Sell a Home

STEP 1: Choose Your Advisor

We partner with you to customize our Marketing Plan to best meet the unique needs of your home and your circumstances!

  • Comprehensive market analysis
  • Professional staging
  • Professional photography
  • Drone Aerial Pictures
  • Syndication to 1000s of national websites with maximum outreach to out-of-town buyers
  • Total commission 6%; includes 3% MLS buyer broker payout
  • RE/MAX Results yard sign
  • Social media & online advertising
  • Personalized showing feedback
  • Full-time transaction coordinator to track progress through closing
  • Monthly market analysis with update on market changes
  • Presentation of all offers

We are committed to providing you with exemplary personalized service beyond your expectations!

STEP 2:  Get Home Market Ready

  • A spare key to your front door handle & deadbolt will be put in an electronic Lock Box that only Realtors and licensed affiliates have access to. This key will stay outside the house all the way through closing.
  • We will discuss a strategy of exactly when and how to put your property on the market. This is a compromise of your desired timeline and bringing you the best Buyer possible.

STEP 3:  De-clutter & Stage

  • Our team will walk through the house with you and suggest important alterations that will provide Maximize Appeal to prospective buyers.
  • We will add colorful details and decorative pops where needed, and even bring in full living space, bedroom, and dining sets to make sure your property is Show Ready.

STEP 4:  Professional Photos

  • We will hire a Professional Real Estate Photographer to take interior and exterior photos of your entire property. These photos will be the first impression a Realtor and their prospective buyer has and we want them to be perfect. The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) also provides these photos to 3rd party real estate websites.
  • The photographer is a licensed affiliate of Southeast Minnesota Realtors and can access the lock box at your front door, and you do not need to be present during the photo shoot.
  • The best inside photos have the maximum amount of natural and artificial light that is available. Open all drapes and shades, and pull blinds fully open too. Turn on every light and lamp possible, even the night light under the microwave and in the refrigerator door helps.
  • The outside should be Photo Ready just like the inside, with a fresh mow (or snow shoveled) and everything tidied up. Have garbage receptacles in the garage if possible. If the weather was not ideal, we may schedule additional exterior photos later.

STEP 5:  Home on Market

  • A white post and FOR SALE Sign will be installed in your front yard… And now all your neighbors know you’re moving!
  • Your property will appear in our Multiple Listing Service (MLS) where agents and their clients have access to the photos and information. Soon after it will also start to appear on third party real estate websites.
  • Photo Ready is Show Ready, so keep the property up to the standards set in STEP 4.
  • Requests for Buyer Showings will begin to come from Realtors via text message and/or email from our ShowingTime service. You will be able to Confirm or Decline each request, or have them all auto-approved.
  • Everyone should vacate the property prior to a showing appointment and not return until the Realtor and their client have left.
  • Realtors are asked to provide Feedback from each showing, and this information will be passed along to you if applicable.

STEP 6:  Purchase Agreement Acceptance

  • This is where our team will SHINE!
  • A prospective Buyer’s Offer can be complex and daunting. We’ll present them to you in an understandable manner, identify the good and maybe not-so-good terms, and advise the Appropriate Response.
  • Multiple-offer scenarios can be very overwhelming, because it’s not as simple as just picking the highest price. We will explain and compare all of your options so you end up accepting an offer that’s best for you.

STEP 7:  Inspection & Appraisal

  • If the terms of your Purchase Agreement warrant a Home Inspection, a time will be arranged for the Buyer and their Realtor to return to your property, usually accompanied by a licensed Home Inspector. And just like a showing appointment, plan to vacate the property during the entire 1 to 3-hour inspection.
  • Following the inspection, the Buyer’s agent will present an Amendment to the Purchase Agreement listing any new terms resulting from the inspection. We will go over this Amendment in detail with you, and determine what needs to be done to remove the Inspection Contingency from the Purchase Agreement.
  • The purpose of an Appraisal is for the Buyer’s lender to receive a neutral opinion of the current Market Value for the property being mortgaged.
  • A licensed Real Estate Appraiser will make an appointment via ShowingTime, just like a showing appointment. The Buyer and their Realtor do not attend the appraisal appointment, and you may stay at the property if you choose.

STEP 8:  Cancel Utilities

Here is a list of the most common services you will need to end on the day of closing…

The Buyer of your property may not be able to schedule some of their services to start until you have scheduled yours to end, so completing this step early on is encouraged.

Changing your mailing address is very easy to do, just visit this website:  https://moversguide.usps.com/
You do need a credit card in your name to validate the change, and they charge you about $1 to do this. The USPS recommends you schedule forwarding your mail to begin about a week before moving.

STEP 9:  Sign Closing Documents

We will help get you scheduled for a Seller Pre-close Signing with your chosen title company or attorney. This 30-minute appointment is typically a few days before the actual closing, and then you are not present when the buyer signs their side of the transaction on closing day. You will need to bring a few things to your signing…

  • Valid Government Photo ID such as a Driver’s License (with renewal/replacement paper if voided), Passport or Military USPIC.
  • Personal Checkbook with Deposit Slips or Bank Wire Transfer Instructions to receive your sale proceeds.

Arrive and check-in at least 5 minutes prior to your appointment time.

STEP 10:  Closed Sale!

  • The day of closing is the Buyer’s first day of possession. The property should be Vacated and Move-in Ready for them, unless other arrangements have been previously agreed upon. Vacated means you are completely moved out of the house and off of the property. Move-in Ready means the property is in order, and as the new owner expects it to be.
  • The Buyer will perform a final walk-through of the property just before their signing appointment – which you do NOT attend. Here is a Walk-through Checklist (http://www.incountry.us/DISTeam/walk-through.html) of items they will be looking at. Make sure there is nothing for them to find that could delay closing.
  • Following the Buyer’s satisfactory walk-through of the property and successful closing appointment, their money will be disbursed. Mortgages and loans you had against the property will be paid, and your Sale Proceeds will be paid per your instructions set forth at your pre-close signing appointment: check, bank deposit, or electronic transfer. Compare the amount you receive with your ALTA Seller’s Settlement Statement and let us know immediately if there is a discrepancy.

Selling a home is no easy task, and can be one of the most stressful and emotional events of your life. Our team will be there for you every step of the way, through thick and thin, to ensure your sale is successful!