Seller's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

Selling your home can seem like a daunting task. There is so much to do if you want to attract the highest possible offers for your home. Where do you begin?

The good news is that today is a great time to sell your home. There is strong buyer demand for homes all over the DC metro area. If you've been considering selling your DC area home to downsize to a smaller home or condo, or move-up to a larger home, the timing could not be better. If your home was previously under water (you owned more to the bank than your property was worth), you may finally have some equity in your home. But not all homes are selling quickly or for top dollar. In fact, some properties are languishing on the market for months. What is the difference between homes that sell quickly and homes that don't?

Having a skilled, trusted real estate professional guiding you through the entire process will greatly increase your odds of meeting your goals in this complex market. The right realtor® will advise you so that your home shows in its best light, market your home creatively and effectively for maximum market exposure, and ensure that all deadlines and requirements of the sale are met. Most people's homes are their biggest asset; it's how wealth is built. In that regard, choosing the right realtor® to represent the sale of your home is one of the most important decisions you will make.

I have successfully sold hundreds of homes in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia and would love to do the same for you!

PREPARING YOUR DC HOME FOR SALE

We cannot stress enough how important it is that your home show as attractively as possible. The better your home looks both inside and outside, the faster it will sell and the more it will sell for -- that is a fact. So it is worth a bit of sweat equity or the services of a handyman and cleaning crew to get things in order. On the exterior of the home, the grass should be mowed and nice flowers planted, windows cleaned, trash picked up,etc. The interior of the home should be extra clean and clutter-free. This is the time to get rid of excess "stuff" that makes the rooms crowded, remove almost everything from the tops of counters, dressers and bathroom vanities, and generally clean, clean, clean.

STAGING YOUR DC HOME

Home buyers usually come with a list of wants and needs: i.e. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a fireplace, etc. And I’m sure you’ll agree that there are many homes with those basic attributes. But what makes a buyer choose a home to purchase is how they feel when they walk through the home – they can picture themselves living there. You want to do everything you can to help create that picture. That is the goal of staging. Basic staging tasks include downsizing (removal of excess and furniture and knickknacks), a coat or two of fresh paint, and perhaps some rearranging of the remaining furniture to make the rooms look larger and show them to their advantage. We can help with this process by working with you to choose paint colors, help decide what stays and what goes, and even add artwork or pieces of furniture from our own collection if it will help give your home the “Wow Factor.” But if a house is vacant, we firmly believe that it should be professionally staged in order to attract the most buyers, garner the highest offers, and sell faster. Staged homes sell quicker and for more money than vacant homes – that it also a fact. We have a large furniture collection in storage for just that purpose and can discuss how our staging services can work for you.

MARKETING YOUR DC HOME FOR SALE

90% of all home buyers begin their search on the internet. So guess where we do the bulk of our marketing? On the internet of course! How many times have you looked for property on the internet and saw properties listed with either no photos or unattractive amateur shots. That won’t happen with us. We know that buyers want to see lots of photos and they need to make your home look as attractive as possible. That’s why we will hire a professional photographer to take lots of gorgeous photographs of your home. We will aggressively market your home on the web to make sure that your home gets the utmost exposure.
We will also market your home extensively to area Realtors, which is where the 2nd largest group of buyers come from. If a buyer is working with a DC Realtor®, you can bet they are serious buyers. So we make sure that every Realtor® in the local area knows about your listing.

We have lots of other tricks up our sleeve. For a confidential consultation and a marketing plan customized to your needs and your specific neighborhood market conditions, simply fill out the contact form below and we’ll get back to you quickly, or call us today.

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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I love living, working, and playing in the Washington DC area and will be a true advocate for you before, during, and after your home purchase. Whether you are looking at a home, rowhouse or luxury condo anywhere in the Bethesda MD real estate area, you can be sure your needs will be met and your requirements for a home taken as my top priority. It really pays to have someone who knows the area. Not only do I represent buyers and sellers of DC Property, but I also represent MD Real Estate and Virginia Real Estate as well. I am your exclusive RLAH Real Estate professional.

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