Selling Your Home
For many, the idea of selling their home conjures up feelings of excitement, anticipation, even fun. For others, words like fear, frustration and anxiety come to mind. Selling your home is a big deal -- it's likely one of your largest assets. And selling your home quite often accompanies other significant events in your life -- a new addition to the family, a divorce, a death, a job promotion.
At ALLEN Realtors®, our most prized properties are our clients. Making you feel comfortable, involved and informed in the home-selling process is as important as the ultimate objective -- selling your home!
ALLEN Realtors® FOR SALE signs have graced the yards of thousands of homes in Tacoma-Pierce County over the years. That's no coincidence. From efficiency condominiums to waterfront estates, from starter homes to custom construction, we've sold it all! Many of our clients are repeat clients (two, three times over!).
In the real estate industry, integrity, reputation and character are essential. At ALLEN Realtors®, we set the standard that others try to attain. Since 1940, literally hundreds of real estate companies have come and gone. ALLEN Realtors® is still here. Doesn't that tell you something?
The Professionals Since 1940 - Experience counts. Results follow! ALLEN Realtors® are the most experienced (our 25 agents average 16 years experience), know the area, have an impeccable reputation, and enjoy what they do. Experience, knowledge, service. When selling your home, that's a great combination!
The Multiple Listing Service - As a subscriber to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, we can give your home maximum exposure. It's quick, it's easy, and security is ensured with agent identification features in both the computer and the key boxes. Strength in numbers. Let the MLS work for you!
ALLEN Realtors® Previews - At ALLEN Realtors®, selling your home is a team effort. Your home will be personally previewed by all of our sales associates who will offer their opinions on ways to make your home as saleable as possible. Their views will then be communicated back to you, the seller. Information, communication and experience. At ALLEN Realtors®, you get all three!
Company Advertising - Over the years, ALLEN Realtors® have developed an aggressive, comprehensive advertising strategy for selling homes. Advertising your home isn't as easy as some people think. It requires careful attention to the prospective buyer, the market, and federal fair housing laws. We'll work with you to write an ad that gets your home SOLD!
Professional Signage - We recommend that the distinctive ALLEN Realtors® FOR SALE signs, directional arrow signs and open house A-board signs be prominently displayed so that prospective buyers who drive by your home will know that it is for sale with The Professionals, ALLEN Realtors®. Buyers and sellers have recognized and trusted our sign since 1940. Wouldn't an ALLEN Realtors® SOLD sign look good on your front lawn?
Open Houses and Brokers Opens - ALLEN Realtors® encourages its home sellers to hold Open Houses for the general public. An open house allows potential buyers who are already interested in your neighborhood the convenience of dropping by to see your home. Special Brokers Opens are also recommended. Usually mid-day during the week, a Brokers Open is convenient not only for other agents, but also for you, the seller.
Extra Effort, Follow-Up, and Follow-Through - ALLEN Realtors® realize what it takes to properly execute a real estate transaction. Rest assured, we'll be with you every step of the way. We realize that the key to making clients comfortable is being open and honest, and working with each one in his or her own way, at their pace. At ALLEN Realtors®, extra effort, follow-up and follow through are simply tools we use to build lasting friendships. You're the boss. We're a team.
The Comparative Market Analysis - A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is used to appraise or value your home, and is based on the Principle of Substitution. Using this method, the value of your home is determined by comparing the prices paid for similar properties and estimating the value accordingly. There are three main steps:
- Location - Locating similar properties that have sold in arm's length transactions in your neighborhood;
- Comparison - Comparing those properties with yours and making all necessary adjustments in the sales price for significant differences in the properties (age, size, condition, etc.)
- Reconciliation - Adjusting the value of your property, based upon the differences, and reaching a conclusion on the fair market value of your home.
A properly prepared CMA will provide you with a snapshot of the real estate market. It will tell you what homes similar to yours are on the market (the competition), as well as which homes failed to sell during their specific listing period.
The Marketing Plan - Once you've established the fair market value of your home, you need a plan for marketing your home to prospective buyers. At ALLEN Realtors® we will work with you to identify your home's strengths, prospective segments of the home-buying public and the best ways to reach those buyers. Many of our marketing techniques (MLS, signage, open houses, etc.) are inherent in every transaction. Some homes, however, require special attention. This may include, special flyers and/or brochures, target mailings, target advertising, and more.
7 Questions To Ask Your
Realtor® Before You Decide
To List Your Home For Sale
1. How long have you been a Realtor®? – There’s value to working with an experienced agent. In real estate, experience really does matter. Market knowledge, as well as familiarity with agents and industry practices usually means a quicker sale and smoother transaction.
2. How many homes do you currently have listed, how many have you sold in the last six months, and what’s the average market time to sell one of your listings? – An abundance of listings might mean less customer service. A brand new agent without any listings can theoretically work twice as hard for you than an agent with 15 listings. Your Realtor® should have a good track record of not just listing homes, but more importantly selling homes. Be sure to ask what the typical number of days on the market is for your neighborhood. Quick sales could mean under-pricing homes, while longer sales could mean catering to the seller and not pricing correctly from the outset. Some Realtors® will agree to any price to simply get the listing.
3. Are you a Realtor®? – Not every real estate licensee is. Realtors® subscribe to a strict code of ethics, can earn professional designations, adhere to a professional standards and grievance process, and advocate on behalf of the real estate industry.
4. What specific advertising and marketing will you do? – Ask how often your home will advertised and in which media outlets. Confirm that your home will be entered into the multiple listing service. Ask about the Realtor's® company or personal website.
5. What price do you recommend and how did you come to that price? – Ask your Realtor® to “show their work,” that is, to share with you the comparable properties they used to arrive at the price they recommend. Pricing a home is critical. If your Realtor® has properly considered comparables, you should be able to reasonably determine the fair market value of your home.
6. What specific details do I need to be aware of in the listing agreement? – Have your Realtor® explain the listing agreement to you. How long is the term of the listing? What is the commission? What other fees are there, if any?
7. What distinguishes you from everyone else? – Your Realtor's® experience, advertising and marketing techniques, and overall effectiveness all factor into how quickly your home will sell. Are they accessible? Do you have an assistant or team? Do you work weekends? Can I call you in the evening?