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Seller's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time 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 team of real estate agents 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 team of real estate agents once you choose one so they 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 team of real estate agents is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of real estate agents 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 getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

We will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. Our team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. We will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once we deem the offer is acceptable, we will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your team of real estate agents.

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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. But first, you and the buyer must make a list of what needs to be done before closing. In some cases, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. We will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, we will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.

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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. We will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your team of real estate agents to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.

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.

See Why Our Clients Love Us

Testimonials

"She was always ready and willing to guide us thru the entire selling Process. Being from another state, we had so many questions. She made herself available to make sure our house was presentable For viewings. We live 165 miles away and this saved us time and gas. She can be trusted to give you “truthful “ answers that are so appreciated when an offer is made. We most definitely would use her again if the need arises. She’s Great!"
"She was always ready and willing to guide us thru the entire selling Process. Being from another state, we had so many questions. She made herself available to make sure our house was presentable For viewings. We live 165 miles away and this saved us time and gas. She can be trusted to give you “truthful “ answers that are so appreciated when an offer is made. We most definitely would use her again if the need arises. She’s Great!"
Sylvia C.
"If I needed to buy or sell a home, I would use Leslie. She helped us sell our home in a timely manner. She made the whole process so easy. Leslie was very knowledgeable, so helpful, readily available and gave the most excellent advice. Because we were doing this sale from a long distance she kept us up-to-date and well informed. I highly recommend her."
"If I needed to buy or sell a home, I would use Leslie. She helped us sell our home in a timely manner. She made the whole process so easy. Leslie was very knowledgeable, so helpful, readily available and gave the most excellent advice. Because we were doing this sale from a long distance she kept us up-to-date and well informed. I highly recommend her."
Sheila M.
"Leslie was outstanding in helping us find the right property for us on Fripp and was patient with us while we looked at just about every property in our price range. She was extremely helpful after the sell as well."
"Leslie was outstanding in helping us find the right property for us on Fripp and was patient with us while we looked at just about every property in our price range. She was extremely helpful after the sell as well."
Buyer
"Recently purchased a home with leslie as my agent. She was professional and was very helpful in giving me names of contractors and trades people that have helped bring my home to a very successful conclusion. I highly recommend her to others wanting someone who will go the extra mile for her clients. Thank you, Leslie!"
"Recently purchased a home with leslie as my agent. She was professional and was very helpful in giving me names of contractors and trades people that have helped bring my home to a very successful conclusion. I highly recommend her to others wanting someone who will go the extra mile for her clients. Thank you, Leslie!"
Buyer
"We luckily met Leslie through Fripp Island Real Estate. It was the luck of the draw and I can't say enough positive things about Leslie. She worked very hard to find us a home that was perfect for us and helped us each step of the way. She had our best interest in mind and we now consider her a dear friend! She went over and beyond. I would recommend Leslie as a real estate agent! She doesn't pressure you in any way but works diligently to find the home of your dreams!"
"We luckily met Leslie through Fripp Island Real Estate. It was the luck of the draw and I can't say enough positive things about Leslie. She worked very hard to find us a home that was perfect for us and helped us each step of the way. She had our best interest in mind and we now consider her a dear friend! She went over and beyond. I would recommend Leslie as a real estate agent! She doesn't pressure you in any way but works diligently to find the home of your dreams!"
Patt O.
"We recently purchased a vacation home on Fripp Island in July. We live four hours away and Leslie helped us with every aspect of this purchase. We can’t say enough about her thoroughness, helping us get in contact with the right people, answering our many questions, and staying on top of things when it looked like our bank was not going to close on time. It was a joy to have her as our real estate agent and someone who we felt we could call long after our purchase had been made. Would highly recommend it!"
"We recently purchased a vacation home on Fripp Island in July. We live four hours away and Leslie helped us with every aspect of this purchase. We can’t say enough about her thoroughness, helping us get in contact with the right people, answering our many questions, and staying on top of things when it looked like our bank was not going to close on time. It was a joy to have her as our real estate agent and someone who we felt we could call long after our purchase had been made. Would highly recommend it!"
Loris S.
"We recently purchased a condo on Fripp Island and Leslie couldn’t have been more helpful! We are so grateful she was recommended to us by a friend. She was extremely responsive to texts and emails and very thorough. This was a second home purchase so much of what we needed to do was long distance. She was super helpful and conscientious. We highly recommend Leslie and had a wonderful experience with her!"
"We recently purchased a condo on Fripp Island and Leslie couldn’t have been more helpful! We are so grateful she was recommended to us by a friend. She was extremely responsive to texts and emails and very thorough. This was a second home purchase so much of what we needed to do was long distance. She was super helpful and conscientious. We highly recommend Leslie and had a wonderful experience with her!"
Meredith N.
"Leslie Mitchell was helpful, knowledgeable, and accessible. When we called or texted, she responded quickly. She stayed with us through the entire process and recommended people to help with electrical, plumbing, and maintenance for the house. We have remained in contact with Leslie, and she continues to help us get acclimated to the area, suggesting local places to purchase furniture, home items, and golf carts. She has gone above and beyond her duties, and we appreciate everything she has done for us."
"Leslie Mitchell was helpful, knowledgeable, and accessible. When we called or texted, she responded quickly. She stayed with us through the entire process and recommended people to help with electrical, plumbing, and maintenance for the house. We have remained in contact with Leslie, and she continues to help us get acclimated to the area, suggesting local places to purchase furniture, home items, and golf carts. She has gone above and beyond her duties, and we appreciate everything she has done for us."
JK W.
"Leslie helped my husband and I find our dream home on Fripp Island. This is a second home for us and Leslie made the process flow smoothly with us being out of town. She was knowledgeable, professional, and very dedicated to her customers. In addition to helping us purchase the home, she has gone above and beyond with helping us coordinate/find people to help us with necessary repairs. I would highly recommend Leslie to anyone looking to purchase a home on Fripp Island."
"Leslie helped my husband and I find our dream home on Fripp Island. This is a second home for us and Leslie made the process flow smoothly with us being out of town. She was knowledgeable, professional, and very dedicated to her customers. In addition to helping us purchase the home, she has gone above and beyond with helping us coordinate/find people to help us with necessary repairs. I would highly recommend Leslie to anyone looking to purchase a home on Fripp Island."
Heather F.
"Leslie was wonderful. So helpful, and knowledgeable and showed us several properties to compare. She was very responsive and answered all of our questions or found out the answers for us. We'd highly recommend!"
"Leslie was wonderful. So helpful, and knowledgeable and showed us several properties to compare. She was very responsive and answered all of our questions or found out the answers for us. We'd highly recommend!"
Ann F.
"We had an excellent experience using Leslie Mitchell and Heather Fortson as our real estate agents this past year. They both went over and beyond the call of duty, working well as a team, saving us time and money in all aspects of the search and purchase of our new home."
"We had an excellent experience using Leslie Mitchell and Heather Fortson as our real estate agents this past year. They both went over and beyond the call of duty, working well as a team, saving us time and money in all aspects of the search and purchase of our new home."
Kim
"I have been personally involved in well over a hundred real estate “deals" in the past 50 years. This purchase, from the first text to Heather, through closing, has to be the smoothest transaction I have ever made! After finding a lot that sparked my interest, I contacted Heather and asked her to look into the details. After a very short period of time, she was back in touch with everything I needed in order to make an offer. She proposed the offer and the seller accepted. Heather was quick to accurately act and react in all efforts during the process. Due to a “1031 exchange" deadline, we had to close within a month. Heather handled all communications with the other realtor involved, the attorney (recommended by her), and the other Fripp entities, which made my involvement simple. Everything that had to be done was done and “closed” in less than 30 days! I will highly recommend Heather and for sure use her services for any of our coastal real estate dreams."
"I have been personally involved in well over a hundred real estate “deals" in the past 50 years. This purchase, from the first text to Heather, through closing, has to be the smoothest transaction I have ever made! After finding a lot that sparked my interest, I contacted Heather and asked her to look into the details. After a very short period of time, she was back in touch with everything I needed in order to make an offer. She proposed the offer and the seller accepted. Heather was quick to accurately act and react in all efforts during the process. Due to a “1031 exchange" deadline, we had to close within a month. Heather handled all communications with the other realtor involved, the attorney (recommended by her), and the other Fripp entities, which made my involvement simple. Everything that had to be done was done and “closed” in less than 30 days! I will highly recommend Heather and for sure use her services for any of our coastal real estate dreams."
B. Ward Kellett
"Heather and Leslie were fantastic to work with. As island locals, they were invaluable during the process. They were able to seamlessly communicate the ins and outs of the island as well as provide comparable market estimates with ease. I highly recommend them for your Fripp Island real estate needs”"
"Heather and Leslie were fantastic to work with. As island locals, they were invaluable during the process. They were able to seamlessly communicate the ins and outs of the island as well as provide comparable market estimates with ease. I highly recommend them for your Fripp Island real estate needs”"
Hillary
"When our family decided it was time to seriously look at buying a home on Fripp Island, we were fortunate to connect with Leslie Mitchell. She was so responsive and professional. We learned of a home that went on the market the Thursday before a holiday weekend. We travelled to Fripp on Friday and Leslie showed us the home twice over the weekend. We made a successful offer promptly and headed into closing. The amount to paperwork and detailed issues for a closing can be daunting! Leslie was super helpful to us over this process. Her knowledge, experience and grace helped us glide through this process so smoothly. She was able to negotiate and resolve the bumps in the pathway with professional calm. We are thankful for her help and feel lucky to have had her on our side."
"When our family decided it was time to seriously look at buying a home on Fripp Island, we were fortunate to connect with Leslie Mitchell. She was so responsive and professional. We learned of a home that went on the market the Thursday before a holiday weekend. We travelled to Fripp on Friday and Leslie showed us the home twice over the weekend. We made a successful offer promptly and headed into closing. The amount to paperwork and detailed issues for a closing can be daunting! Leslie was super helpful to us over this process. Her knowledge, experience and grace helped us glide through this process so smoothly. She was able to negotiate and resolve the bumps in the pathway with professional calm. We are thankful for her help and feel lucky to have had her on our side."
Kathie and Steve M.

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