Selling your Sarasota, Florida home
Define your goals.
You need to think about why you are selling your property and what you expect to accomplish. Some of the more common reasons maybe that you need to downsize, you may not be using that vacation condo as much as you hoped, you are a growing family and need a larger home or you are cashing out of that headache rental property.
Pricing your property
This is the most important part of selling a home. You need to take into account the current market conditions, the overall condition of your home or condo, recently sold comparable properties in your area and what is currently on the market. I have a thorough understanding of the Sarasota real estate market and will provide a comparable market analysis of your property.
It can be difficult for sellers to be objective about their home. It is important to set your asking price at a realistic market level when your home goes up for sale. If your home is overpriced and stays on the market too long potential buyers and real estate agents generally think that something is wrong with your home and won't see it. You ultimately may end up selling it for less later on than the amount you would have received if you priced it properly from the beginning.
Staging your home
This is also a very important part of the selling process. How your home looks will have a tremendous impact on how quickly it sells and whether or not you get full market value for it. Builders typically do a wonderful job of staging their models. Try to get your home as close to model condition as possible. We can have an interior design consultant visit your home to make sure it is staged properly.
Marketing your home
Now that your home shows well and you have determined a fair market value, it is time to put it up for sale and to start marketing it. My marketing plan will get your home sold for top dollar. My goal is to expose your home to the most potential buyers possible using a marketing plan that will have the highest possibility of bringing not only the most buyers, but also the most qualified buyers, to your doorstep.
Receiving an offer
When a buyer decides to purchase your property they will present a purchase offer to you. I will advise you on whether the potential buyer is qualified to purchase your home. The last thing you want to do is take your home off the market for weeks or months only to find out later that the potential purchaser was not qualified.
This is where experience is most valuable. An agent needs to know the ins and outs of the purchase offer. Once all parties have agreed and signed the offer it becomes an executed contract. The legalities of this phase are very important.
Negotiating to sell
Most offers to purchase your home will require some level of negotiation to come to a win-win agreement. Currently, in Sarasota, Florida it is a buyers market. Buyers have more leverage than sellers and this comes into play with the negotiations. As your agent, I represent you and will be responsible for protecting your interests.
Some of the items typically negotiated are:
- Price
- Closing date
- Financing terms
- Repairs
- Closing costs
- Occupancy
- Furniture
Inspections
This is where they buyers do all necessary inspections that they choose. Most buyers use a general home inspector to inspect the property. The buyer typically pays for all inspections. Responsibility of repairs was previously negotiated in the real estate contract. Buyers can accept the home in current condition, ask the seller to make repairs or cancel the contract if that is spelled out in the agreement.
Closing
"Closing" refers to the meeting where ownership of the property is legally transferred to the buyer. I am present at all of my closing to make sure everything goes according to plan. Occasionally, a last minute issue may arise. By being present I can usually take care of most problems.
As the seller, you will need to turn over any necessary documentation regarding the property and, depending on the contract, you may be required to have done something specific in order to close.
After Closing
Congratulations on the successful sale of your home! Hopefully, everything went smoothly with no aggravations and you vacated the property. I will provide a list of everything needed to turn the property over to the new owners.