience possible. I've never had a call or message go unanswered almost immediately and she truly works with your best interest in mind. Elaina is so personable and friendly. She has even connected me to specialists in the field of home repair that are top notch. I could not have been happier and wouldn't want to work with anyone else. If you are looking for a real estate agent who will go above and beyond to make your home buying experience special and painless, you have to go with Elaina Bellas."
Buyer
"Thanks to Elaina, I was able to purchase my first home and she really made this entire process a Breeze! She is professional, responsive and works incredibly hard to get you everything you want and need. She is thorough and pays attention to the small details, on top of being warm and welcoming. I would recommend Elaina to all of my friends and family. If I ever decide to sell or buy again, I will only be going through Elaina."
"Thanks to Elaina, I was able to purchase my first home and she really made this entire process a Breeze! She is professional, responsive and works incredibly hard to get you everything you want and need. She is thorough and pays attention to the small details, on top of being warm and welcoming. I would recommend Elaina to all of my friends and family. If I ever decide to sell or buy again, I will only be going through Elaina."
Alexis H.
"My husband and I were first time homebuyers and had little to no clue what we were doing. We are forever grateful that when we began our home search, we were set up with Elaina because she was an absolute dream to work with. As soon as we had our first conversation she began to help us search for everything we needed and wanted in a starter home and was always up front and quick to communicate with us. Without Elaina’s knowledge, organization, timelines, and personalized checklist we would not have made it through the process as efficiently and stress-free as possible (which is especially remarkable considering we closed in less than a month and signed the week after New Years). If we were to go through it all again, we would choose Elaina to guide us through it and negotiate for us in a heartbeat!"
"My husband and I were first time homebuyers and had little to no clue what we were doing. We are forever grateful that when we began our home search, we were set up with Elaina because she was an absolute dream to work with. As soon as we had our first conversation she began to help us search for everything we needed and wanted in a starter home and was always up front and quick to communicate with us. Without Elaina’s knowledge, organization, timelines, and personalized checklist we would not have made it through the process as efficiently and stress-free as possible (which is especially remarkable considering we closed in less than a month and signed the week after New Years). If we were to go through it all again, we would choose Elaina to guide us through it and negotiate for us in a heartbeat!"
Connelly M.
"Elaina is wonderful! She was extremely patient and understanding with us as we guided our young adults through the process of finding a place to live near a college campus. She did an awesome job of listening to our needs and helping us find a perfect property!"
"Elaina is wonderful! She was extremely patient and understanding with us as we guided our young adults through the process of finding a place to live near a college campus. She did an awesome job of listening to our needs and helping us find a perfect property!"
Buyer
"Elaina is the best, bar none! We were lucky enough to be matched with her through Zillow, but at the time, we weren’t sure whether it was the right time to buy. Between the calming and encouraging effect of Elaina’s expertise and finding just the right house, we couldn’t have done any better. We especially appreciated Elaina’s negotiation prowess and quick responses to our many questions. Whether it’s your first purchase or fiftieth, Elaina Bellas should be your first call!"
"Elaina is the best, bar none! We were lucky enough to be matched with her through Zillow, but at the time, we weren’t sure whether it was the right time to buy. Between the calming and encouraging effect of Elaina’s expertise and finding just the right house, we couldn’t have done any better. We especially appreciated Elaina’s negotiation prowess and quick responses to our many questions. Whether it’s your first purchase or fiftieth, Elaina Bellas should be your first call!"
Michael T.
"Elaina Bellas is the most amazing realtor in the state of Maryland, she is very out going and we’ll spoken and very knowledgeable about your home buying experience, I will definitely recommend Elaina to all my friends and family. Thank you Elaina for everything you did and for helping us find the best home for our family to create new memories. You are the Best!"
"Elaina Bellas is the most amazing realtor in the state of Maryland, she is very out going and we’ll spoken and very knowledgeable about your home buying experience, I will definitely recommend Elaina to all my friends and family. Thank you Elaina for everything you did and for helping us find the best home for our family to create new memories. You are the Best!"
Buyer
"Elaina was a dream to work with! She handled every obstacle with speed, efficiency and most importantly professionalism. Elaina is incredibly savvy and knowledgeable. My wife and I are thrilled to have worked with such a great agent as Elaina Bellas. I would highly recommend her services to all of my friends and family."
"Elaina was a dream to work with! She handled every obstacle with speed, efficiency and most importantly professionalism. Elaina is incredibly savvy and knowledgeable. My wife and I are thrilled to have worked with such a great agent as Elaina Bellas. I would highly recommend her services to all of my friends and family."
Roger C.
"I worked with Marissa both to buy a house and sell my current home. She was patient, listened to my requests and worked with me to find the right place. Once I choose a home she went above and beyond to determine what to offer and which contingencies were worth pursuing. Even in a competitive market I was able to obtain the house I wanted. I am very happy in my new home. Marissa even gifted me with a welcome home gift including thoughtful items for my pets, who were huge factors in choosing a home that fit needs for me and my animals. She and Elaina also worked on preparing and showing my old house to get the best offer. I really appreciate everything they did to help with my big transition!"
"I worked with Marissa both to buy a house and sell my current home. She was patient, listened to my requests and worked with me to find the right place. Once I choose a home she went above and beyond to determine what to offer and which contingencies were worth pursuing. Even in a competitive market I was able to obtain the house I wanted. I am very happy in my new home. Marissa even gifted me with a welcome home gift including thoughtful items for my pets, who were huge factors in choosing a home that fit needs for me and my animals. She and Elaina also worked on preparing and showing my old house to get the best offer. I really appreciate everything they did to help with my big transition!"
Brenda S.
 
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