Once you’ve chosen your Keller Williams agent and together have prepped your house for sale and set a price, you’re ready for the public to see your home.
A showing takes place either at an open house, which is a scheduled session when anyone can come by without an appointment, or during an appointment scheduled with you or your listing agent.
Your KW agent is a great source of advice on specifics for your home preparations so that your house is positioned competitively in the market. Preparations will likely include two phases. During phase one, before photos are taken and before the first showing, you should:
Three important things you can do to help get your house sold are:
Always coordinate with your Keller Williams agent for maximum exposure and a faster sale.
An offer to buy your home is a purchase agreement signed by the potential buyer that includes:
When you receive an offer to buy your home, you and your Keller Williams agent should review it and consider whether you want to accept it. Whether you have one offer or several, you and your agent will look at:
If you receive multiple offers, your KW agent can advise you on one of these options:
You and the buyers can negotiate until you both agree on the final contract. Your Keller Williams agent is your best ally during the negotiations and is equipped with the data and knowledge to guide you.
Most buyers request a home inspection as a condition of their offer. While a home inspector will dig more deeply into your home than a buyer, the preparation you made before your first showing should help you get ready for the inspection. Your Keller Williams agent can give you personalized advice, too.
A home inspection is a thorough review of your home’s structure and systems by a professional home inspector. Buyers can use the inspection report to decide to rescind their offer if a major issue is uncovered or to request repairs if the contract is contingent on a satisfactory report. In some cases, a home inspection is solely for the buyers’ information and can’t be used to negotiate.
The inspector will check:
The inspector won’t check some items that are unusual or inaccessible, such as:
Before the home inspector arrives, you should:
Once the inspection report has been generated, you and your KW agent can discuss how to handle any possible issues the buyers mention. You can negotiate with the buyers, decide to fix an item, provide money for the buyers to fix it themselves or provide documentation that the problem has already been addressed. Your Keller Williams agent can help you handle any inspection issues.
As you near the end of your home sale journey, you will need to pass one more test: an appraisal. Your KW agent can help you gather materials and prepare for the appraiser’s visit.
An appraisal is an objective valuation of your property that serves as a safeguard for the buyer and the buyer’s lender. While the buyer pays for an appraisal, the appraiser actually works for the lender. While an appraiser may look at some of the same things as a home inspector, the result is an appraised value of your property rather than a condition report.
Appraisers use as many measurable pieces of data available to provide an accurate value of your property, including:
Appraisers include research about other properties and neighborhood values, as well as an in-person visit for their evaluation of your home.
Preparing for an appraisal is similar to prepping for an inspection. You should:
An appraisal could require a renegotiation if the property value comes in lower than the sales price. The appraised value dictates the maximum amount the lender will allow the buyers to borrow, minus their down payment. Depending on how the contract was written, if the appraisal is low, you can:
Your Keller Williams agent can advise you on your options in the context of the contract and market conditions.
While it’s tempting to focus on your next move, your Keller Williams agent is likely to remind you that until the closing is over, you have some final responsibilities as a seller.
Before the closing day, you’ll need to:
Sellers may or may not attend the closing, so you should consult your KW agent and the settlement company to decide what’s best. You can sign all documents before the official closing. Sellers’ expenses, which are deducted from the proceeds of the sale, include:
If you can’t move before the closing, you’ll need to arrange a rentback from the buyers. Your Keller Williams agent can help you complete appropriate paperwork for a rentback. If you are moving, the buyers will do a walk-through of your home within 24 hours before the closing to check that the property is in good condition. If the buyers find something that needs to be fixed, your agent can help you decide how to handle it. Whether or not you attend the closing, you’ll need to provide house keys to your buyers, along with all alarm codes, remote controls for the garage, and mailbox or gate keys.
After the closing, you’ll:
Congratulations! You can shake hands with your Keller Williams agent: you’ve successfully sold your home.
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