When Darlene
Sells Your Home
Darlene makes selling
your home a much easier process than you
might expect. To enable Darlene to help you
get the best possible price for your
personal or investment property, there are
steps that will need to be followed:
Your
Personal Interview with Darlene or Her
Listing Partner
This is probably the most important step.
During this interview, you will be presented
a complete market analysis of your home and
market area. You will be advised as to what,
if anything, needs to be done to your home
to guarantee the highest possible sale price
and to compete effectively with other homes
currently on the market.
Listing Your Home with Darlene
There are many listing forms that will need
to be completed to give Darlene and her team
permission to facilitate the sale of your
home. When the listing agreement is signed,
Darlene and her team go into action!
1. The
For Sale sign will be prominently placed. A lock box, exterior information
box and interior features sheet stand will
be placed on your property.
2. With your input, your property will be
listed in the MLS (Charleston Multiple Listing
Service).
3. Interior and exterior photos will be
taken of your home.
4. Flyers and color feature sheets will be
generated and placed in your home.
5. Darlene creates a personal website for
your home.
7. Your home will be added to Darlene’s
print and Internet advertising.
8. A Virtual tour will be created for your
home and placed on the Internet.
9. Darlene’s buyers agents will preview your
property.
10. Showings of your home will be scheduled
by our Centralized Showing Service.
Showing Your Home
Showings will generate the most important
thing for a home seller – a contract!
Although it is inconvenient to keep your
home presentable at all times, it is when
you least expect it that you’ll get a call
saying someone wants to see your home, “in 10
minutes.”
When a
buyer is interested in seeing your home, our
company appointment center (Centralized
Showing Service) will notify you at the
telephone number you designate. Our operator
is required to verify the credentials of the
agent that is interested in showing your
home. Only then will the
lock box at your home be released. We ask
that you make every effort not to be present
when your home is being shown so that the
buyer can feel comfortable exploring your
home, looking into closets and cabinets and
trying to imagine actually living in your
home.
After
each showing, a “Client Care Specialist”
will contact the agent who showed your home
to ask for feedback from the prospective
buyer who toured your home. Feedback and
opinions will be shared with you and with
Darlene. You will also have the option to
view this feedback on line. If there is a
second showing, Darlene will contact the
buyer’s agent and attempt to facilitate an
offer on your home. Anytime buyers are at
your home for an extended period of time,
please feel free to contact Darlene and she
will contact the agent.
Offer to Purchase On Your Home
When an offer to purchase on your home is
made, Darlene will contact you immediately
and inform you of the terms of the contract.
If you plan to go out of town, remember to
leave a contact number with Darlene or the
listing team. Experience dictates that we
should expect a negotiating process – either
verbally or in writing. Once the terms are
agreed upon, the buyer’s agent will finalize
the offer and present it to Darlene with
earnest money. Darlene will then contact you
for your signature.
Once
You Are Under Contract
Just when you think, “Finally, I don’t have
to vacuum everyday and make up the beds!”
your buyer will want to conduct the home
inspection. This is where the buyer insures
that the home is in good condition and does
not require any immediate repairs. The
buyer’s agent will schedule the inspection
with our “Closing Specialist.” You will be
notified with the dates for the appropriate
inspections. You can expect to be contacted
with the schedule for the applicable
inspections:
Basic Home Inspection will cover built-in
appliances, electrical system, plumbing,
heating and cooling systems, roof covering
(flashing, gutters), doors and windows,
exterior surfaces, structural components
(foundation, columns, chimneys, floors,
walls, ceiling, roof), porches, decks,
fireplaces, flues, crawl space and attic
ventilation systems.
Radon Gas, Well and Septic,
Mold, Spa and/or Pool Equipment.
Repairs that the buyer requests and you
agree to must be satisfactorily completed
prior to the closing. Darlene can recommend
skilled contractors to handle these repairs
and they can be paid at closing.
Sellers should expect to pay at least 1 to
1.5% for home repairs requested by the buyer
after the inspection.
Appraisal and Review Process
The buyer’s lender will contact your
“Closing Specialist” to schedule an
appraisal of the home. This is done by
appointment and usually takes about one
hour. As the home seller, you will not hear
the results of the appraisal unless your
home fails to appraise at the sale price.
This is truly one call that Darlene hates to
make.
Closing Day!
This is the happy day! Your part should take
about thirty minutes. You will likely review
the settlement statement with Darlene or
your “Closing Specialist” prior to closing,
so you will be familiar with the figures
involved in the transaction. If you are
unable to attend the closing, arrangements
can be made for Darlene or your “Closing
Specialist” to execute the settlement
statement on your behalf. . Technically, a
closing in South Carolina is at the time the
deed is recorded with the Register of Deeds.
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