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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, 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.

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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.

Kenneth M.
Sean Joyce
Jill K.
Rachel N.
Reina Valdez
Michael S.
John Smith
Lewis Davidson
Leslie G.
Jason Scott
Kathy Cain
Katie Hollie
Donna Raphael
Daisy and Thomas Burton
George Gonzalez
Loraine Budge
Leslie Grimm
Donald and Elizabeth Mack
David and Mary Gigliotti
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Jim Carney
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra is very responsive. I was a difficult case, but we got the job done in this difficult market. I am getting a divorce, which makes the financing more difficult. Not only that, I really did not know what I wanted. Yet, we figured it out along the way. Made a good bid as a potential buyer backed out and I filled that spot due to Debra. So in reality she should be a 9 rather than a 8. My personality do...

— Kenneth M.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra went above and beyond to ensure that we found the right house for our family and that we were informed throughout the whole process. She puts her client's interests/needs above her own and really goes the extra mile to make you feel comfortable throughout the home buying process. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking to buy/sell a home in the WA.

— Sean Joyce

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We enjoyed our time with Debra very much. She was personable, professional, and knowledgeable about the areas in which we searched. She made herself available several days and we did an exhaustive search of the homes available. We are looking forward to moving into our new home soon!

— Jill K.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra was wonderful! She made a very stressful process (buying from out-of-state, sight-unseen (except over FaceTime)) as pleasant as possible. She was knowledgeable, warm, reassuring, competent, and calming. Would definitely recommend and work with her again!

— Shannon Johnson

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra was very professional and has several years experience as an agent. I had a very positive experience working with her and have suggested her to several of my friends looking for homes.

— Rachel N.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Deb is honest and very professional yet gives me a comfort that because she has many years of experience. It's my second time asking her to represent us.

— Reina Valdez

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

What we liked about Deb was her availability, accessibility, honesty, knowledgebase, and friendliness. Amazing asset to your real estate company!

— Michael S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

She is great to work with and knows how to best take care of her customers!

— John Smith

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Very easy to deal with remotely. I did all my transaction remote.

— Lewis Davidson

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

She worked very hard for me again. Debra is very knowledgeable and has saved me money when purchasing properties. She equally worked hard and got me top dollar for the properties I sold. She’s my “go-to” Realtor!

— Leslie G.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Deb was so amazing!!!! She really helped me find the perfect home! She succeeded where others failed!!!!

— Jason Scott

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra was amazing to work with! She found us the perfect house and fought hard to get us a good price. We would definitely recommend her to anyone buying a house and look forward to working with her again when the time comes.

— Kathy Cain

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra is a boss woman! She knows how to get the deal done. She is a great advocate, listened to our needs and wants, and helped us find our perfect first home. She was always available for us and answered any questions we had. She is very knowledgeable. She worked great with the selling agent. She is professional and diligent. She informed us step by step during the process. I totally recommend her!!

— Katie Hollie

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra Truelove was a joy to work with and oftentimes went over and above to help us navigate through this tough market. We wish we had another home to sell and utilize her talents.

— Donna Raphael

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

My husband & I recently hired Debra Truelove to sell our home in Lacey, Washington. She was awesome and got our home sold within two weeks. She went above and beyond making sure our home was listed on every platform. She communicated with us well every step of the way. If you need your home handled by a real professional, contact Debra.

— Daisy and Thomas Burton

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra was outstanding throughout our whole home-buying process. She was knowledgeable, responsive, and very easy to work with. I would highly recommend her and we would definitely use her again.

— George Gonzalez

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra helped me get a condo that was in high demand. Her knowledge, expertise, and advice helped me not only get the place I wanted but also gave me the guidance I needed to outbid many other potential buyers. She is amazing; I couldn’t have done it without her as my Realtor. She also helped me sell my home and did a great job. I highly recommend Debra if you’re looking for a Realtor to help you with eve...

— Loraine Budge

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra is very knowledgeable and has saved me money when purchasing properties. She also worked really hard and got me top dollar for the properties I have sold. She’s my “go-to” Realtor!

— Leslie Grimm

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra is exceptional, and we had an incredible experience. As my Realtor, she sold my condo within two months in a very tough market.

— Donald and Elizabeth Mack

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra is professional, knowledgeable, and provides the highest level of customer service. We have worked with and known her for over six years, and she will continue to tirelessly search for what is best for her clients. She truly loves her role as your representative and will ensure you are covered with all home purchase or sale aspects. We can highly (strongly) recommend Debra as your purchasing or sel...

— David and Mary Gigliotti

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Debra is a fantastic real estate agent and an all around amazing person. She communicated with us throughout the whole home buying process and made sure that our questions and concerns were taken care of in a timely manner. I would recommend her to anyone looking to find the perfect home, and I would use her services again if it weren't for the fact that she already helped us find the perfect home. Than...

— Michael Darger

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We were first-time homebuyers and had an absolutely excellent experience with Debra from start to finish. We were moving from California (during COVID-19), and Debra went the extra mile for us (no pun intended!). From the beginning, she visited prospective homes and sent us video tours. This was so helpful for us while we were 3,000 miles away. We did end up driving to Washington, and Debra showed us s...

— Anonymous

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

To whom it may concern I am unsure how I ended up working with Debra Truelove, but I am glad I did. My two sons and their grandchildren live in Washington, and after retiring in California, I felt it was time to move closer to my family so I could enjoy watching the kids grow up. I had the VA available to help me with my down payment and closing costs. We looked at several places and put in an offer, b...

— Jim Carney

Work With Debra

When you come to me for help buying or selling real estate Debra promises to listen to what your needs and wants are and make sure to translate that into the perfect solution for you.