Contacting a Realtor

Contacting a qualified agent can be the most important part of the selling process. There are many unpredictable complications that can occur during the selling process, which is why it is vital to have an agent who will relieve you of all the headaches. Your realtor will help you through each step one by one and have your home sold!

Preparing Your House for Sale

Depending on the market, your home may need to be in its best condition possible or not. Talk with your realtor to see what home improvements are necessary. In the meantime there are steps you can take that are inexpensive yet make every home more welcoming.

Curb Appeal

Having your home be visually appealing from the outside will attract potential buyers who are driving down the street. Remember, first impressions count! Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Is the yard well maintained?
• Are the gutters and walls in good condition?
• Is the paint chipping or flaking?
• Are all debris thrown away?
• Is the garbage can and other large items such as lawn

Stepping into the Home

Once the buyer steps into the home, they should be able to see that the place has been maintained. There are easy improvements to make your home’s interior appealing.

#1 Clean
The windows, floors, kitchen, and bathroom should all be free from grime and sparkly clean. Have clean air conditioning filters. Shampoo carpets, repair squeaky hinges

#2 Remove Clutter
Remove all unnecessary items. Check the closets, garage, and keep the rooms as clutter free as possible. Organize items that you do decide to keep. If you have too much furniture, consider putting some in storage.

#3 How does it Smell?
You maybe use to your house and not notice any smells such as pet odor, cigarette smoke, or ethnic smells. Odors can easily turn someone off. Have someone visit your house and get their opinion. Use air fresheners and open up the home to have it smell inviting.

#4 Stow all Valuables
Remove all valuables such as jewelry. There will be people coming in and out of your home and you don’t want to find anything missing afterwards.

#5 Set a Mood
Make your house homey with flowers, fresh towels, candles, or use subtle scents of potpourri. 

Setting a Fair Price & Market Analysis

Your realtor will meet with you and help you choose a fair market price. Naturally, you would want top dollar for your home, but, it is also important not to overprice.  Overpricing will scare off buyers and may cause your property to sit on the market for months and reducing it later on may cause buyers to assume something is wrong.

To determine the best asking price we review the cost of recently sold homes, evaluate the competition and study marketplace trends. A few things that are considered:

• Your location
• Supply and demand in the local housing market
• Local schools
• Average home prices in the neighborhood
• Amenities, which are any extras such as pool, central air, tennis court, etc.

It is also helpful to discuss other terms and conditions, such as timing and items that can be included with the sale of the home. Both of these can make your home more attractive to potential buyers.

Your realtor will prepare a market analysis for you, showing you recent selling prices of properties comparable to yours. If there are unique features to your home, the realtor can help adjust the price to match your specifics.

Marketing

The key is getting as much exposure as possible, and at Hawaii Dream vacation we take advantage of all means of advertising. Your home will be listed:

• On the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) which is accessible by all Realtors statewide
• On this website, great for out of state buyers to view
• In the local newspaper for the general local public

We will also hold open houses for the public and other agents to stop by and personally view the property. Open houses for the public will also be listed in the local newspaper.

To create awareness for recently listed properties, prospective buyers are sent a full-color postcard and newsletter. The company also advertises in Japanese newspapers and magazines.

Qualifying a Buyer

Your realtor will weed out buyers who are more of a liability than anything. Some buyers maybe interested but have bad debt and credit history and can not really afford to buy your home. Your agent will work with the buyers agent to

Accepting an Offer

An offer will be placed by the buyer. Should I accept the first offer that comes in or wait? Should I negotiate and counter offer? These are questions that your agent is very familiar with and he/she will know what to do. Some offers may have unique circumstances and cause delays. It is important to read the offer carefully. Your experienced realtor may know approximately how long an offer may take until closing.

Entering Escrow

Once an offer has been accepted, the home will go into escrow. Escrow is where you will temporarily place the home with a neutral third party. The buyer will also place their payment with the third party. Money and deed are then exchanged when all terms of the sale are met. This process is a safety measure to ensure that the contact is fully executed.

Closing

Congratulations! When escrow is closed, you’ve done it! You have just sold your house.
Your agent will be taking you through this entire process from start to finish.