SELLERS

Whether you are relocating to another town or state, or need a larger or smaller house, deciding to sell your present home is a major decision. If you plan to purchase another house, in most cases, it's advisable that you sell your current home first. By hiring The Richmonds, you can minimize the stress of selling and obtain the maximum return on your investment.

Selling a home can often be a stressful process. Having an expert on your side will help you get your home evaluated, prepared and marketed. The Richmonds will help you prepare your home for sale and their marketing skills will allow you to obtain the maximum return on your investment.

We will provide you with a comparative marketing analysis of similar homes that have recently sold in the area, as well as homes currently on the market. With this information, you will be able to price your home correctly.

It's customary in our area to prepare disclosure packages for prospective buyers. Legally, sellers must disclose all known material defects of a property. Disclosure packages should include any inspection reports the sellers have, as well as, mandatory disclosure documents which should comprehensively discuss all aspects of the property. We recommend a seller obtain, at a minimum, a pest inspection, and often, a contractor's inspection as well. This information will help you to decide whether to make repairs before coming to market, or merely disclosing the status to potential buyers. We will assist you in the assembly and preparation of all of these documents.

The three most important factors in selling a house are location, condition, and price. There is little you can do about the location of your house. If it is priced correctly, the next most important thing is to make your home look better than any of your competition. Remember what first attracted you to your house when you bought it? An attractive property grabs buyers' attention and makes them excited about finding the house that fits their dreams.

Staging has become very popular in the Bay area over the last few years. As updated homes that were nicely decorated continuously sold quickly and for top dollar, it became apparent that appearance was one of the most important factors in obtaining the highest price. Staging can be as minor as de-cluttering to completely remodeling the home, including landscaping. We work with a number of experienced stagers and contractors to create a home that shows beautifully when it comes to market.

Once you have prepared your home properly for viewing, it is our job to generate an offer from qualified buyers. As part of marketing your property, we use a number of tools to affect a successful sale. Some of these include a customized website of your home, including a full pictorial tour of the home, information on the neighborhood, schools and written description of the property. Your home will be placed on over 80 different websites. In addition, we use print advertising, networking and selected mail pieces to insure a comprehensive marketing campaign.

The Richmonds will help you evaluate each offer and related terms and conditions to finalize a transaction that best meets your needs. Selling your home requires objectivity during negotiation and we will help you with the process.

Once you have accepted the offer, the buyer and buyer's agent will hire professionals to inspect your home. A professional inspector will create a written report indicating the present condition and items that will need repair. If, as suggested in Item 4, you have provided your own recent inspection reports, and any new issues arise from the buyer's inspections, The Richmonds will effectively help to negotiate a satisfactory solution for you.

Once an offer is accepted, the buyer will place the initial deposit into an escrow account at a title company chosen by the buyer.

In California, escrow acts as the clearing house and performs all of the operations necessary to consummate the real estate transaction to the satisfaction of all of the interested parties. Escrow is handled by a neutral party - usually a title company, which safeguards the interests of all persons involved in a real estate transaction - the buyer, the seller, the new lender, the old lender, etc.

All monies and the changing of title to the property are handled in the escrow. Escrow performs a title search to assure that the property is free and clear of all adverse claims - i.e. liens, judgments, etc., and then issues title insurance to protect the new property owner.

Escrow begins when an offer has been accepted and the buyer has placed a deposit on the house. Escrow ends when your sale is recorded by the county and the buyer becomes the legal owner of the house.

The Richmonds will keep you apprised of the process from start to finish and notify you when title has passed to the new owner.