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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.

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Testimonials

"Tracy was amazing to work with on the selling of our existing home. She went above and beyond to help us. She was available whenever we needed assistance. She kept us updated during the entire time. Truly thankful to work with her during this process."
"Tracy was amazing to work with on the selling of our existing home. She went above and beyond to help us. She was available whenever we needed assistance. She kept us updated during the entire time. Truly thankful to work with her during this process."
Vickie & Tom S.
"I had the pleasure of working with Tracy to sell land in Wisconsin while residing in another state. Despite the distance, the service was nothing short of exceptional. I cannot recommend Tracy highly enough. From start to finish her professionalism, expertise, and dedication were evident, making the entire process smooth and stress-free!"
"I had the pleasure of working with Tracy to sell land in Wisconsin while residing in another state. Despite the distance, the service was nothing short of exceptional. I cannot recommend Tracy highly enough. From start to finish her professionalism, expertise, and dedication were evident, making the entire process smooth and stress-free!"
Lisa C.
"I’ve moved at least 2 dozen times for college, graduate school, the Air Force, and jobs, and I promise you Tracey is the best agent I’ve ever had. She listens very carefully to your needs and selects the perfect properties based on your preferences. From the first showing all the way through to the one I purchased. Each show was exactly what I was looking for. Her outstanding customer service and ability to streamline the complex process of buying made my search a breeze. Her experience and knowledge, coupled with her skill working with people make her an agent you can fully trust. The lender and the title company both acknowledged that I had “the best” agent working for me. Her suggestions during the negotiation phase saved me money and caught every detail during the inspection. She consistently went above and beyond to make sure I found the perfect home not just a house. If there was a ten-star rating out of five she earned it!"
"I’ve moved at least 2 dozen times for college, graduate school, the Air Force, and jobs, and I promise you Tracey is the best agent I’ve ever had. She listens very carefully to your needs and selects the perfect properties based on your preferences. From the first showing all the way through to the one I purchased. Each show was exactly what I was looking for. Her outstanding customer service and ability to streamline the complex process of buying made my search a breeze. Her experience and knowledge, coupled with her skill working with people make her an agent you can fully trust. The lender and the title company both acknowledged that I had “the best” agent working for me. Her suggestions during the negotiation phase saved me money and caught every detail during the inspection. She consistently went above and beyond to make sure I found the perfect home not just a house. If there was a ten-star rating out of five she earned it!"
David K.
"I moved out of town clear across the country and tried renting out my home in Minnesota. It turned out to be a disaster, and I was stuck with some squatters in my home. They didn't pay rent. Tracy was excellent in helping guide me along the way to get the help I needed to not only get them out but sell the home quickly. I am so grateful that she was able to help me out while I was far away."
"I moved out of town clear across the country and tried renting out my home in Minnesota. It turned out to be a disaster, and I was stuck with some squatters in my home. They didn't pay rent. Tracy was excellent in helping guide me along the way to get the help I needed to not only get them out but sell the home quickly. I am so grateful that she was able to help me out while I was far away."
Moe J.
"Tracy was super attentive and supportive during our search! We are so appreciative of her dedicated thorough assistance!"
"Tracy was super attentive and supportive during our search! We are so appreciative of her dedicated thorough assistance!"
Whitney & Kris C.
"I am certain that you will be pleased by your trust in Tracy’s abilities 5 Stars, would recommend it! Tracy Uttley helped us buy our dream home in Mahtomedi, MN! She educated us on the local housing market as out-of-state buyers, with insight into a wide spread of neighborhoods and knowledge of amenities tailored to families."
"I am certain that you will be pleased by your trust in Tracy’s abilities 5 Stars, would recommend it! Tracy Uttley helped us buy our dream home in Mahtomedi, MN! She educated us on the local housing market as out-of-state buyers, with insight into a wide spread of neighborhoods and knowledge of amenities tailored to families."
Brittany B.
"Tracy is a confident, professional realtor. She is patient and listens carefully to the needs of her clients. Her patience is exemplified by the fact that we only recently ended a five-year journey looking for a house for myself. She never grew weary of that journey."
"Tracy is a confident, professional realtor. She is patient and listens carefully to the needs of her clients. Her patience is exemplified by the fact that we only recently ended a five-year journey looking for a house for myself. She never grew weary of that journey."
Jon R.
"Tracy is top-notch. She is responsive in a timely manner, listens to your needs, and delivers. Our experience with Tracy was smooth and we connected very well. Without reservation, we highly recommend Tracy."
"Tracy is top-notch. She is responsive in a timely manner, listens to your needs, and delivers. Our experience with Tracy was smooth and we connected very well. Without reservation, we highly recommend Tracy."
Sue O.
"Tracy worked tirelessly for me and kept my spirits up in a highly competitive market. She walked me through the entire process, connecting me with the right people, pointing out things I should look for during our home searches, and coaching me on how to submit a winning offer in South Minneapolis. I trusted her. She demonstrated a lot of integrity, and I knew she had my back. If you are looking for a home or are ready to sell, I highly recommend you give Tracy a call. She is client-focused and a really good person."
"Tracy worked tirelessly for me and kept my spirits up in a highly competitive market. She walked me through the entire process, connecting me with the right people, pointing out things I should look for during our home searches, and coaching me on how to submit a winning offer in South Minneapolis. I trusted her. She demonstrated a lot of integrity, and I knew she had my back. If you are looking for a home or are ready to sell, I highly recommend you give Tracy a call. She is client-focused and a really good person."
Spencer U.
"She recommended excellent professionals that are necessary along the home-buying journey, from financing to inspections, making the process seamless!"
"She recommended excellent professionals that are necessary along the home-buying journey, from financing to inspections, making the process seamless!"
Marcus & Jessica S.
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