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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.

Success Stories

"Working with Debbie was a dream; we met her and instantly clicked. She got us our dream home and helped us sell our old house very quickly! She is professional, efficient, and thoughtful! She truly cares for her clients, and although we will probably never leave this house, we would use her again in a heartbeat! Thank you, Debbie!"
"Working with Debbie was a dream; we met her and instantly clicked. She got us our dream home and helped us sell our old house very quickly! She is professional, efficient, and thoughtful! She truly cares for her clients, and although we will probably never leave this house, we would use her again in a heartbeat! Thank you, Debbie!"
Devin H.
"Working with Deborah was truly a joy. She was very knowledgeable about staging and made several recommendations that could see would make a big difference. It was not a very good market but she made my property stand out with her charm and knowledge when showing the property. And, wow did she show it relentlessly. It paid off as I got above asking and the buyer was very excited to move in."
"Working with Deborah was truly a joy. She was very knowledgeable about staging and made several recommendations that could see would make a big difference. It was not a very good market but she made my property stand out with her charm and knowledge when showing the property. And, wow did she show it relentlessly. It paid off as I got above asking and the buyer was very excited to move in."
Robbie Z.
"Can't say enough about Deborah. If you're looking to buy or sell, definitely contact her and make life easy on yourself."
"Can't say enough about Deborah. If you're looking to buy or sell, definitely contact her and make life easy on yourself."
Audra D.
"Deborah was one of the best realtor's I have worked with. She was professional, consistent and a go getter in the sale of our home. She was helpful and informative when we had questions. She made herself available whenever we needed her. Highly recommend Deborah for selling your home or finding a new one!"
"Deborah was one of the best realtor's I have worked with. She was professional, consistent and a go getter in the sale of our home. She was helpful and informative when we had questions. She made herself available whenever we needed her. Highly recommend Deborah for selling your home or finding a new one!"
Audra D.
"Deborah was amazing! Continued professional contact from beginning to end. Will recommend her every chance I get!"
"Deborah was amazing! Continued professional contact from beginning to end. Will recommend her every chance I get!"
Rocio C.
"I want to take the opportunity to introduce you to Deborah (Debbie) Hanson, the most amazing real estate agent ever. We’ve had the privilege of knowing her for over 50 years, and the good fortune of calling her a dear friend for that entire time. We struggled for several years making the decision to sell our Napa home, which was my wife’s family home and a very important part of our lives for decades. During that time, Debbie dedicated the very little spare time she had to study and get her real estate license. Now, of course, this was not just to sell our house for us, but as it turned out, it sure seemed that way. She was our only choice to take this important task on, and we did not think twice about it being hers to handle. Words can’t express the amount of time and effort she dedicated to this most important task. She handled everything, and I mean everything, down to the last item out, to the last document prepared and signed. Countless hours of open houses, showings, visits, repairs, staging, promoting, re-promoting, maintenance, and ultimately matching the perfect family for us to pass this most precious place on to. A family that could appreciate all of its history and importance, and would feel it could mean the same to them and their family. You may read this review and say, “Of course you are going to recommend your friend”, and you are correct. But, this is the beautiful part of Debbie Hanson’s character, you too will be treated exactly the same as we were. She treats everyone, friend or stranger, as if she has known you all her life, and she will give you the same commitment and dedication she gave us! She is the best, and if you don’t choose her to represent you, it will be your loss!"
"I want to take the opportunity to introduce you to Deborah (Debbie) Hanson, the most amazing real estate agent ever. We’ve had the privilege of knowing her for over 50 years, and the good fortune of calling her a dear friend for that entire time. We struggled for several years making the decision to sell our Napa home, which was my wife’s family home and a very important part of our lives for decades. During that time, Debbie dedicated the very little spare time she had to study and get her real estate license. Now, of course, this was not just to sell our house for us, but as it turned out, it sure seemed that way. She was our only choice to take this important task on, and we did not think twice about it being hers to handle. Words can’t express the amount of time and effort she dedicated to this most important task. She handled everything, and I mean everything, down to the last item out, to the last document prepared and signed. Countless hours of open houses, showings, visits, repairs, staging, promoting, re-promoting, maintenance, and ultimately matching the perfect family for us to pass this most precious place on to. A family that could appreciate all of its history and importance, and would feel it could mean the same to them and their family. You may read this review and say, “Of course you are going to recommend your friend”, and you are correct. But, this is the beautiful part of Debbie Hanson’s character, you too will be treated exactly the same as we were. She treats everyone, friend or stranger, as if she has known you all her life, and she will give you the same commitment and dedication she gave us! She is the best, and if you don’t choose her to represent you, it will be your loss!"
Jim & Andrea
"Words cannot describe my gratitude for Deborah. This was a "trust" sale, my childhood home of 58 years. So very emotional. Deborah was very patient and caring. She guided me through every step with her professionalism and integrity. I'm grateful for her guidance in this whole process. She will be a trusted friend forever."
"Words cannot describe my gratitude for Deborah. This was a "trust" sale, my childhood home of 58 years. So very emotional. Deborah was very patient and caring. She guided me through every step with her professionalism and integrity. I'm grateful for her guidance in this whole process. She will be a trusted friend forever."
Cristy R.
"Deborah was very knowledgeable and extremely professional. She worked closely with me and the buyer, answered all my questions, and explained every detail in simple terms so I could fully understand what was happening at each stage. She explained what documents were needed and what information needed to be included in them. I would definitely use Deborah again for any future real estate matters."
"Deborah was very knowledgeable and extremely professional. She worked closely with me and the buyer, answered all my questions, and explained every detail in simple terms so I could fully understand what was happening at each stage. She explained what documents were needed and what information needed to be included in them. I would definitely use Deborah again for any future real estate matters."
Thomas G.
"Great experience. Made buying our first home easy. Was available to help at any time and got back quickly with anything we needed help with."
"Great experience. Made buying our first home easy. Was available to help at any time and got back quickly with anything we needed help with."
Buyer
"Deborah Hanson was recommended to me when I was ready to sell my home in 2024. I had a lot going on at the time, so it was important to me to work with an experienced real estate agent who would be consistent about keeping me informed. Throughout the process, Deborah always laid out my options and gave me what I consider excellent advice when I sought it. I particularly appreciated how quickly she responded to phone calls and texts. Her friendly manner and steady approach to everything never wavered. I definitely recommend Deborah to anyone who is looking for an intelligent, well-informed realtor who is truly great to work with!"
"Deborah Hanson was recommended to me when I was ready to sell my home in 2024. I had a lot going on at the time, so it was important to me to work with an experienced real estate agent who would be consistent about keeping me informed. Throughout the process, Deborah always laid out my options and gave me what I consider excellent advice when I sought it. I particularly appreciated how quickly she responded to phone calls and texts. Her friendly manner and steady approach to everything never wavered. I definitely recommend Deborah to anyone who is looking for an intelligent, well-informed realtor who is truly great to work with!"
Merle H.

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