Seller s Guide - northseattleliving.files.wordpress.com · Seller’s Guide Thank you for meeting...

WendyCarrington.com 1

Seller’s Guide

Thank you for meeting with me to discuss selling your home with the Carrington Group. The

following pages contain insight into what the home selling process entails and how I can help

you achieve the best possible results. Please keep this packet with you as it is a valuable

resource throughout the home selling process.

Wendy Carrington 206.948.3852

[email protected]

www.WendyCarrington.com


About Me

Real Estate is a constantly changing landscape. As your Realtor my job is to help you

navigate through the rough seas of today’s marketplace. Having spent over two decades

as an industry professional, my goal is to bring my vast experience and make any Real

Estate transaction a smooth and understandable experience for my clients.

I first started working with real estate as an on-site manager of a 48-unit apartment

building back when I was attending the University of Washington. The experience of

managing apartments gave me a general understanding about property and taught me

how to be responsive to people’s needs. I obtained my real estate license shortly after-

wards and have continued serving the needs of others through real estate ever since.

With a specialization in the King County area, I am well versed in both Residential and

Commercial real estate. While each one comes with a different approach, my main goal

for either venture is to provide clear and dependable service to address any of your

concerns during the transaction process. I am known as a “doer” or action oriented bro-

ker, and I get results for my clients. I believe in consistency to achieve one’s goals over

time, and I bring this attitude to the table in handling my client’s transactions.

Outside of the business, I am a proud wife and devoted mother to my 14-year old son,

Preston. I strive for balance in life, and believe in helping my clients realize their own life

goals through being a dependable and responsive broker.


My Role as

Listing Broker

Here is a list of services that I provide each client as a Listing Broker:

1. Seller’s consultation meeting

- Meet with Seller to understand their needs and goals

- Provide Seller Listing Guide

- Both parties decide whether this can be a positive working relationship

2. Price home at the highest price that will receive strong interest from Buyers

currently looking for a new home or discuss other market strategies

3. Prepare home for sale

- Go through market readiness actions needed

4. List home on market

5. Promote home to reach interested Buyers

6. Host Open Houses to show potential Buyers the home

7. Constantly analyze and evaluate listing

8. Present offers to you after they have been submitted

9. Negotiate with prospective Buyers to reach terms that fulfill your Real Estate needs

10. Acceptance

- Coordinate with necessary parties, lenders, inspectors, title company and

closing agent to ensure that closing occurs on time.


Communication Communication is vital to having a good working relationship. No clients are the same in

how they like to be communicated with, some like to be contacted daily while others like

to receive weekly updates. The preferred method of communication also differs from

client to client.

I can accommodate clients wishes by communicating via phone call, text message, e-mail

or personal meeting. However you prefer to be communicated with, I need to know so I

can provide you with the necessary information throughout the home buying process.

Once we have established the frequency and method of communication, I will adhere to

that plan to keep you in the loop with what I am working on. If something urgent comes

up, such as an offer on your property, I will be contacting you immediately.

The first step of this communication plan is coming up with an ideal time frame of how you

would like the home selling process to go. Getting an above listing price offer after a day on

the market would be ideal but it’s best to be realistic about your property and the interest

that it will receive.

If there are certain factors that need to be fulfilled in selling your home, like having it sold by

a certain date or a certain price that allows for you to purchase a new home, I need to know.

This allows for me to come up with the correct price and marketing plan to fulfill your needs.

I will always be working to achieve the highest possible price in the shortest amount of time

for my listing clients. While doing this, I aim to make the home selling process

understandable and free of complications for clients.


Pricing Your Home

The first step in finding the correct price for your home is analyzing the results of a

Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). A CMA looks at comparable properties currently

on the market, comparable properties that were recently sold and comparable

properties that didn’t sell. I will compile a CMA for your property and then we can

arrange for a meeting to discuss the CMA and what it means.

A CMA provides a good statistical start toward finding the right price but shouldn’t be

the only tool used. Each and every home is unique, which is part of what makes finding

the correct selling price a tough task. With over 23 years of experience of selling homes

in Seattle and its surrounding areas, I notice the small details that can make your home

stand out compared with similar properties. Noticing and understanding how to market

these small details can make a big difference in the quantity and quality of offers that

you receive on your home.


Preparing Your Home

for Sale

The first step after discussing your needs and wants for selling your home is preparing

the property for active listing. Based upon analyzing the property there may be some

minor, or in some cases major, changes that may be needed to make the property attrac-

tive for potential Buyers.

Minor changes can range from removing excess clutter in the house to improving the

curb appeal of your home by tidying up the view of your home from the street. Some

major changes that have come up in previous listings include, retiling bathrooms and

fixing connecting sewer lines. Any areas that I think may be beneficial to fix before listing

the home I will discuss with you and explain why fixing that area may help achieve a

more favorable sale for you.

Once any fixes have been addressed, which is usually done through hiring a contracting

professional, the next step is to bring in a professional photographer to take listing

photographs. This is a service that I provide which will help market your property by

putting professional grade photographs that capture the appeal of your home in all

promotional efforts.

These photos will also be combined into a slideshow walkthrough of the home which will

be used in promotional efforts. Lastly I will conduct a video walkthrough of the home

that will provide a first person view of the property while providing commentary about

the home.


Marketing Your Home

After the photographs have been taken and the video tour has been recorded it is time to

activate your listing and market it to all potential Buyers. To reach the widest possible

audience of Buyers I use multiple channels to promote listings. These are covered below.

NWMLS– This is the first resource that we will use to promote your home. Putting the

listing on the NWMLS will show your listing to all Realtors in Seattle and surrounding

areas. Realtors that are currently representing Buyers will instantly receive information

and photographs about your home.

All Relevant Seattle Real Estate Websites- Each and every website used by potential

home Buyers will also receive your listing. These include Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, HotPads

and Yahoo! Homes among others.

Postcard mailings– For every listing we will send out at least 100 postcards promoting

your property to our database of potential Buyers.

John L. Scott weekly meeting– At our weekly John L. Scott meeting I will discuss your

property and share key selling points with all the Brokers in the office.

Website– Your listing will get prominent display on my personal website with access to

photos, information and the virtual tour. Your property will also have its own unique web

address through John L. Scott once it has been listed.

Social Media– All of my social media channels; which include Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram and WordPress, will also promote your listing once it becomes active.


Open Houses

A key component in marketing your home is hosting open houses. Open houses allow

for potential Buyers to see the property and experience what living in the home would

be like. At the Carrington Group we recommend listing your home on a Friday and then

hosting open houses the following Saturday and Sunday. Figuring out the best dates to

host open houses is something that we will discuss in greater detail at a future meeting.

By promoting these open houses through the all the channels listed in the previous

page we are able to consistently draw heavy traffic, which often leads to multiple offers

the first week after hosting the open house. In the unlikely event that there are no

strong offers made after that first weekend, we will meet to discuss when another open

house can be held in the future.

Here are a couple quick tips about what to expect for open houses:

We usually recommend not being present during the open house.

Prior to any open house it is essential that the home is as clean and spacious as

possible. A clean and clutter free home presents a much better image for Buyers and

their real estate Brokers.

As your Broker I will actively monitor your home during the open house.


Handling Offers Prior to listing the property we will discuss how to handle offers when they are

submitted. With the current state of the Real Estate market in Seattle and the

surrounding areas, we often recommend setting an offer review date shortly after the

weekend of open houses. This tactic helps to keep a transaction timely as it sets a

hard date for reviewing all submitted offers; and choosing one that fits your stated

desires. Setting a hard date also encourages competition as it makes all interested

Buyers submit their offer at the same time. Doing this brings multiple offers, which is

always beneficial for Sellers as it gives them more options to choose from.

If you choose to set a hard date for reviewing offers we will schedule a meeting

immediately after the deadline and discuss the offers that have been received. On the

other hand, if there is no review date set, I will instantly contact you when an offer is

submitted so we can review it in a timely manner.

During these meetings I will walk you through the terms involved. It is important to

remember that the highest priced offer isn’t necessarily the best offer. Contingencies in the

offer (common contingencies include financing and inspection) may make lower priced

offers more attractive than higher priced offers. As your Broker I will walk you through all

offers objectively and help you make the best decision based on your needs and goals for

your home sale.


Closing

Once an offer has been chosen the process of closing the transaction is started. I will

provide you with a closing timeline, I have attached a sample timeline on the next

page for reference, which outlines the upcoming events and the expected date for

each event.

There is a considerable amount of paperwork involved in closing, my job as your

Broker is to protect your interests by ensuring that each and every form is filled out

correctly. Similarly I will be coordinating with all relevant parties involved in the

transaction to maintain the closing timeline. I will be with you every step of the way

through the closing process to answer your questions and help you move on to the

next step in your life.

After closing please know that I’m always a resource for you. Please don’t hesitate to

contact me and my team.


Example Transaction Timeline

1. Mutual Acceptance (MA): May 18th, 2015

2. Closing Date: June 9th, 2015 (21 days after MA)

3. Earnest Money deposited: w/i 3 days after MA

4. Form 17 Delivered: w/I 3 days after MA

5. Resale Certificate: 5 Days for Buyer review after receiving docs

6. Inspection Contingency: 3 Days after MA

7. Financing Contingency: w/i 30 days after MA

8. Title Policy Delivered: Order in process; Three Day Review

9. Possession Date: On closing

10. Escrow Company: Escrow Professionals of WA

11. Title Company: Old Republic Title

If there are any questions or changes regarding this transaction timeline, please contact Wendy L. Carrington of John L. Scott Real Estate at 206.948.3852 or by e-

mail at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Client Testimonials Hearing that I was able to help clients fulfill their real estate goals is something that

never gets old. Here are some recent testimonials that I have received.

“Thanks to Wendy’s knowledge of the marketplace & her willingness to respond at a

moments notice we have a home in an ideal location. Wendy is truly a blessing. Thank

you Wendy!” -Dennis & Julie

“Wendy has been very professional & helpful in this process. We would definitely use

her again & recommend her to friends & family.” -Kathleen & John

“Wendy was very professional and persistent in our attempt to purchase a home

through the short sale process.” -James & Kelli

“Great service again from Wendy. She is the first person we call when we want to buy

or sell a home! She is honest, sincere and knowledgeable in her industry. We trust her

immensely with our real estate affairs.” -Lynette & Curtis

“We were extremely satisfied with the service, knowledge and guidance displayed by

our agent. Wendy found the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood.” -Jeroen and

Tobi

“Wendy helped us find the perfect home in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. We love our

house and our neighborhood. Thanks Wendy! -Nicole

“Wendy is a doer, she gets things done.” -Jerry

“Wendy is a wonderful real estate professional. John L. Scott is lucky to have her.” -Ted

& Priscilla

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