1. How will you pre-market my listing?
Most of the work is done before your home goes on the market. Sprucing, repairs, cleaning, staging are the first steps. Next step is to professionally photograph the home and prepare top quality marketing materials. You may also consider a "Coming Soon" concept depending on the rules of the local listing service.
2. How will you market my listing? There are lots of marketing options and your agent should provide you with a solid marketing plan. They should include a property website, yard signage, well-written property description, print and TV ads, possibly drone videography & 3-D tour of the interior (Matterport is one company that does this)
3. How do you handle showings? During the Pandemic, open houses and broker tours are off-limits so all showings must be done by appointment only. In addition, all visitors to the property are required to complete a COVID form and your agent should vet the buyers to ensure that they have proof of funds or are qualified for the purchase. As things open up, you will want to talk to your agent about a showing strategy.
4. What happens next once we accept an offer? First, earnest money is deposited to escrow. Next, the buyers may bring in a home inspector to check out the home and recommend any needed repairs or improvements. If issues are found, they might ask for repairs or a price reduction to offset costs. I always recommend that the seller is not present during inspections to allow the buyer and their agent to fully investigate the home. The listing agent should be there to highlight special features of the home and answer any questions that come up. Providing service records and information about the home’s systems will help as well.
5. If the Buyer asks for repairs or a price reduction, can I say no? You can say no to any repairs that are requested from your buyers with the understanding that they may choose to walk away from the deal based on their home inspection contingency. You could also offer a price reduction in lieu of doing the repairs or offer a credit to offset costs. Lenders may require repairs before close of escrow so it's important to explore all options carefully. Remember that if the repairs requested are legitimate, the next home inspector will likely identify them as well. Ask a real estate agent how the identification of needed repairs will affect your disclosure and the price of your listing going forward if you decide to put the home back on the market. It's a big consideration!
Source: American Lifestyle Magazine, Christy Murdock Edgar