Are you thinking of selling your home, but don’t know where to start? We took the actual checklist of our Director of Operations (Terra Massey – you’re awesome!) and spelled it out for you.
P.S. Scroll to the bottom for a free printable download!
Prepare to List
- Gather information about your house that will help it sell – age of roof, dates of major renovations, distinguishing features, and any issues (mold, termites, hail damage etc.)
- Complete sellers property disclosure
- Stage your home
- Deep clean and make small repairs
- Figure out how you are going to list your home ie. newspaper, social media, sign, craigslist, online (Zillow, Trulia, Realtor)
- Get professional photos & virtual tour of the home scheduled
- Review the marketing material – home flyers, sign, social media posts, pictures
List & Show
- Figure out how and when you will do showings and how to give access to buyer and/or their agents
- Plan out how you will receive offers and respond back to offers
- Receive buyer feedback & make any necessary changes
Evaluate & Negotiate
- Collect the offers and the buyer’s proof of funds or pre-qualification letters
- Compare the terms and amounts of each offer and decide to accept, reject, or counter
CONGRATS, YOU ARE UNDER CONTRACT!
Close the deal
- Sign an agreed upon offer
- Figure out what title company you are closing with and send them all the need information about your contract
- Within 3 business days provide the buyers with the Sellers Property Disclosure and get it signed by them that they have received it
- Make sure the buyer or their agent has scheduled the Inspection and make sure they get you the Inspection, Repair, and Survey Addendum within 10 business days of a signed contract
- Coordinate access to your property with the inspection
Inspections
- Once you have received the Inspection, Repair, and Survey Addendum sign it that you have received it. You now have 5 days to respond and negotiate on terms
- Continue to negotiate until you have reached an agreement. Schedule the necessary contractors to make the agreed-upon repairs
- Schedule the necessary contractors to make the agreed-upon repairs
Appraisal & Termite Inspection
- Confirm with the lender that the appraiser has ordered the appraisal
- Coordinate access with the appraiser
- Confirm the termite inspection has been ordered
- Coordinate access with the termite company
Move Prep
- Schedule your utilities to be turned off
- Change your mailing address
Walk Through
- Schedule with the buyer or their agent the final walkthrough
- Coordinate access for the final walkthrough
Closing Day
- Request preliminary ALTA from the title company
- Request executed IRSA page 4 from the buyer or their agent
- Schedule closing day, time, and location with the title company
- Remove all listing post on all sites (Zillow, Realtor, Trulia, etc.)
- Bring house keys, garage door opener(s), and a picture ID
You just sold your home!
Conclusion
And that’s it! We hope this helped you know what to expect when selling your home on your own. If you’re unsure of any of the steps, we would be happy to answer any questions you may have in the process – without any obligation from you.
If you’re thinking of hiring an agent, we would love to interview for the job. We understand you are wanting to make every penny count, so we promise to prove our value to you. In fact, only 10% of homes on the market are sold by their owner without a realtor. That’s because the typical home sold by owner sold at a national median of $225,000 compared to a median of $345,000 for agent-assisted home sales (NAR 2022 Report). Our goal is to get you the highest price for the least amount of repairs. Period.
Reach out to us below and we’d love to hear any questions or concerns you may have!
Download your free Seller’s Checklist!