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Signature Home Selling

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 team of real estate agents 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 team of real estate agents once you choose one so they 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 team of real estate agents is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of real estate agents 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

We 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. Our 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. We 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 we deem the offer is acceptable, we 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 team of real estate agents.

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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. We 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, we 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. We 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 team of real estate agents 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.

Client Experiences

Testimonials

"It was a pleasure to work with Cara and Kelly. They are the best people, and in their profession!"
"It was a pleasure to work with Cara and Kelly. They are the best people, and in their profession!"
Buyer | Seller
"Cara Mattingly did a phenomenal job as a realtor. I got my number 1 pick of the houses that I toured and was able to knock off some of the price, and get some repairs done before moving in as part of the negotiations. She was easy to work with as a first-time home buyer. She helped things move along very quickly. This was very important because I was on a time crunch with my lease ending soon. I probably cut it a little bit too close when I decided to start house hunting, so it was very good that she was able to help me move quickly. I went from touring houses on Sunday to having a contract signed the very next day. Cara also did a great job and was there for me that final week when I was getting ready to close. I had to change some numbers with my bank at the last minute, and she did a good job getting status updates and keeping the ball rolling. That week was incredibly stressful for me (I really, really needed to close on that Friday), so I'm very thankful for her help. I 10/10 recommend Cara if you're in the market to buy a home."
"Cara Mattingly did a phenomenal job as a realtor. I got my number 1 pick of the houses that I toured and was able to knock off some of the price, and get some repairs done before moving in as part of the negotiations. She was easy to work with as a first-time home buyer. She helped things move along very quickly. This was very important because I was on a time crunch with my lease ending soon. I probably cut it a little bit too close when I decided to start house hunting, so it was very good that she was able to help me move quickly. I went from touring houses on Sunday to having a contract signed the very next day. Cara also did a great job and was there for me that final week when I was getting ready to close. I had to change some numbers with my bank at the last minute, and she did a good job getting status updates and keeping the ball rolling. That week was incredibly stressful for me (I really, really needed to close on that Friday), so I'm very thankful for her help. I 10/10 recommend Cara if you're in the market to buy a home."
Scott T.
"Words can’t fully express the gratitude I have for Cara and Kelly. Over the past 15 years, I’ve rented three homes through Cara and purchased two homes with her help. She truly makes the home-buying and renting process far less stressful and much more enjoyable, even with all the headaches and confusion that can come with purchasing or selling a home. Her professionalism, guidance, and dedication have made every experience a positive one. I highly recommend Cara to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and trustworthy real estate professional."
"Words can’t fully express the gratitude I have for Cara and Kelly. Over the past 15 years, I’ve rented three homes through Cara and purchased two homes with her help. She truly makes the home-buying and renting process far less stressful and much more enjoyable, even with all the headaches and confusion that can come with purchasing or selling a home. Her professionalism, guidance, and dedication have made every experience a positive one. I highly recommend Cara to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and trustworthy real estate professional."
Candice F.
"Cara Mattingly and Kelly were excellent! Cara kept us informed all the way through the process of selling our property. Kelly did an excellent job staging our home. I highly recommend them for any of your real estate needs, whether buying or selling. They are honest and easy to work with."
"Cara Mattingly and Kelly were excellent! Cara kept us informed all the way through the process of selling our property. Kelly did an excellent job staging our home. I highly recommend them for any of your real estate needs, whether buying or selling. They are honest and easy to work with."
Fran B.
"So easy to work with Cara very caring and attentive to your needs."
"So easy to work with Cara very caring and attentive to your needs."
Rosalie P.
"We had an excellent experience working with Cara Mattingly to sell my mom’s house. She sold it in just 40 days and was incredibly responsive, knowledgeable, and easy to work with throughout the entire process. What truly set Cara apart was her understanding of estate situations and her connections for estate sale support, which was a huge blessing during a difficult time. She handled everything with professionalism, compassion, and efficiency, making a stressful process much smoother for our family. I highly recommend Cara to anyone looking for a realtor who is not only effective but also genuinely supportive and dependable."
"We had an excellent experience working with Cara Mattingly to sell my mom’s house. She sold it in just 40 days and was incredibly responsive, knowledgeable, and easy to work with throughout the entire process. What truly set Cara apart was her understanding of estate situations and her connections for estate sale support, which was a huge blessing during a difficult time. She handled everything with professionalism, compassion, and efficiency, making a stressful process much smoother for our family. I highly recommend Cara to anyone looking for a realtor who is not only effective but also genuinely supportive and dependable."
Wesley H.
"Dealing with Cara was an amazing experience. It went smoothly, no problems. She updated throughout the whole process. She was easy to contact and always responded with answers. Quick, efficient, and professional. I would recommend her for all your real estate needs."
"Dealing with Cara was an amazing experience. It went smoothly, no problems. She updated throughout the whole process. She was easy to contact and always responded with answers. Quick, efficient, and professional. I would recommend her for all your real estate needs."
Salvatore G.
"We could not have asked for more from Cara. She has helped our family for over 10 years and has always committed herself to our unique needs without hesitation. You will find that she will get back to you immediately and work tirelessly with you while using her vast knowledge and resources to get you the most, the fastest, for your property, as well as getting you to your next home. She is a rare and refreshing change to the industry, and we thank you. We thank you, Cara."
"We could not have asked for more from Cara. She has helped our family for over 10 years and has always committed herself to our unique needs without hesitation. You will find that she will get back to you immediately and work tirelessly with you while using her vast knowledge and resources to get you the most, the fastest, for your property, as well as getting you to your next home. She is a rare and refreshing change to the industry, and we thank you. We thank you, Cara."
Richard L.
"Cara is by far the best realtor I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with! She’s exceptional at her job and goes above and beyond! We’ve used her twice now, once to sell and buy a home, and most recently to sell our home as we were buying one in TN. She has the kind of personality that just makes you feel like you’ve been friends forever! I can’t say enough nice things about her."
"Cara is by far the best realtor I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with! She’s exceptional at her job and goes above and beyond! We’ve used her twice now, once to sell and buy a home, and most recently to sell our home as we were buying one in TN. She has the kind of personality that just makes you feel like you’ve been friends forever! I can’t say enough nice things about her."
Sarah W.
"I'm so above and beyond grateful for Cara doing just that - above and beyond! I purchased my very first home, remotely, from across the world (Hawaii to Florida), and Cara was so incredibly helpful, thoughtful, available, and even respectful of the time difference. She answered all my questions immediately and was so willing to help the entire process go as smoothly as possible while really listening to what we needed and wanted. I'm so grateful to have found her and been connected with her. Highly highly recommended! Thanks so much, again, Cara. A million times over!"
"I'm so above and beyond grateful for Cara doing just that - above and beyond! I purchased my very first home, remotely, from across the world (Hawaii to Florida), and Cara was so incredibly helpful, thoughtful, available, and even respectful of the time difference. She answered all my questions immediately and was so willing to help the entire process go as smoothly as possible while really listening to what we needed and wanted. I'm so grateful to have found her and been connected with her. Highly highly recommended! Thanks so much, again, Cara. A million times over!"
Laura N.

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