Seller's Guide

Everything you need to know about putting your home on the market, accepting an offer, and closing on your home.

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 agent  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 realtor once you choose one so he or she 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 real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent 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

I 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. My team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing 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 agent.

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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. I 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 realtor 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.

Our Testimonials

See why our clients love working with us.

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Natasha D.

Candi is a true pleasure to work with. It is obvious that Candi is self-motivated and enthusiastic about their career. Her professionalism and partnership are refreshing. Because of her consistency, I always look forward to par...
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Kim M.

This being the latest of over a dozen real estate transactions in the panhandle area through Beachy Beach, we were so lucky to have Candi lead the sale of our beach home. The price point of this particular home and selling duri...
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Seller

This house would have been impossible to sell due to the pandemic/Covid crisis that would have most agents in a panic. Candi was amazing from the start. We lost hope in getting anything sold when Covid changed everything but wi...
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August L.

Candi is one of the most knowledgeable, caring, friendly, attentive, and great women I know. She has not only helped me but I have sent numerous others to her for future real estate endeavors. She has always surprised and surpa...
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Green Family

Candi is the real deal! A class act full of professionalism, grit, and bending over backward for her clients. Every time I’ve asked her a question or help with something, she finds the answer. She’s punctual and goes above and ...
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Tina H.

I am beyond thankful for the quick and easy manner in which my property was sold. Candi is very professional. It was a pleasure to work with her. She made it seamless and took care of everything. I highly recommend her. Sincere...
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Deanne T.

I love working with Candi. She is extremely responsive and handles all the details for her customers. She knows the area and the market. Candi handles her customers with the utmost care and professionalism. It is always a pleas...
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Lindsey M.

Candi is an amazing asset to have on your team when buying/selling a home. She’s trustworthy, knowledgeable, fast, and well connected. I highly recommend Candi as a Realtor® and will refer her to friends and family.
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Stacy B.

Candi is responsive and so relatable. She made looking for our dream property a breeze. A truly hospitable experience. I highly recommend Candi if you are in the PCB area looking for properties.
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Kim M.

Candi is a valuable member of the Real Estate industry. She is a natural leader, go-getter, and an all-around amazing person. She is very professional, personable, and at the top of her field.
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Tessa B.

Thank you Candi for all of your attentiveness while I was buying my first home. You are amazing at what you do. If I could give this girl more than 5 stars I would!
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Janaya P.

Honestly, she is the best. Always made sure I got what I wanted and still comes to my aid when I'm in trouble. I'm very happy with my service and my care.
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Stephen P.

Candi is a very timely, professional, and hard worker. I know of many people she has helped with good intentions, both personally and professionally.
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Catherine T.

Candi is always available to answers any questions and goes above and beyond to make sure everything is done right.
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Crystal H.

Candi was absolutely amazing to work with during the sale of my condo. Candi works with are the best around.
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Natalie M.

Incredibly helpful, resourceful, and knowledgeable. Highly recommend Candi for all your real estate needs!
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Carrie B.

Candi is an absolute pleasure to work with!
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Buyer | Seller

Candi is extraordinary at what she does!
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Crystal

We had an amazing experience with Brad and Candi! Another realtor advised us not to list our house over a certain price. I was referred to Brad through a friend and decided to get a second opinion. He agreed with us that our ho...
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Donnie

I want to express my gratitude for the great job that Brad and Candi did while selling my home. We could not be more pleased. Their dedication to the task, focus on landing a contract, and drive to maximize my return could on...
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