FAQ

What happens during a listing consultation?

This is where we make a plan together. As your agent, I'm going to be asking you questions about your goals for selling your home and any questions or concerns you may have related to your sale. Please take a moment to think about those things before our consultation so that we can ensure we make the best use of our time together and address the most important issues.

I'll also be preparing materials for your review, including a comparative market analysis to show you what is selling (and not selling) in your market area.

A few things to think about before we meet...

What is your moving timeline?

What do you hope to net from your home sale?

What concerns do you have about listing or buying?

Write these things down before we meet so we can talk through all the details!

Do I need to pay a buyer's agent when selling my home?

Inside real estate transactions there are typically two agents involved. One agent represents the seller, the other agent represents the buyer. Each agent works to create circumstances that are agreeable to their clients.

Typically, sellers offer 3% of the purchase price to their agent and 3% to the buyer’s agent. New NAR regulations prohibit us from offering a buyer co-broke inside the MLS, but it is still recommended that seller’s offer a co-broke to a buyer’s agent, here’s why:

It makes your listing more appealing. When every other listing is offering a buyer’s co-broke agents are motivated to get their clients into yours.
It creates a smoother transaction. A represented buyer is a buyer that is educated with an agent working to make sure we get everyone to the closing table.

You are not required to offer a buyer’s co-broke, however, when you allow the buyer to roll their agent’s commission into the purchase price of the home it greatly reduces the amount of cash they are required to bring to the table. A buyer’s co-broke has always been a pre-negotiated seller concession, but now the choice is yours in how you choose to handle their compensation.

Do the right photos really make a difference?

Ever heard that old saying: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"?

Well, it's true! In real estate, that first impression can be the difference between selling your house and having it sit on the market for months.

When it comes to real estate photography, the first impression is not just about the home—it's about the potential buyers' initial perception of how they would feel living in that home.

Lucky for you, I have a team of professional photographers, at no additional expense to you, who create stunning work that's sure to attract online buyers.

How long does it take for my home to go on the market?

Homes perform best when they go to market on Thursday. In order for your home to go to market on Thursday, all cleaning and photos need to be done by the Monday or Tuesday prior at the latest.

On photo day, after the cleaning, we’ll take some time to stage the home prior to the photographers arrival. Plan for a few hours total, an hour to prepare and an hour or shoot.

The photos will then be edited and used to build the following marketing materials:

Mobile flyer
Your home only website
Neighborhood direct mail pieces
Social media posts & ads
Open house materials

What are common contingencies when purchasing or selling?

Every contract has a 14 day inspection contingency. This is where the buyer is able to do their due-diligence on the property with a professional inspection.

Most contracts are also contingent on the buyer's financing. We don't accept offers unless we have the buyer's pre-approval from a lender, and if you're a buyer, don't expect sellers to take us seriously until we have a pre-approval letter to present with our offer.

Inside the buyer's financing their is often an appraisal contingency. This means the buyer's financing is contingent upon the home appraising for their purchase price.

Some contracts are also contingent upon the buyer selling and closing on their current home. There will be additional paperwork and dates we abide by with this type of contingency.

Why is it important to set my budget before I start home shopping?

I know…the dreaded B word, but if you’re crystal clear on what your budget is, this process will be SO MUCH EASIER. You’ll want to meet with a lender to determine final numbers, but take some time to determine what monthly payment feels comfortable for you and your family at this time.

As a rule of thumb it is recommended that your mortgage not exceed more than 1/3 of your take home pay. Before you lock yourself into that, I will tell you that there are exceptions depending on your season of life. A few things to consider:

Are you at the front end of your earning potential? If so, you might want to push on your budget a bit. This would be for young professionals like attorneys that just graduated law school. Their entry level pay has a lot of room to increase over the coming years, so it might make sense to over extend just a bit, knowing you can grow into the monthly payment.

Are you at the end of your earning potential? If so, you might not want to push on your monthly budget. This would be for anyone on the back end of their career OR with a fairly fixed income.