Overview of the Selling Process

• Make a decision to Sell your Home or Property
• Hire a real estate Agent 
• Determine the requirements needed To sell
• Prepare the property to be marketed for sale 
• Your agent markets the property 
• Decide to accept, reject or counter offer 

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 Getting your house ready for sale may be one of the most important aspects of the sale of your home that you can do. There are some very common sense things that you can do which may not only improve the appearance of your home to potential buyers but may actually help your realtor to sell your house for a better profit and perhaps even faster rate of sale.

The first thing to think of is how you may feel when you are house shopping about the homes you have seen in the marketplace.  

One thing is for sure.  A clean and clutter free home always looks for spacious and inviting than one that isn't.  So a good first suggestion is to box up anything that you may not use daily and clear out cupboards and closets to create the appearance of more storage space.

Be sure to trim the trees and bushes on the property, ensure the lawn is neatly mowed and edged at all times for potential buyers driving by and for showings.  

Do a visual on all gutters, ensure they are secured to the house and cleared, look at the siding, foundation and walkways, repair any cracks, resurface that driveway if it is worn.

Put some colorful flowers in pots by the doorway if you don't already have some there, trim the bushes, and get rid of any yard waste. 

Fix any tears, or problems with all windows, doors, polish all handles and door knobs, you'd be surprised what a difference that can make! 

Get rid of clutter, clear all those nicknacks off the dressers and shelves, clean off the kitchen counters, put things away in drawers, people want to see a clean, open environment where they can envision their things, not seeing yours to the point that's all they can think of doing their walk-through. 

A fresh coat of paint on the front door is a welcoming idea and make sure that the door bell is in working order to make a great first impression. Also remember a newly painted house inside or out can bring back a big return on investment at sales time. A gallon of paint is worth far more to your market value than it's mere cost.  Just remember to stick to neutral colors when making your paint selection.  It's always good to keep in mind that your are preparing "a palette" for the potential buyer, and need to create as much of an opportunity for them to Look at the space in your home to see THEMSELVES WITH THEIR PERSON BELONGINGS IN THE HOUSE YOU'RE SELLING to "Warm" them into buying it!

 What are the reasons your house isn't selling? 

 Did you cover all the points of preparing the house for Selling?
 Many times one missed item such as smell, poor decorum, not getting that fresh coat of paint in places it's needed can turn too many people off before they even start considering the home. Look at all the points in getting the house ready for sale and check off each one of them and more if possible. It's all very easy to do and will make all the difference in many times an "emotional" decision whether they like the house or not for initial consideration!

 Not working at Selling it 
Too many people make the mistake in thinking they don't have to do anything to sell their house. Your Real Estate agent will do everything in their arsenal to get the house sold and will assist you in much of the preparation and what needs to be done in it's sale. But if you are on a time-table to get it sold, you need to get small ads with a picture if possible in the local newspapers and magazines in the area. Also there are many other places you can post pictures of your home's sale, on Grocery Store boards, Home Improvement store boards, ensure signs guiding people to your home are up in your neighborhood, make sure to Network as you would finding a job letting it enter into all your conversations with people as you never know who knows who out there that could be looking for a new place to live. Be creative, things happen more often this way than you
might imagine!

 A couple other tips that may be useful 

Some contracts can contain an escape clause
An escape clause, also known as a kickout or knockout clause, is a provision that allows the party to void the contract. One example is the seller may retain the right to look for a more favorable offer, with the original purchaser retaining the right, if challenged, either to firm up the first sales contract (such as by waiving a contingency) or to void the contract. Another example might be the sellers might insist upon an escape clause in a contract that hinges on the buyers' selling their home.

A sales contract can also contain Contingency Clauses
Sales contracts many times contain several "contingency" clauses, or stipulations that the sale is subject to. For example, a guarantee that you may conduct a walk-through inspection 24 hours before closing. This last clause allows you to check the home after the sellers have moved out so that you have time to negotiate payment for repairs, just in case the movers cause any damage, or that large painting was hiding a serious crack in the wall you could not see. With a mortgage contingency, if the buyer is unable to obtain financing within the specified timeframe, neither the buyer nor the seller is required to complete the purchase. Among other common provisions in the "subject to" section are termite and other inspection issues and the purchaser's need to sell a current home first.