Choose a link below to learn more about selling a home:

• Frequently Asked Questions About Selling
• Gathering the Facts
• Pricing your Home
• Pricing it Right
• The Art of Negotiating
• Marketing Your Home
• Interior Facelifts
• Merchandising your Kitchen

GATHERING THE FACTS

Buyers want to know details; having the answers is a powerful sales tool. Best Homes GMAC Real Estate REALTORS® will use the information you provide to answer questions, create an advantageous listing and devise an exciting marketing campaign that attracts the right kind of buyer for your home.

Help your REALTOR® by collecting or providing the following information:

• The legal description of the property
• The number of rooms and their sizes
• A list of things not attached to the house that you’re offering for sale, such as window treatments, carpet, fixtures, swing sets, etc.
• Past utility bills, property taxes and insurance
• Information about your mortgage, including the type and terms
• Financing assistance, potentially through your own lender
• Any liens against the property
• If you live in a condominium or a townhouse, include a copy of the association’s declaration, bylaws, and financial statement, monthly fee’s and any special assessments
• Special items or improvements about the house (Point out things that may not be apparent on a walk-through)
• The positive points about your neighborhood, such as demographic information and proximity to services, shopping, schools and other areas

Any defects that aren’t apparent (You should inform your REALTOR® about defects so a buyer can be informed).

PRICING YOUR HOME

How much equity do you have to work with? Consider these factors:

When you begin the decision-making process of buying your first home, your Best Homes GMAC Real Estate Sales Representative can guide you through the pros and cons of renting vs. buying. A simple evaluation can help you decide if you are financially and personally ready to make the investment of homeownership.

Before you set an asking price for your home, your Best Homes GMAC Real Estate Sales Representative can help you complete a Home Market Analysis The Home Market Analysis presents an opportunity to review and evaluate the facts before you make a very important decision — the price you’ll ask for your home. Even though we’ll set the market range for your home, you determine the actual listing price.

If you want to sell quickly, your home should probably be listed on the lower end of the price range we determine. On the other hand, you may be in no hurry and more interested in obtaining maximum equity from the sale. In that case, the higher end of the price range may be more to your satisfaction. But remember that ultimately, it is the buyer who will determine the price.

Our Home Market Analysis will:

• Show you what’s happening in the local real estate market right now
• Show you what buyers are willing to pay for homes similar to yours
• Show you what they won’t pay
• Show you which homes will be competing with yours for buyers’ attention

The analysis also helps us look at your home from a buyer’s perspective — the perspective that counts when you’re pricing your home to sell. Using this process, we will establish a realistic listing price and increase the percentage of qualified buyers who look at your property.

PRICING IT RIGHT

Selling Your Home — Proven Tips
Before you set an asking price for your home, you and your Best Homes GMAC Real Estate REALTOR® will complete a complimentary Home Market AnalysisTM. The Home Market Analysis presents an opportunity to review and evaluate the facts before you make a very important decision — the price you’ll ask for your home. The analysis also helps us look at your home from a buyer’s perspective — the perspective that counts when you’re pricing your home to sell

Using this process, we will establish a realistic listing price and increase the percentage of qualified buyers who look at your property.

Our Home Market Analysis will show:

• What’s happening in the local real estate market right now
• What buyers are willing to pay for homes similar to yours
• What they won’t pay
• Which homes will be competing with yours for buyers’ attention.

Your Best Homes GMAC Real Estate REALTOR® knows what’s happening in the local real estate market right now — and what buyers are willing to pay for homes similar to yours, what they won’t pay and which homes will be competing with yours for buyers’ attention. We are pricing your home to get it sold.

THE ART OF NEGOTIATING

Only an artful negotiator can take two sides with opposing interests and bring them to consensus. No formula can be applied to the process; no scientific equation can bring it about. And the back-and-forth communication that is negotiating is a huge part of the home buying and selling process.

A favorable negotiation involves your Best Homes GMAC Real Estate REALTOR® working with the buyer’s agent to arrive at an agreement on price, and terms and conditions. As with any bargaining session, the discussion can get bogged down; but a professional knows how to avert problems. It’s about working through, around and over any potential sticking points to bring the talks to a mutually satisfying conclusion. More than one buyer has rescinded an offer in the negotiation process, so it’s best not to tackle this oh-so-important business dealing without the help of a skillful negotiator.

Having an expert negotiator manage the sale of your home is just one more reason to work with a REALTOR®, like the experienced REALTORS® at Best Homes GMAC Real Estate. Make sure your listing agent offers capable representation, objective counsel and caring guidance for this process.

Before engaging your agent, know how s/he will handle negotiation. Ask him/her questions like:

• How will multiple offers be handled?
• Will the buyer’s agent always present his/her offer to me or will you be the only professional present?
• On which points should we stand firm and on which can we compromise?
• How can you help me figure my bottom-line selling price?
• What will you do to get me the best price in the shortest period of time?

Answers to these and other questions will give you a good idea of how your agent negotiates the deal to get the best sale price and terms for you.

When you have a Best Homes GMAC Real Estate REALTOR®, you have a guide who will understand your concerns, expectations and needs – not only in negotiation, but throughout the entire home-buying process. S/he will be able to negotiate on your behalf; after all, at stake is your best interest and your piece of mind in knowing that your home was sold at its best value.

MARKETING YOUR HOME

When you are a homeowner looking to buy, one of your first considerations naturally is the sale of your own home. The last thing you want is to find the perfect home and have to wait on your previous house to sell. Therefore, it’s vital to attract potential buyers.

Statistics show that real estate agents are the best single source for bringing buyers to a home. More often than yard signs, newspaper ads or any other type of advertising effort, it’s agents who will let buyers know about your home. The same is true of buyers from out of town. Nationally, more than one-third of all buyers come from out of town, so it’s vitally important for you to work with a real estate professional who can access all the out-of-town prospects. At Best Homes GMAC Real Estate we mobilize the real estate community to work for you.

Our Total Home Marketing Program is a comprehensive marketing approach and the key to bringing buyers to your home. Our marketing program gives your home maximum exposure that reaches your home’s target audience — prospective buyers and the real estate community that controls those buyers. The sooner you can sell your old home, the easier the transition to the new one.

In addition to mobilizing the real estate community and creating maximum exposure for your home, we will also work closely with prospective buyers. For instance, we know that a qualified buyer is better able to make an offer, purchase a home and complete the sale. Consequently, we’ll only begin with those prospects that qualify — the ones with the motivation, authority and financial resources to buy your home.

Though each agent has his or her own style, all of our sales professionals possess one thing in common: They are backed by the extensive resources and support only Best Homes GMAC Real Estate can bring to bear in the marketing of your home.

INTERIOR FACELIFTS

It’s only common sense that prospective buyers appreciate the clean look of newly painted and carpeted homes. These and other simple interior improvements can help increase the value of your home and decrease the amount of time it takes to sell. But remember, buyers often view as many as 12 homes — including brand-new homes — before they make a decision. To make your home more memorable, consider these interior decorating improvements.

Appeal to the Senses
Don’t underestimate prospective buyers’ olfactory powers — the smell is often the first thing they notice when stepping inside your home. If you have pets or someone in your home smokes, the odors can linger and detract from your home’s appeal. You might not notice these smells because you live with them everyday; however, an unchanged kitty litter box or an ashtray filled with cigarette stubs can mean your home will get no further attention.

To eliminate these odors, steam clean your carpet and wash your walls and floors with household cleaners and disinfectants. Always clean up after your pets, and if you have a cat, change the litter box often. Keep your home smelling fresh by burning candles, potpourri or boiling a pot of cinnamon sticks or putting a dab of vanilla on cold light bulbs before turning them on.

Neutralize the Interior
Nothing makes a home look better than a good coat of paint — and it’s an instant cure for old, outdated wallpaper and colors. This may be the best interior improvement you can make. And remember to choose neutral colors to suggest newness and cleanliness.

The key to a good paint job is adequate preparation; it s important to patch holes, scrape peeling paint, sand surfaces and put on a primer coat if necessary. Use a premium-quality paint. The results are worth the cost.

An Investment that Pays Back
Carpeting has a major impact on the look of your home, consequently, if yours appear outdated or badly worn, consider replacing it. This will be expensive, but the feeling of newness it creates can make the investment worth it. Concentrate on high-visibility areas first. Professional steam cleaning is an option if your carpet is heavily soiled but still in good condition.

If you live in an older home and have hardwood floors, you may be able to pull up the carpeting and refinish or simply clean and wax the floors for a classic look without the expense of new carpet.

Brighten the Inside
Finally, clean those windows! Sparkling windows are a signal to buyers that you care about your home. Repair or replace cracked panes, torn screens, broken sashes and ropes or cords as well. When showing your home, open your curtains to let the light shine in — especially if the view is nice.

MERCHANDISING YOUR KITCHEN

One of the most important rooms in your home, the kitchen can make or break a sale. When prospective buyers look at your kitchen, they will pay particular attention to its cleanliness, layout and storage capacity. To broaden its appeal, there are some simple, low-budget merchandising tips you can follow to give your home an edge on the market.

Maximize the Storage
Remove small appliances such as your toaster, blender and coffeemaker from the counter and store them out of sight. And don’t just shove everything into cabinets and drawers — arrange items neatly because prospective buyers will look inside!

Make productive use of space in cabinets, drawers, pantry and other storage areas. Buyers want to see how much space there is, not how well you’ve filled it.

If your kitchen has lots of windows and natural light, take advantage. If not, use the highest-wattage light bulbs your fixtures can safely handle to brighten your kitchen and provide a sense of abundant space.

Add color and fragrance to your kitchen with a blooming plant or floral arrangement.

Also make sure your sink is well-scrubbed and dishes are put away. Grind a piece of lemon in your garbage disposal to eliminate odors.

Buyers Like Bright Kitchens
Your walls, floors, countertops and cabinets all lend themselves to low-budget improvements that can make an impressive difference in the way your kitchen looks. If your kitchen is dark and dreary, a fresh coat of paint on the walls and ceiling can make a dramatic difference. A brighter, lighter kitchen in a neutral color such as white, off-white or beige appeals to the majority of buyers.

Cabinets need a light look too. Painting with a bright semi-gloss enamel gives old cabinets a fresh, new look. Washing them with an all-purpose cleaner makes cabinets look lighter by getting rid of dirt build-up. Also, consider replacing old knobs and pulls with new ones. It can make a surprising difference.