SELLING YOUR HOME

Selling your home with Amy means selling for more money, in less time, with minimal hassle. Let’s chat about your goals!

CONNECT

Why listing with Amy means listing with confidence?

Having an experienced broker guide you through the complex journey of selling a home allows for a seamless process. My unique experience allows for sellers to remain hands-off and stress-free as I collaborate with you and my team to achieve a successful sale of your home for top dollar.

UNPARALLELED MARKETING STRATEGY

When working with Amy Alpeza Real Estate, you receive the full support of her marketing team to ensure your home is marketed to its fullest potential.

We believe in individually evaluating each home and neighborhood and leveraging the proper marketing for your home’s ideal demographic and area. Marketing includes print, email, social media, website, and other forms of marketing collateral.

Before listing your home, we will work on fine-tuning a marketing plan for your home to ensure it sells quickly and for top dollar.

WHAT TO EXPECT WORKING WHEN YOU USE A WINDERMERE BROKER

I have premium marketing services—both print and online—that will raise interest in your home.

I will leverage my resources and colleagues to attract the maximum number of buyers to your home.

My global referral system provides me access to the large number of people who relocate each year, increasing the pool of qualified buyers for your home.

My extensive knowledge allows me to quickly separate qualified buyers from the rest of the pack. This saves you time, because your home is only being shown to serious buyers.

I am a seasoned broker and know the local market inside and out. This will help us to set the right price through a comparative market analysis.

I know what buyers are looking for and the financial incentives that will encourage them to buy.

I am a member of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which enables me to provide detailed information about your home to the thousands of other agents assisting buyers.

My network is extensive and I interact with other agents on a daily basis, which allows us to exchange information about new properties and match eager buyers with the right homes quickly.

Windermere Ready

A small upfront investment can yield a big payoff when selling your home

To help with that process, Windermere provides an interest-free loan of up to $100,000 to help cover the costs of things like painting, landscaping, cleaning, and staging. I will work with you to determine which improvements will get the biggest return. Then I’ll connect you with preferred local service providers to arrange to have the work done.

THE SELLING STRATEGY

Whether you’re unsure if you’re ready to say goodbye to your home, or you’re ready to pass off the keys to someone else – this guide is for you! I’ve compiled all of the answers to my most frequently asked questions about selling a home into this guide. Use this to refer back to throughout the process, or whenever you decide it’s the right time to sell.

What does the home selling process look like?

This is my most frequently asked question, so it’s the perfect one to kick this off with. Here is the home selling process in a simple 4-step process:

PREPARE IT

Consultation with me, my stager & necessary contractors: clean, declutter, paint, etc.

MARKET IT

Determine price
Strategic marketing

SECURE IT

Negotiate offers
Get under contract

CLOSE

Inspection, appraisal,
escrow – Closing!

MEET WITH A REALTOR®

It’s important to partner with a REALTOR® you trust and feel completely comfortable with when you sell your house. Choosing the right broker for you will be the most important decision you will make as a seller so don’t settle for a broker just because you know them personally.

Let’s be honest, everyone knows at least one or two real estate brokers – but they are not all created equal. A great broker will not only help you price your home properly, but they will offer advice and suggestions around how to get you top dollar and overcome any obstacles you may have.

And remember not to fall for the trap of partnering with the first agent who suggests the highest asking price – that will often backfire on you in this market, resulting in a lower sales price than you were hoping for. It is not all about listing at the highest price, it is about listing with the right strategy to get you top dollar for your home.

PREPARING YOUR HOUSE FOR SALE

There is a long list of preparations for a home seller to do when it comes to selling your home, outside of choosing the right broker. Your broker will offer guidance and advice on the best ways to maximize your return on the sale of your home, by way of home improvements, simple updates, cleaning, staging your home and possibly a seller’s procured inspection.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and for resources – your broker is there to guide you, not only as your Real Estate Advisor, but as the professional who can connect you with their network of contractors and other professionals to assist you.

PRICING YOUR HOME

Pricing your home too low or too high is not a good strategy. Setting a fair market price will attract the greatest number of buyers, ones that are most qualified, AND give your home the highest exposure. Your REALTOR® should be able to explain the multitude of factors influencing pricing, including, competitive pricing, current market stats, and of course the estimated value of your home to generate the highest sales price with a strong marketing strategy for your neighborhood. There are different strategies you can employ based on your situation, marketing research, and timeframe, so be open and honest with your broker about your goals so they are able to set you up for success.

MARKETING PLAN AND PROMOTION

Once you’ve chosen your REALTOR®, determined your asking price and prepared your home for market, your broker will begin the marketing process. This will include a variety of mediums — digital and traditional — and will inform other buyer’s brokers that your property is on the market. Marketing is so much more than just putting your home on the MLS and staking a sign in your front yard. Be sure to know how your broker plans to get your home in front of the most buyers and brokers for the highest and best sale, including the time to sell your home.

OFFER ACCEPTANCE & CLOSING

After the hard work of preparing your home for sale, marketing and promoting your home, you’ll hopefully have a few offers on the table.  Once you’ve accepted an offer, the next steps generally entail an inspection period (unless this was waived), appraisal (if the home is financed), and closing through escrow.

Your real estate agent or broker will advise you on what to expect at each step of the process, so no details are left unattended. Escrow companies will also communicate with you about items and documents needed like earnest money for escrow accounts, estimated monthly mortgage payment, closing costs and additional items, for a smooth closing process.

One important thing to remember, is to limit your travel while you are under contract – both buyer and seller will need to be available for in person signatures with your escrow team typically a week or so before your closing date.

As with everything, be sure to communicate your schedule with your broker so as to avoid delays. Once closing has commenced and you turn the keys over to the new buyers, you are ready for that next step on your journey to sell your house fast!

FAQ’S

Should I offer incentives like a home warranty, closing costs, or selling agent bonus?
Incentives are something I like to consider on a case-by-case basis. There are certain circumstances where it may be smart to offer an incentive. Some incentives can be offered from the start. For example, if your home is in an area that doesn’t get a lot of traffic, we may offer an incentive to agents to bring us a buyer. Or if you know the appliances are at the end of their lifetime, you may offer a home warranty to help the buyers replace them. Other incentives, like helping with closing costs, are better used during the negotiation process.
What do I need to disclose?
It’s smart to disclose any issues right up front. In many cases, your buyers will have the right to inspect the home, so it’s best they not be hit with bad news after going under contract. If you know of problems with the appliances, plumbing, electric, HVAC, roof, foundation, property lines, etc., these need to be listed on the Seller’s Disclosure or taken care of prior to listing. If there are repairs that you can have done before listing, go ahead and take care of those. Anything that cannot be remedied before listing should be considered when setting your list price.
What happens if my home doesn’t appraise above the contract price?
It sometimes happens that a home does not appraise at or above the contract price. When this happens, we go back to negotiations to determine if we can keep the contract in place by
adjusting both the sales price and the terms of the contract to the satisfaction of both buyer and seller. The buyer can also ask for a new appraisal, or often times, they will need to switch lenders for the reconsideration of value. If this isn’t possible, or a new value doesn’t meet the current contract price, you always have the right to refuse to lower the price to meet the appraisal, or the buyers may have to come up with additional funds for their lender. It is my job as your Realtor to spearhead any potential appraisal concerns from the start.
How do you negotiate multiple offers?
A multiple-offer scenario is a fun position to be in as a seller. I will help you through the negotiation process to select the right buyer – and that is not always the one with the highest offer! We need to consider how strong the offer is, whether they are offering cash or financing, how much they are financing, and what type of loan they are using. How much they are offering to put in escrow and the terms of the inspection process are all indications of their commitment to the deal. You may also draw on sentiment: are they buying your home as an investment or a place to raise their family?

WINDERMERE: A COMPETITIVE EDGE

Windermere gives sellers a competitive edge.

Windermere listing brokers prefer to work with Windermere buyer’s brokers when competing against multiple offers. Buyers represented with Windermere are far more likely to win.

When reviewing offers, buyers working with Windermere brokers increase their odds of succeeding in a competitive market because:

Windermere brokers receive extensive training on how to (a) craft the most competitive offer for their buyer, and (b) position it to have the greatest appeal to the seller

Windermere brokers adjust their negotiating techniques based on real-time market conditions

A market-wide survey of Northwest MLS agents indicated that they are more confident about completing transactions with Windermere brokers than with brokers from any other firm

WHAT'S MY HOME WORTH?

Let’s connect! Reach out to get a complete home valuation so that you can make an informed decision about what to do with your home.

Amy Alpeza Real Estate