The primary job of your Viking Real Estate Agent is to represent your very best interests from beginning to end. As your agent, our job is to listen with your needs and interests in mind as a precedence. We then respond appropriately with guidance based on our experiences and expertise in marketing, negotiations, market analysis, transaction logistics, and even financing options so that together we can strategize to see that your biggest returns are achieved. Having a full-service Real Estate agency like Viking Real Estate on your side, means you can rest assured that your best interests are the priority through every step of the sales process.
Determining the right price to sell your property is really the most important part of getting the most out of your real estate investment. When a Viking Real Estate agent evaluates your property, we take the following characteristics into consideration:
- The overall market in which you are selling, the homes that have recently sold in this area, the price at which those homes sold, as well as what homes have not sold and the reasons why
- How quickly you need to sell
- How many bathrooms, bedrooms, and total and finished square footage your property has
- The overall condition of your home and property
- How much you stand to make after transfer taxes, survey fees, commissions, and repairs are considered
Once we’re able to take all of the factors into account, then we’ll be able to give you our professional and objective opinions to help you arrive at a price intended to attract offers that value every important aspect of your property.
As the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”, it’s never been more true than when selling your home. Those very first impressions are absolutely key to potential buyers and a little sweat equity up front can mean bigger results in the end. A fresh coat of paint, cleaning out the closets, putting away the personal affects and even bringing in a few bouquets of flowers can help to make even the humblest of homes feel like a million bucks. Before the sign goes into your yard, make sure you’re setting the stage to make the best impression possible.
Making sure your home is listed appropriately and marketed effectively, is a job we take seriously. Your Viking Real Estate agent invests thoroughly in creating a marketing plan for your property that is assured to attract the interest of not only potential buyers, but the RIGHT buyers. We use a myriad of resources to gain the most exposure for your home’s listing including websites, home listing services, real estate apps, and social media, in addition to print publications and open houses. Our marketing objectives and activities are all in an effort to put your home’s listing in front of as many of the right people as possible.
Showing your home can sometimes be considered an inconvenience, but obviously they are a very important part of the home selling process. Once you decide to put your home onto the marketplace you really need to be ready to show your home at anytime. This means it’s also very important that you are prepared to show it at any time; meaning keep it nice and tidy.
Clearing the dishes from the sink, making up the bedrooms, putting the laundry away, sweeping the floors and dusting off the shelves should be the bare basics. If you have any pets make sure their food, bowls, toys, accessories and “smells” are handled appropriately too. Anything and everything that would help to make a new buyer feel like they can walk right in and feel at home is what you should be doing. Since you’ll want to vacate your home for showings, we recommend having a quick get-away plan in place: i.e. a place for pets, kids, significant others to go during the showings.
As your Real Estate agent, negotiating the best price for you is our #1 job.
When you receive a written offer from a potential buyer, your Viking Real Estate agent takes all the necessary time to walk through the proposed contract by your side. The contract includes everything about the proposed offer including the offer price, down payment, financing arrangements, list of fees and who will pay them, deposit amounts, settlement dates, contingencies among other details. At this point, as the seller you have basically three options: accept the contract as is, accept it with changes (which is called a counteroffer), or choose to reject it. The end result is ultimately when both parties come to an agreement, signing the written offer, which then makes the document legally binding.
Bottom line is that you can rest assured your Viking Real Estate agent is protecting your best interest throughout the entire negotiating process.
Once an offer on your home has been made (by a buyer) and the offer is accepted by the you (the seller), the two of you enter into a legal contract that is known as the Purchase and Sale Agreement. This contract is prepared for you and it outlines all the specific terms and conditions of the real estate transaction and is acknowledged by both parties by the signing of the document. This signing eventually takes place at what is called the closing.
In most cases your home buyer will require at least one inspection before the sales contract is considered finalized. A property or home inspector is hired to take a very close look at the home from top to bottom to determine if it is in need of any repairs. Typically the inspector will check items such as the roof, heating systems, cooling systems, water heater, plumbing, appliances, electric, foundation, structure, etc. If the inspector discovers anything of consequence, the buyers have the opportunity to negotiate with you (the seller) to cover any costs of certain repairs or they can also ask for concessions.
The closing is the meeting where you and your buyer pay any settlement fees, sign all the final paperwork, hand over the keys to the property and the documents are officially recorded. Before your closing date, you’ll receive a copy of the projected settlement papers outlining everything for you ahead of time. Your selected Viking Real Estate agent will be right there to help you every step of the way.
