The Selling Process

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 team of real estate agents 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.

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 team of real estate agents once you choose one so they can adjust your selling price accordingly.

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 team of real estate agents is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of real estate agents 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.

Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

We 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. Our 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.

Step 5: Evaluate Offers

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. We 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.

Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once we deem the offer is acceptable, we 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 team of real estate agents.

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. We 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, we 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.

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. We 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 team of real estate agents 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

Barak did a superb job helping us sell one house and find a new one! We had one open house and within 8 days had an offer
— Mike M.
Barak is an unbelievable realtor. He took over my listing that had been on the market for 100+ days and had an offer within 10 days of his new listing.
— Trevor M.
Whether your looking for your first home, or your 5th home. Barak Sky is your realtor. I would and will highly recommend him to all my family and friends.
— David Y.
From our realtor to a new lifelong friend, we would recommend he and his team a thousand times over. If you are looking for a realtor who really cares about your needs, and will spend the time to make sure your happy, the Sky Group is the way to go.
— Kyle M.
Anna sold our house on a tight timeline, as we were planning an out of state move with the purchase of our new house contingent on the sale of our DC house. The whole process was made much better because we knew we had Anna to rely on. She is professional and always available for questions. Our house sold quickly and we were off on our new adventure! Thank you Anna!
— Amy S.
My husband and I are grateful to have worked with Anna Mackler, an agent of the Sky Group, to buy our first home Not only was Anna a dependable and responsive agent, but she also connected us to a vast network of high-caliber professionals who exceeded expectations. From the lender to the roofer whom Anna personally met to provide an estimate for repairs on our soon-to-be home.
— Shanna D.
Barak worked tirelessly to find and show homes fitting my parameters many of which weren’t yet on the market. In the end, we closed on a home I had fallen in love with but was already under contract. We ended up with the first right of refusal despite multiple higher offers and closed lower than asking. That wouldn’t have happened with someone who had a less sterling reputation or less juice. Can’t recommend enough!
— Dave Y.
Had a pleasure of working with Rick, made a very difficult process of buying house in DC very easy and smooth, always available if you have any questions or concerns. Definitely will engage him with my Real Estate needs in future.
— Afshan S.
I had the pleasure of working with Rick as our realtor, and I couldn't be more impressed. Rick's professionalism was evident from day one. He went above and beyond, helping my wife and me find the house of our dreams. Rick's keen eye for detail was invaluable; he identified issues we wouldn't have noticed on our own. Throughout negotiations and the closing process, Rick was a staunch advocate for us, ensuring our interests were always prioritized. I highly recommend Rick to anyone in search of a reliable and dedicated realtor.
— Roman S.
Couldn't recommend him enough. He's extremely knowledgeable and has your best interest in mind when looking for a house. Thanks for making our experience easy and pleasurable!
— Brittany L.
Hands down, Rick is a very down to earth person and one of the best realtors out there. If you are looking for someone who will provide not only insight but also the facts on the current real estate market, Rick is the person to go to. You will not be wasting your time working with Rick as is very genuine and serious about the service he provides. Rick only wants what's best his clients and I promise that you will be satisfied. If you are looking to sell or buy a home, please do not wait. Call Rick now!
— Kelvin G.
Rick was an absolute joy to work with! Smart, thoughtful, personable, responsive, and incredibly good at negotiating with the seller's agent. Would highly recommend!
— Emma C.
When we moved from Europe to the DC area we chose Rick as our realtor based on excellent references from colleagues overseas who had worked with him here. Rick patiently guided us through the experience here. He answered all of our questions, gave us rock solid guidance, and encouraged us to visit homes in various neighborhoods to get a feel for the local market. He went out of his way to visit a few homes with us in this initial exploratory phase - when it looked like it fit our criteria. He gave us honest and forthright information on everything from neighborhoods down to the types of systems and materials in each home. We learned soooo much! Ri...
— Gary S
We met Rick at a home tour, and after discussing our home goals we immediately knew we could trust Rick with helping us in purchasing our first home. Rick made himself available to us when we needed guidance, and he explained the home buying process very well. Rick and his team were thorough and knowledgeable of the VA home loan process.
— Lee L
Working with Rick was a pleasure. He was well informed about the Washington DC area, listened to our needs and wants, and assisted us with every step through closing and even after. We highly recommend Rick when on the search for your new home.
— Edgar Z
Rick was our agent on the first home buying experience. He is very talented, patient, dedicated and responsive. He makes the home buying process more enjoyable. I would recommend his services to anyone looking to buy a home.
— Ardita E.
A very knowledgeable, no pressure agent with common sense and also, very kind. Even though a family member eventually decided to purchase home as a private transaction, Rick continued to give us advice and help. I would recommend all to use his service.
— Elaine C.
Rick was amazing. Couldn't recommend him more. Honest, friendly, and resourceful. He got us the house we wanted and was amazing throughout the process.
— Joaquin B.
I was referred to rick when he was with another real estate agency - when he came to this agency i left my listing right with him.....glad i did
— David A. H.
Rick helped me buy a home in DC. I appreciated that he first identified my homebuying goals, and then helped me make decisions based on those goals. He was punctual to all appointments, easy to contact when I had questions, taught me everything I needed to know/expect about the process, was deeply knowledgeable about each neighborhood including future development planned in each, and extremely knowledgeable about home construction practices- which helped me evaluate the quality of workmanship completed in the homes we visited. I highly recommend working with Rick for all of your real estate buying/selling needs!
— Duane S.
Rick helped us to buy (and then sell) our condo. Through both processes (2 years apart) he was always very responsive, attentive and detail oriented. For the sale of the condo Rick read the market conditions perfectly and nailed the asking price. Rick has been amazing to work with and we would happily have him represent us again in the future.
— Kevin M.
Rick was amazing to work with! There was no issue too small or question too basic for him to devote attention to. As a first-time homebuyer, I felt comfortable asking Rick’s advice on everything ranging from neighborhoods to countertop quality. His understanding of DC policy is impressive, and his patience is unparalleled. I would absolutely recommend working with him.
— Sarah M.

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Our Testimonials

See why our clients love working with us.

Mike M.

Barak did a superb job helping us sell one house and find a new one! We had one open house and within 8 days had an offer

Trevor M.

Barak is an unbelievable realtor. He took over my listing that had been on the market for 100+ days and had an offer within 10 days of his new listing.

David Y.

Whether your looking for your first home, or your 5th home. Barak Sky is your realtor. I would and will highly recommend him to all my family and friends.

Kyle M.

From our realtor to a new lifelong friend, we would recommend he and his team a thousand times over. If you are looking for a realtor who really cares about your needs, and will spend the time to make sure your happy, the Sky G...

Amy S.

Anna sold our house on a tight timeline, as we were planning an out of state move with the purchase of our new house contingent on the sale of our DC house. The whole process was made much better because we knew we had Anna to ...

Shanna D.

My husband and I are grateful to have worked with Anna Mackler, an agent of the Sky Group, to buy our first home Not only was Anna a dependable and responsive agent, but she also connected us to a vast network of high-caliber p...

Dave Y.

Barak worked tirelessly to find and show homes fitting my parameters many of which weren’t yet on the market. In the end, we closed on a home I had fallen in love with but was already under contract. We ended up with the first ...

Afshan S.

Had a pleasure of working with Rick, made a very difficult process of buying house in DC very easy and smooth, always available if you have any questions or concerns. Definitely will engage him with my Real Estate needs in future.

Roman S.

I had the pleasure of working with Rick as our realtor, and I couldn't be more impressed. Rick's professionalism was evident from day one. He went above and beyond, helping my wife and me find the house of our dreams. Rick's ke...

Brittany L.

Couldn't recommend him enough. He's extremely knowledgeable and has your best interest in mind when looking for a house. Thanks for making our experience easy and pleasurable!

Kelvin G.

Hands down, Rick is a very down to earth person and one of the best realtors out there. If you are looking for someone who will provide not only insight but also the facts on the current real estate market, Rick is the person t...

Emma C.

Rick was an absolute joy to work with! Smart, thoughtful, personable, responsive, and incredibly good at negotiating with the seller's agent. Would highly recommend!

Gary S

When we moved from Europe to the DC area we chose Rick as our realtor based on excellent references from colleagues overseas who had worked with him here. Rick patiently guided us through the experience here. He answered all o...

Lee L

We met Rick at a home tour, and after discussing our home goals we immediately knew we could trust Rick with helping us in purchasing our first home. Rick made himself available to us when we needed guidance, and he explained t...

Edgar Z

Working with Rick was a pleasure. He was well informed about the Washington DC area, listened to our needs and wants, and assisted us with every step through closing and even after. We highly recommend Rick when on the search f...

Ardita E.

Rick was our agent on the first home buying experience. He is very talented, patient, dedicated and responsive. He makes the home buying process more enjoyable. I would recommend his services to anyone looking to buy a home.

Elaine C.

A very knowledgeable, no pressure agent with common sense and also, very kind. Even though a family member eventually decided to purchase home as a private transaction, Rick continued to give us advice and help. I would recomme...

Joaquin B.

Rick was amazing. Couldn't recommend him more. Honest, friendly, and resourceful. He got us the house we wanted and was amazing throughout the process.

David A. H.

I was referred to rick when he was with another real estate agency - when he came to this agency i left my listing right with him.....glad i did

Duane S.

Rick helped me buy a home in DC. I appreciated that he first identified my homebuying goals, and then helped me make decisions based on those goals. He was punctual to all appointments, easy to contact when I had questions, tau...

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The Sky Group is comprised of a team of local real estate professionals committed to selling some of the most desired homes in DC, MD & VA. Let us know what you're looking for.

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