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Seller's Guide

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced agent and this easy to follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.​​​​​​​

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Step 1: Understand Why You're Selling

What do you want to accomplish with the sale of your home? Do you want to make a certain amount of money that you can put toward a larger or nicer home? Do you need to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a move to a new city or area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your offer. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you might want to price your home lower than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. Make sure you convey these needs to your real estate agent once you choose one so he or she can adjust your selling price accordingly.

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Step 2: Determine Selling Price

Knowing how to price your home is one of the most important parts of the selling process. When you set a fair price in the beginning, you’ll get the most interest from other real estate agents and prospective buyers. Overpricing your home could lead to reduced interest, and underpricing leads to receiving less than what your home is worth. Working with a real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.

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Step 3: Start Preparations

If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

I will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. My team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. I will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once I deem the offer is acceptable, I will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your agent.

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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. But first, you and the buyer must make a list of what needs to be done before closing. In some cases, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. I will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, I will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.

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Step 8: Close

You’ve reached the last step in the seller’s process. When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. I will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your real estate agent to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.

Congratulations!

Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. Whether this is relocating to a new city, moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life as empty-nesters, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind for your new path.

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Testimonials

"Lauren was there for us every step of the way and went "above and beyond" handling our existing home sale and new home purchase in a very professional, "I'm here for you - I am your advocate and will do all the heavy lifting" manner. She is very knowledgeable of the entire process, from listing through closing, and all the regulatory (and other) hoops that had to be jumped through along the way. Whenever we had questions or concerns, Lauren either had the answer or quickly found it; the same with resolving any concerns. We would certainly recommend her (and already have!) to anyone considering selling and/or buying a home. By far the best Realtor with whom we have ever worked with!"
"Lauren was there for us every step of the way and went "above and beyond" handling our existing home sale and new home purchase in a very professional, "I'm here for you - I am your advocate and will do all the heavy lifting" manner. She is very knowledgeable of the entire process, from listing through closing, and all the regulatory (and other) hoops that had to be jumped through along the way. Whenever we had questions or concerns, Lauren either had the answer or quickly found it; the same with resolving any concerns. We would certainly recommend her (and already have!) to anyone considering selling and/or buying a home. By far the best Realtor with whom we have ever worked with!"
Thomas H.
"Lauren was so communicative and attentive throughout the entire process! She made sure she thoroughly explained every step and reassured us the entire time. I couldn’t have asked for a better agent! Will use her again for our next home purchase. "
"Lauren was so communicative and attentive throughout the entire process! She made sure she thoroughly explained every step and reassured us the entire time. I couldn’t have asked for a better agent! Will use her again for our next home purchase. "
Tiffany C.
"Lauren Wagner and the April Stephens team were amazing with the sale of our home! We had many twists and turns before listing, but they navigated us through all of them like the professionals they were and were always available to answer our questions."
"Lauren Wagner and the April Stephens team were amazing with the sale of our home! We had many twists and turns before listing, but they navigated us through all of them like the professionals they were and were always available to answer our questions."
Kathyrn W.
"Lauren is an amazing professional with a huge heart and passion for what she does. She listens, is patient, and is a true advocate for her clients! If you need a realtor, please contact Lauren and I promise you will not be disappointed!"
"Lauren is an amazing professional with a huge heart and passion for what she does. She listens, is patient, and is a true advocate for her clients! If you need a realtor, please contact Lauren and I promise you will not be disappointed!"
Joseph R.
"Lauren was amazing to work with! Not only did she help us buy our dream home but became a friend in the process!"
"Lauren was amazing to work with! Not only did she help us buy our dream home but became a friend in the process!"
Mal M.
"My wife and I bought our first home with Lauren Wagner from the April Stephens team. We are recommending her to our own friends and family, we are so happy we found her. Lauren met with us on weekends and outside of normal working hours to help us get through the process. Being first-time home buyers this was a foreign process to us and Lauren walked us through each step of the way. She advocated for us as we dealt with lenders, sellers, and contractors. Can’t say enough good things about Lauren."
"My wife and I bought our first home with Lauren Wagner from the April Stephens team. We are recommending her to our own friends and family, we are so happy we found her. Lauren met with us on weekends and outside of normal working hours to help us get through the process. Being first-time home buyers this was a foreign process to us and Lauren walked us through each step of the way. She advocated for us as we dealt with lenders, sellers, and contractors. Can’t say enough good things about Lauren."
Mark & Maryann S.
"Lauren Wagner is one of the nicest and easiest to work with agents I have come across. We found her when looking for property for our forever home and boy are we thankful we found her. She goes above and beyond for her clients and found us our forever property, and then sold our previous house in 2 days and got above asking price. Every day she has a huge smile on her face, is a very hard worker, answers all questions, and is available whenever you need her. You can’t go wrong when you choose her as your agent. Just used Lauren to buy 13 acres in Smithfield. She was amazing, very easy to get ahold of, and solved any problems that came up throughout the process. Will be using her again when I list my house next year. She was amazing and so easy to get in touch with!"
"Lauren Wagner is one of the nicest and easiest to work with agents I have come across. We found her when looking for property for our forever home and boy are we thankful we found her. She goes above and beyond for her clients and found us our forever property, and then sold our previous house in 2 days and got above asking price. Every day she has a huge smile on her face, is a very hard worker, answers all questions, and is available whenever you need her. You can’t go wrong when you choose her as your agent. Just used Lauren to buy 13 acres in Smithfield. She was amazing, very easy to get ahold of, and solved any problems that came up throughout the process. Will be using her again when I list my house next year. She was amazing and so easy to get in touch with!"
Jennifer B.
"We are currently working with Lauren and couldn't be more pleased. She is professional, knowledgeable, and very dedicated to her career. Thanks to April and her team for all they do and whether you're buying or selling, April's team is who you want."
"We are currently working with Lauren and couldn't be more pleased. She is professional, knowledgeable, and very dedicated to her career. Thanks to April and her team for all they do and whether you're buying or selling, April's team is who you want."
Teresa & Tony C.
"From the minute I met Lauren I just loved her. She has such an outgoing personality. She counseled my husband and I about pricing our townhouse to sell. The first person that came through bought our home. It was such a smooth transaction She then showed us Carolina Gardens, which is a 55 and up community. My husband wasn’t totally on board but once she showed us around he was sold. I love our home and Lauren was there every step of the way. I would 100% recommend Lauren for your next home journey. Lauren is smart and knows real estate! Can’t say enough good things about her."
"From the minute I met Lauren I just loved her. She has such an outgoing personality. She counseled my husband and I about pricing our townhouse to sell. The first person that came through bought our home. It was such a smooth transaction She then showed us Carolina Gardens, which is a 55 and up community. My husband wasn’t totally on board but once she showed us around he was sold. I love our home and Lauren was there every step of the way. I would 100% recommend Lauren for your next home journey. Lauren is smart and knows real estate! Can’t say enough good things about her."
Debbie H.
"As newcomers to NC looking to buy our retirement home we knew it was going to be a challenge until we met Lauren Wagner at one of her open house showings. We were in the right place at the right time. We had a great experience with Lauren. Besides being very nice and friendly she is very knowledgeable, professional, and very serious in regard to her career. She handled everything with ease and made us feel at home. We definitely recommend Lauren for all your real estate needs. Thank You so much Lauren for everything!"
"As newcomers to NC looking to buy our retirement home we knew it was going to be a challenge until we met Lauren Wagner at one of her open house showings. We were in the right place at the right time. We had a great experience with Lauren. Besides being very nice and friendly she is very knowledgeable, professional, and very serious in regard to her career. She handled everything with ease and made us feel at home. We definitely recommend Lauren for all your real estate needs. Thank You so much Lauren for everything!"
Chris & Karolee K.
"Lauren Wagner is phenomenal! She helped manage and took the lead post my divorce in plans to have my ex officially vacate the property and was instrumental to ensure I could safely go back to empty the home making it ready for sale. She exceeded my expectations and is a champion in negotiating with difficult people and situations. Once Lauren was engaged our plans went into immediate action and the home was sold after being on the market for only 3 days. Closing was as expected and discussed. Lauren and her team are the only agents I will ever use should I need to buy or sell! Awesome people with heart and a desire to do what is right."
"Lauren Wagner is phenomenal! She helped manage and took the lead post my divorce in plans to have my ex officially vacate the property and was instrumental to ensure I could safely go back to empty the home making it ready for sale. She exceeded my expectations and is a champion in negotiating with difficult people and situations. Once Lauren was engaged our plans went into immediate action and the home was sold after being on the market for only 3 days. Closing was as expected and discussed. Lauren and her team are the only agents I will ever use should I need to buy or sell! Awesome people with heart and a desire to do what is right."
Cheryl W.
"Lauren Wagner is awesome to work with. She assisted me with my first home which can be stressful enough. Everything was super easy almost as if I was buying a house. She explained everything to me every step of the way making my decision extremely easy. She made sure I received a super deal, and that I was comfortable with everything that was happening. I bought my house over a year ago and she still checks up with me and makes sure I’m enjoying my decision. Super awesome person 10/10 would recommend her to any person I know!"
"Lauren Wagner is awesome to work with. She assisted me with my first home which can be stressful enough. Everything was super easy almost as if I was buying a house. She explained everything to me every step of the way making my decision extremely easy. She made sure I received a super deal, and that I was comfortable with everything that was happening. I bought my house over a year ago and she still checks up with me and makes sure I’m enjoying my decision. Super awesome person 10/10 would recommend her to any person I know!"
Jarron O.
"Lauren Wagner is amazing! My partner and I worked with Lauren to purchase our first home from out of state, and the process could not have been any smoother. Lauren was always helping us understand every step of the process. Not only did she help us buy our dream home, but she also became a wonderful friend to have nearby! I wish everyone took their job as seriously as Lauren; she is a hard worker, trustworthy, and committed to helping others find their perfect home. I couldn't recommend her enough!"
"Lauren Wagner is amazing! My partner and I worked with Lauren to purchase our first home from out of state, and the process could not have been any smoother. Lauren was always helping us understand every step of the process. Not only did she help us buy our dream home, but she also became a wonderful friend to have nearby! I wish everyone took their job as seriously as Lauren; she is a hard worker, trustworthy, and committed to helping others find their perfect home. I couldn't recommend her enough!"
Mallery M.
"Lauren Wagner and April Stephens were amazing with the sale of our home. We had many twists and turns before listing, but they navigated us thru all of them like the professionals they are, and were always available to answer our questions."
"Lauren Wagner and April Stephens were amazing with the sale of our home. We had many twists and turns before listing, but they navigated us thru all of them like the professionals they are, and were always available to answer our questions."
Kathryn
"Lauren and the April Stephens team were phenomenal through the entire process. So thankful for such great people that are professional and considerate."
"Lauren and the April Stephens team were phenomenal through the entire process. So thankful for such great people that are professional and considerate."
Jason W.

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