Seller's Guide

Everything you need to know about putting your home on the market, accepting an offer, and closing on your home in this ever-changing industry.

Detailed 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 broker 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 we understand your needs, we can better craft the offering. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you may considering adjusting the sales price than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. We will engage in detailed conversation once we identify the factors and can adjust the listing offering 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 a fair price is introduced in the beginning, the property will receive 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 Cessna Barrett is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. She will determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and make suggestions such as improvements, repairs and a home appraisal prior to setting the final price.

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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. it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. Prior to staging and showings the home should be depersonalized therefore the buyers can envision themselves in the space. Cessna can assist you will a complete analysis on the highest and best use of your resources and what buyers are currently seeking to bring you the most return on your investment.

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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 of Escrow

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.

Our Testimonials

See why our clients love working with us
All American Electric ~ Napa, California

All American Electric ~ Napa, California

Ms. Cessna Barrett is one of the most wonderful people to work with! You can tell by her attention to detail that she is passionate about every project she takes on. From the way she intricately describes her clients' desires, ...
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Jerri and John P.

Jerri and John P.

We had a complicated and sensitive private sale at the far end of the state, with so many moving parts it was akin to herding cats. Cessna did a terrific job of pulling together all the necessary outside resources and of keepin...
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John and Susan D.

John and Susan D.

Cessna made a very overwhelming home buying process understandable and memorable. She exhibited a polished business acumen that resulted in excellent relations with the seller, worked in the best interests of our timeline with ...
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Sean and Kristen K.

Sean and Kristen K.

Cessna is a hardworking and dedicated Realtor®. Not only is she a great Realtor® who really knows the "ins and outs" of the business, she's also a very caring and genuine woman who strives for perfection. Cessna is wonderful to...
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Anne W.

Anne W.

Cessna was an absolute pleasure to work with delivering on every aspect of the sale of my home from staging to repairs to negotiating the sale. She exceeded my expectations and broke a sales record in my neighborhood. She had a...
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Agnes P.

Agnes P.

Cessna Barrett is an amazing Realtor® who worked very hard to get us in to our new home every step of the way. She is professional, very experienced, detail-oriented, and a great advocate. Even when buying a new home from a dev...
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Justin and Tiffany M.

Justin and Tiffany M.

I contacted Cessna after we lost our home in the 2020 Wildfires to help find a rental. She was not the point person on the property we were interested in but offered to help regardless. The property was no longer available but ...
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Kimberly J. and Guy C.

Kimberly J. and Guy C.

Cessna worked with my husband and me to sell our unit at Calistoga Ranch. We had several helpful conversations with her in which she listened well, got to know our needs, and gave excellent advice in just the right way. Despite...
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