Seller's Guide

A Step-by-Step 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 preparing to show it to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in your home, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition. As a full service listing agent, I will complete a thorough walk-through of your home and will provide written recommendations on how to prepare your home as well as staging ideas to ensure your home is ready for professional photos and for showings.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

I will develop a customized marketing strategy tailored to your unique home. The initial steps include preparing your home for sale, arranging professional photography, videography, virtual tours/Matterports, creating professional print materials, and crafting detailed listing descriptions to highlight the important features of your home. Once your home is listed, I will focus on attracting the right buyers through agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, open houses, social media campaigns, and SEO advertising. My goal is to create a marketing campaign that drives maximum traffic to your listing during the critical first few weeks.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it does not mean the journey is over. I will evaluate each offer to ensure the buyer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender or has provided sufficient proof of funds for a cash offer, and that their offer meets your expectations. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or propose other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or including certain appliances or fixtures for the new buyer. In multiple offer situations, I will provide an in-depth breakdown of the terms of each offer to ensure you are able to select one that best fits your needs and expectations.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once you deem the offer acceptable, I will review the proposed contract to ensure it includes all necessary components, such as the deposit amount, down payment, financing terms, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and their respective payers. When both parties agree to the terms, I will prepare a final contract for all parties to execute.

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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

You have accepted an offer and are now nearing the end of your selling journey. However, before closing, you and the buyer need to compile a list of tasks to complete. This may include formal inspections, surveys, and appraisals, as well as any necessary major or minor repairs. I will oversee the development and execution of this list, ensure each task is paid for by the appropriate party, attend inspections and appraisals when necessary, and confirm everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before closing, I will review your final closing fees and proceeds with you to ensure everything is correct and I will contact the title company handling the transaction to ensure all preparations are complete for a smooth and successful closing appointment.

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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 you on closing day at the title company or make myself available by phone should you choose to sign remotely from out of town. During this time, you will also make plans to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on any accounts that the new owner will be retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.This is also the time to finalize any warranty transfers that were stipulated in the contract.

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.

Testimonials

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  • Maureen was fantastic and an excellent resource for us as first-time home buyers. She was great while showing us homes, pointing out different aspects we should be mindful of from her experience that we would otherwise not known about. She was very involved and responsive throughout the entire process and we cannot recommend her highly enough.
    — Abernethy J.
  • Maureen made the house buying process so much less stressful! She does such a great job of listening to what you are wanting in a house and a neighborhood! Never once did I feel pressured into looking at a house that was above my price range. I would 100% recommend Maureen to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a house! If I ever move again (hopefully not for a long time) I would ask Maureen to help me again.
    — Buyer
  • Maureen is an outstanding agent and ally in the real estate business. Knowledgeable, detail oriented, responsive, helpful; you couldn't ask for a better guide to help navigate properties, markets, prices, negotiations, contingencies, changes in the never-simple and always dynamic real estate arena. Maureen has helped me find and sell and rental properties, and I will be working with her again.
    — Danielle M.
  • Maureen is exactly what you want in a realtor. Her attention to detail, her knowledge of the market and her ability to see things through, are just a few of her greatest qualities. I very much appreciated her realistic approach to selling our home. Maureen not only knows her craft inside and out, she is a positive and upbeat person who can actually make the daunting task of buying or selling your home a joy. I would highly recommend her to anyone who wants a successful and hassle-free transaction.
    — Casa Properties
  • Maureen is a consummate professional! Not only is she incredibly knowledgeable in every aspect of the real estate profession, she is also in a class by herself when it comes to people skills! Maureen took care of every detail of our transaction with unremitting follow through. We have spent our careers in various aspects of the real estate and customer service industries and without a doubt, working with Maureen has been the most enjoyable and the smoothest experience to date.
    — Julie C.
  • Maureen O’Leary is a realtor of the highest level of customer service and professionalism. Maureen assisted us in selling our home, where she far exceeded our expectations of personalization, availability, attention to detail, organization, and ease of sale. From our first meeting to the final closing of the sale our home, she was honest and upfront about the current market (globally and locally). She was able to assess the value of our home, make appropriate and necessary recommendations for repairs, staging, and current codes. She was even helpful in providing referrals to service people/companies that were personally trusted and reliable! Persona...
    — Seller
  • Highly recommend Maureen as the absolute best! She is incredibly attentive and provides exceptionally detailed support throughout the entire process. She used her vast knowledge of the area as well as her ability to understand our own goals to help us find the perfect home for our family. Maureen kept us up to date with every step of the process, including supporting us with every detail and information we requested. Her skills and competency allowed us to have confidence in her and not be stressed in our home buying experience, which is such a gift!
    — Buyer
  • Maureen was a fantastic help as we bought a home for the first time. She helped us navigate a crazy housing market where we were having to make very quick and stressful decisions. She calmed our fears and was enthusiastic but also also let us know if she thought a place wasn’t right for us. She knew all the ins and outs of the inspection process and put our mind at ease with the house we ended up buying. If we ever have to do it again we’d want her by our side.
    — Elise C.
  • Maureen did an outstanding job with assisting us when purchasing our new home in Durango. She went above and beyond to take care of us and answer our questions.
    — Kristina M.
  • Maureen is easily the best real estate professional I’ve ever worked with. Her attention to detail, care, and high-level of competency makes her stand out amongst the rest. There were minor fixes identified in the final buyer walk through and Maureen went out of her way to pick up the items and have them ready for us to handle. She also always had recommendations for local repair specialist to make getting the house sale-ready an absolute breeze. I’ve done a number of both personal and professional real estate deals and Maureen is my go-to agent. I give her my highest recommendation.
    — James G.
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With a collaborative approach tailored to your unique needs, Maureen's expertise and passion for real estate will guide you through every decision, ensuring a smooth path to achieving your dreams.

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Contact Details

Mountain Pass Realty LCC

Phone

(505) 450-3630

Email

[email protected]

Address

1130 Main Ave Durango, CO 81301

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