1. Before you put your house on the market:

Prepare your home to be the best version of itself!

De-Clutter – Odds are that over the years, you may have accumulated a few more things in your house than you originally started with. This is a perfect time to discard all of the distracting and unused items in of your house. It makes your home look larger and more polished while making the moving process easier on you. 

De-Personalize – This can be a hard one. You’ve spent years making your house a home. However, buyers want to imagine themselves doing the same. They want to envision their life in your house. Personal items, photos, and taste specific knick-knacks can sometimes interfere with this. Make buyers feel at home without feeling like they are in your home.

Clean – People have an attraction to new, clean things. Give your home some sparkle back by doing a thorough cleaning.

Fix – No buyer wants to see a mile-long to-do list before they move in. Take out all of the obstacles that would make a buyer say no. Fix or replace anything loose or broken.

Spruce up – First impressions are important for your home too. We want your home to get undivided attention from first sight. Pay attention to curb appeal and interior finishes. Think about applying a fresh coat of neutral paint, removing wall paper, or updating your landscaping.

2. Before a showing:

Tidy up – Life happens in between showings. We understand this. Five to ten minutes can make all the difference. Take a little time before showings to vacuum, pick up, and do a quick tidy up. If you have pets, keep in mind that not everybody has them or enjoys them. If possible, crate them or find a friend or family member to watch them. This lessens stress for your pet and potential buyers.

3. During a showing:

Find somewhere else to be – Having the homeowners in the house during a showing makes buyers very uncomfortable. Although you may have the best of intentions, it often gives buyers reason to not give your home full consideration. Take this time to go on a date with your partner, grab coffee with a friend, or catch up on some errands.

4. After a showing: 

Be ready for feedback – The agent working with the buyer will receive a survey about their showing on your house. Once we’ve received this information, we will share this feedback with you. Sometime this provides key points of improvement for future showings. Keep in mind, not all buyers or the agents working for them, wish to provide feedback.

Be patient – This is the biggest investment most people will make in their life. Expect that buyers will be thoughtful about their decision and options.

5. Once you have an offer:

You have options – We will go over the pros and cons of the offer in detail with you. Once we have throughly covered the details of the offer, you have the option to accept, reject, or counter the offer. Sometimes there will be a few negotiations before either reaching an agreement or choosing to pursue other options.

6. After the accepted offer:

Expect an inspection – Usually inspections are written in to most offers. Buyers usually want to know the details of their potential house. A Wisconsin Registered Inspector will analyze and inspect the house for defects and code violations. In the event that the inspector finds something noteworthy (defects or code violations), we will help facilitate any potential resolution between the buyers and sellers.

Before an inspector visits:

Make sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are on every level of your home.

Replace old or dirty furnace filters.

Make sure water softener tank is filled with salt.

Underwriting Process – The buyer’s lender will send an independent 3rd party appraiser to assess the value of the house. They are ensuring that the home value is at least that of the agreed upon purchase price. They will take measurements and photos and pull recent comparables to determine the value of the home. During this process, the buyers will be submitting a loan application, financial statements, and employment information to their lender to be approved to purchase your home. This usually take roughly 30-45 days.

8. Closing.

This will take place at a title company and will roughly last an hour.  The buyer will sign all their new mortgage documents required by their lender.  You will sign the necessary documents to transfer the title to the new buyer.  The title company will make arrangements for any existing mortgage payoffs, final water readings & the notice to the taxing authority to transfer the future tax bills to the new buyer.  Once all the documents are signed, the buyer provides their contributed funds as well as the funds being provided by the lender, you will exchange keys, garage door openers, and receive the sale proceeds.

*NOTE: Do a clean sweep before you come to the closing. Do not leave any thing behind for your new buyers, unless specified in the offer.

*Leave the property how you would like your new home to look when you walk in.