SELLERS
First Steps
We will conduct an in-depth interview to understand your goals, your timetable and any special circumstances you may have. By listening carefully to your needs, we pledge to enhance your experience as a seller and to walk you through the steps required to sell your property.
Our Associate Will
- Explain "agency" relationships in the state of California.
- Explain how the commission is paid and distributed.
- Outline the property sale process and provide a timeline.
- Agree on the best way to continue our ongoing dialogue in a way that fits your lifestyle, i.e. via email, telephone, etc.
- Review all documents, including contracts, disclosures, disclaimers and inspection reports. In some instances, we may refer you to a real estate attorney for further clarification.
- Provide you with relocation and mortgage assistance if appropriate through our affiliated lender and our referral network.
- Offer reliable advice and useful information to help you make informed decisions along the way.
- Handle the details that lead your transaction to a smooth, successful close.
How Do We Price Property?
Price is one of the most significant factors potential buyers consider when looking at a property. You do not want your valuable investment to be either under-priced or over-priced – but how do you know what is appropriate? How can you tell what the market will respond to? As your Search Bay Area Real Estate agent, we will help you realize the optimum value for your property.
Our Associate Will
- Prepare and review a comparable market analysis. This will help determine a pricing strategy for your property.
- Our associate may recommend obtaining certain inspection reports prior to marketing and review the impact they have on pricing.
- Provide you with a Seller's Cost (or Net) Sheet that projects the approximate costs of sale.
- Provide you with updates of market activity in a format that works best for you. This includes:
- Newly available comparable properties.
- Recent sales of any comparable properties.
- Price reductions on available comparables properties.
- Expired or canceled listings of comparable properties.
- Communication from other sales agents and potential purchasers.
- Outline your options and make recommendations based on market conditions and your personal situation.
- Review the pricing strategy as needed.
Taking Your Property to Market
"What is being done to sell my property?" is a reasonable question to ask your agent. Our associate will create a marketing plan specific to your property. Our associate will educate you about the decision-making process buyers go through so that you may use that information to your advantage. Our associate will then implement the plan to bring your property to market in the most attractive light.
Our Associate Will
- Determine a strategy for positioning the property.
- Utilize the most appropriate marketing resources to alert potential buyers to your property.
- Maximize the power of the Internet and the MLS (Multiple Listing Service).
- Expose your property to a wide group of potential buyers and to our broker network to generate interest from a number of qualified parties.
- Reach out to friends and neighbors who might know of people interested in living in your neighborhood.
- Utilize our global relocation network, GMAC Global Relocation, if appropriate.
- Manage all inquiries on the sale of your property.
- Monitor and communicate feedback we receive along the way.
- Evaluate the results of actions we take along the way.
Preparing Your Property for Market
First impressions count. Before inviting buyers into your property, you'll want to be sure you've done everything to make it as attractive as possible. There are many ways to improve your chances of a sale and as your Search Bay Area Real Estate sales agent I will discuss these with you.
Our Associate Will
- Advise you as to how to present your property. This may include recommendations for cosmetic changes such as painting, clearing the yard, and arranging the best way to "stage" your property for a visit from potential buyers.
- Advise you as to whether to obtain a professional inspection prior to placing your property on the market. An inspection generally presents a clear picture of the physical condition of the property and allows us to anticipate issues that may arise during the transaction. (This is not intended to preclude buyers from obtaining their own inspection.)
- Advise you as to whether to purchase a one-year property protection warranty for the buyer of your property.
Professional Photography Makes A Difference
A recent National Association of Realtors study of homebuyers found that 84% of respondents cited multiple, quality photos as the most useful and important feature of listings viewed on the internet.
Unlike many other Bay Area real estate companies that rely upon the listing agent or the sign company to photograph their clients’ homes, Search Bay Area Real Estate Premier Service® standards require every home we list be photographed by a professional.
Search Bay Area Real Estate enlists the skills of photographers who understand the effects of lighting, staging, composition and cropping. As a result, you can be assured that every time an image of your home is presented, it is viewed in its very best light. Our goal is to maximize the value of your home.
Your Property Demands The Work Of A Professional
- Agents receive press-ready images within 24 hours of property photo shoot
- All images are retouched and formatted by photographers
- Images are available in multiple formats for optimum use in print and web marketing
Online Marketing
The Most Powerful Home Buying Channel
The Internet has changed the way consumers seek information.
Homebuyers searching the Internet for their next home have become as common as travelers ordering airline tickets online. According to a National Association of Realtors study, the percentage of homebuyers searching the Internet for homes has exploded from 2% in 1995 to 80% in 2006.
Potential buyers find that real estate websites have more listings with more detailed information and photographs than print media. Internet databases are searchable by specific parameters so they cater to the homebuyer's unique needs.
Our Online Reach is Unmatched in the Bay Area
It's a fact—most home buyers begin their home search on the Web. That’s why Search Bay Area Real Estate is dedicated to presenting your home where buyers look most often.
By listing with Search Bay Area Real Estate, your home will appear on hundreds of regional and major websites. It will also have an enhanced listing with multiple photos and custom text on Realtor.com, the first choice of the majority of buyers when looking for home and property information.
Our extensive on-line marketing campaign places your home on sites viewed by millions of local and international buyers. Search Bay Area Real Estate knows that's the kind of exposure your property deserves.
* Source: 2006 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
Negotiating the Sale
Some people enjoy negotiation, others dread it. Either way, when it comes to selling your property it is important to have a capable negotiator on your side. Our experience will be available to you at every step.
Our Associate Will
- Discuss approaches and strategies for negotiating and recommend what we consider to be the best option for each circumstance.
- Assist in negotiating the best price and terms for your property given existing market conditions and your personal situation.
- Assist in evaluating the qualifications of any buyer that makes an offer on your property. we will make available a mortgage specialist to arrange for a mortgage approval if requested.
- Assist you in reviewing the conditions in the offer and their potential impact on the transaction.
- Revise the Seller's Cost (or Net) Sheet and calculate net proceeds based on the negotiated sales price.
- Help you make informed decisions.
- Counsel you on your options for the presentation of offers on your property.
From Acceptance of Contract to Closing of Sale
During this time (typically between 30 and 60 days), our associate will be there to assist you in handling crucial details so that deadlines are met in order to bring your transaction to a smooth, successful close.
Our Associate Will
- Verify that escrow has been established, deliver a real time calendar of events, and monitor contingency periods and inspections.
- Attend inspections as practical or at your request.
- Strategize with you as to the results of the preliminary title search upon receipt and per contract guidelines.
- To the extent possible, monitor the purchaser' loan to review that the process is running smoothly.
- Provide you with timely updates on the status of the closing process.
- At your direction, actively market the property through the contingency period and beyond based on market conditions.
- Provide you with copies of all documents executed by both parties which are received by us.
- Offer you an opportunity to evaluate the services you received via a post-transaction survey from an independent company named Quality Service Certification.
Real Estate Questions? "Contact Us" online, or call 415-606-6621. We're here to help!
Search Bay Area Real Estate Group – Trusted Advisors, Skilled Negotiators, Expert Facilitators
