Step 1. Hire a REALTOR®
An important part of selling your home is finding qualified and professional representation. While it is a great first step to hire a licensed Realtor®, an even better first step is to hire a member of The North Woods Group. Selling a property is a complex process that involves a prized financial asset. In order to reap the greatest financial benefit from the sale of your property, hire a Realtor® whose extensive training has prepared them to generate the best possible results on your behalf. The members of the North Woods Group have literally decades of experience in our mountain real estate market. Working as a group, The North Woods Group has the benefit of the complementary skills of its members from a professional photographer, to a licensed contractor, a web master and a full time marketing specialist. We are able to bring these skills together to ensure that each transaction is met with the utmost professionalism and expertise.
While it is tempting to sell your home on your own, or to find discounted representation that can save you a REALTOR's fee, a survey done by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) found that 82% of real estate sales result from REALTORS® contact with previous clients, referrals, and other sources. Additionally, NAR concluded that most homes sell for approximately 5% more and about 17% days faster when sold through a Realtor®.
The members of The North Woods Group have a firm grasp on all of the current legal, environmental and regulatory real estate requirements. We will explain the current regulations to you so that you understand every step of the process and why it's done that way. Finally, with our market knowledge and experience, we are extremely competent when the time comes for pricing, negotiating & assessing proposals, and responding to offers and counteroffers. We will work with you to successfully navigate the complexities of appraisals, inspections and legally binding agreements in a competent and professional manner.
Step 2. Price your property correctly
A correctly priced property generates an excitement that takes maximum advantage of REALTORS and buyers attention during the first four weeks of a listing. That is why it is important to price your property on the money from the beginning.
An advantage to working with The North Woods Group is the market knowledge that only comes with our decades of experience and the willingness of members to share their expertise with one-another.
To establish the best listing price, we start by considering the current market inventory, the properties that are in escrow and recent sales. Our understanding of recent sales enables us determine where the market is in respect to what buyers are willing to pay.
We price to the competition. As the price of a home rises relative to the competition, our research shows:
- If the asking price is close to perceived market value, your house has a 95% chance of selling
- If the asking price is 5% over perceived market value, your house has a 50% chance of selling
- If the asking price is 10% over perceived market value, your house has a 30% chance of selling
Step 3 - Prepare your Property
The North Woods Group knows what it takes to make a property look its best.
Our goal is to make every potential buyer feel like a welcomed guest when they enter your home. We work closely with you to de-personalize your home so that potential buyers can more easily picture their belongings and their families in the property.
Now is the rime to tackle those projects that will increase your homes selling potential. Fixing squeaky doors, touching up painted surfaces, cleaning and decluttering cabinets, closets and the garage will make your home more appealing. And don't forget the exterior - a trimmed and clean lawn will help obtain that good curb appeal that is important to buyers.
Make your home spotless, and keep it that way. Before you begin showing your home, you'll want to do a complete clean, from top to bottom. The fairly inexpensive cost of professionally cleaning your carpets, fully dusting your home, removing all clutter from rooms, cleaning windows, even replacing old screens will be rewarded with a quicker sale. Keep all counters as free of items as possible and repair faucets and caulking around sinks, tubs and showers. Make your kitchen and baths sparkle. A clean home can convey that it has been well-maintained and will be a worthwhile purchase.
A little bit of landscaping can go a long way. Could your flowers out front use a little sprucing up? Are your trees and shrubs overgrown or in need of some pruning? This is the time to do it. Get rid of old pine needles and leaves and replace any dead plants with colorful flowering varieties. Potted plants on the front step add color to your homes facade.
Test drive your home. When was the last time you checked that all of the outlets work? Are there any burned out light bulbs? Do your plumbing and heating systems work properly, are your furnace filters clean? Are all of your appliances in good working order? Put yourself in the shoes of a potential buyer and look to see that everything that should work - does.
Stage your home to create the most space. Aside from simply removing clutter from small spaces look to your bigger rooms to see if they could appear even larger. Could a fresh coat of lighter paint help to make your rooms appear larger? Could rearranging your furniture open up the room? Storing unnecessary items and furniture during the showing process of your home will end up adding not just space to your home, but also potential dollars to your sold price.
Turn your home into a model home. To truly achieve that crisp, clean look try to look at your home as a model home. This means that your home should be a clean palette, making it as easy as possible for potential buyers to see themselves in it. Sometimes this may mean that your favorite personal items will have to be put away, but remember that in the long run this can help you to sell your home not only sooner, but also for a potentially higher price.
Step 4 - Market Your Property
With a member of The North Woods Group as your listing professional your home will have access to hundreds of qualified buyers - our past clients! So much of our business deals with past clients and referrals and your home is immediately marketed to that data base as well as throughout our office. Keller Williams Boice Realty is the number one real estate firm in Truckee and North Lake Tahoe with over 65% of our business based upon referrals by satisfied clients!
The real estate industries most effective marketing tool is the Realtor Multiple Listing Service. We use this service to inform all members of the Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors of the availability and the particulars of your property along with any features that make it unique and desirable.
We believe the next most effective marketing tool is the internet, and The North Woods Group is at the forefront of web marketing. Today's buyers are internet savvy and look at web sites to familiarize themselves with the second home market in Truckee and Tahoe Donner. We have the area's most popular real estate website with well over 250 average visits per day. List with The North Woods Group and your home will be placed on the home page as a "Featured Listing" of this popular site
We facilitate the use of printed advertising and we will work with you to schedule these as appropriate in various avenues such as flyers, local newspapers, and premium resort magazines. The North Woods Group currently has a 2 page spread in Premiere Homes (circulation of 12,500+ per month), the back page of Northwoods Magazine (circulation of 14,000+ per month), a half-page ad in the Tahoe Donner News (circulation to all 6500 plus property owners) and a space on the back page of the Sierra Suns Mountain Homes Real Estate insert (circulation of 14,200+ per week). We place your home on the weekly Realtor Tour of homes and heavily promote your property within our office so that all realtors can get a firsthand look at your property. With colorful flyers, professional advertising, and a popular website your property will have top notch marketing exposure.
Step 5 Negotiate the Offer
First, it is best to know exactly what your objectives are before you get to the negotiating process. Look at what you expect to make after all of the fees, inspections, etc. Consider what your bottom line is on the price and determine the supporting reasons for not going below that price. A good Realtor will be a great person to bounce this price off of to see if it is truly realistic in the current market. Being honest with yourself and your Realtor from the beginning will help you determine your pricing focus throughout the negotiation process.
Once you have received your offer, your agents experience really shows its true colors. Listen to your agent's professional opinion regarding pricing and the offer. Keep in mind that most buyers will want to negotiate, regardless of how well your home is priced.
When you work with a member of The North Woods Group, you will always have the details of the offer explained to you, and we will always advocate your interests during the negotiation process.
Step 6 Accepting the Offer and Closing the Deal
The closing process begins with your acceptance of an offer. This is one of the more complex and time intensive elements of selling your home and it takes the experience and professionalism of The North Woods Group to make this process run correctly and smoothly. We coordinate with the title and escrow company, the buyers lender, various inspectors required by the contract or local ordinance, all repair contractors and the buyer's agent. We will keep you informed throughout the process.
A quality real estate transaction also means that we practice discretion to protect your privacy. The facts of the transaction are only revealed to those who need to know in order to successfully complete the sale of your home. When you work with a member of The North Woods Group, you are assured of a quality transaction and a professional working relationship.
Questions? Call Pete at (530)414-1213 or Email.
