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Seller's Guide

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, I 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.

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Testimonials

"Kristen did an outstanding job helping us find a perfect home for us to return to Connecticut where we lived many years before. Kristen is incredibly organized, extremely responsive, super kind, great sense of humor and she came up with great ideas throughout the process to keep things moving, and on-track. Kristen was so generous with her time and knowledge in sharing her extensive knowledge in the area and the market. Kristen communicated with me every step of the way, and she went above and beyond in so many ways, not the least of which by taking her time out and arranging for professionals (and meeting them at the property) to facilitate our move. We were so extremely fortunate to have Kristen help us find a home, and will always be grateful for her professionalism."
"Kristen did an outstanding job helping us find a perfect home for us to return to Connecticut where we lived many years before. Kristen is incredibly organized, extremely responsive, super kind, great sense of humor and she came up with great ideas throughout the process to keep things moving, and on-track. Kristen was so generous with her time and knowledge in sharing her extensive knowledge in the area and the market. Kristen communicated with me every step of the way, and she went above and beyond in so many ways, not the least of which by taking her time out and arranging for professionals (and meeting them at the property) to facilitate our move. We were so extremely fortunate to have Kristen help us find a home, and will always be grateful for her professionalism."
Maurie E.
"After meeting Kristen, we realized in a very short time that she was the perfect person to help us find our new home. She was focused in in finding the perfect home for us without making us waste our time. In a very short time we found the perfect home in a great area. We will always be so grateful for her dedication and professionalism. Based on my experience working with Kristen, I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a home in the area."
"After meeting Kristen, we realized in a very short time that she was the perfect person to help us find our new home. She was focused in in finding the perfect home for us without making us waste our time. In a very short time we found the perfect home in a great area. We will always be so grateful for her dedication and professionalism. Based on my experience working with Kristen, I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a home in the area."
Maricar M.
"Kristen was outstanding. She walked us through the entire process, and went to bat for us throughout. She is so easy to work with and extremely knowledgable. Kristen will always be my first call whenever I need a realtor! Thank you, Kristen!"
"Kristen was outstanding. She walked us through the entire process, and went to bat for us throughout. She is so easy to work with and extremely knowledgable. Kristen will always be my first call whenever I need a realtor! Thank you, Kristen!"
Buyer | Seller
"I really wish that I could give Kristen more than a five star rating in the above categories - particularly in the areas of "local knowledge" and "negotiation skills." Kristen is a life-long Greenwich resident, so she truly knows the town inside and out. She was extremely generous with her time and answered my (many) texts and phone calls in a timely manner. Her expert negotiation skills allowed us to be the successful party among the many other bidders for the home that we will be moving into on July 1. In addition to being a great agent, her wonderful personality makes her a pleasure to work with."
"I really wish that I could give Kristen more than a five star rating in the above categories - particularly in the areas of "local knowledge" and "negotiation skills." Kristen is a life-long Greenwich resident, so she truly knows the town inside and out. She was extremely generous with her time and answered my (many) texts and phone calls in a timely manner. Her expert negotiation skills allowed us to be the successful party among the many other bidders for the home that we will be moving into on July 1. In addition to being a great agent, her wonderful personality makes her a pleasure to work with."
Kristen R.
"Kristen is a realtor with a large amount of knowledge of the real estate market in south Fairfield county Connecticut, in Stamford and Greenwich. Her knowledge and inclination to help me in my search (including being available in person and accommodating my schedule) was of great assistance in finding a very satisfactory place to live, matching up well with my criteria, including budget."
"Kristen is a realtor with a large amount of knowledge of the real estate market in south Fairfield county Connecticut, in Stamford and Greenwich. Her knowledge and inclination to help me in my search (including being available in person and accommodating my schedule) was of great assistance in finding a very satisfactory place to live, matching up well with my criteria, including budget."
Narva
"Kristen studwell was amazing to work with. She is a keen listener and a strong champion for her clients. She found us exactly what we wanted and was an excellent negotiater. I would highly recommend her!"
"Kristen studwell was amazing to work with. She is a keen listener and a strong champion for her clients. She found us exactly what we wanted and was an excellent negotiater. I would highly recommend her!"
Buyer
"Kristen was a pleasure to work with. She was responsive and very attentive to the needs of my 96 year old mother. She was super helpful in determining which properties would work for my mom. She even worked for us while on vacation! I highly recommend her and would love to work with her again."
"Kristen was a pleasure to work with. She was responsive and very attentive to the needs of my 96 year old mother. She was super helpful in determining which properties would work for my mom. She even worked for us while on vacation! I highly recommend her and would love to work with her again."
Kathleen F.
"Kristen is a true professional. She knows the local area and is well versed in both marketing and negotiation. You can rest comfortably knowing that your best interest is her priority. She makes herself available and responds quickly by either a call or text. I highly recommend her to anyone looking to sell."
"Kristen is a true professional. She knows the local area and is well versed in both marketing and negotiation. You can rest comfortably knowing that your best interest is her priority. She makes herself available and responds quickly by either a call or text. I highly recommend her to anyone looking to sell."
Paula M.
"Kristen is absolutely Fabulous! She is “the” most Awesome RE Agent I’ve ever worked with. First, she exhibits unrelenting patience, honesty, hard work, and determination ~ and works in the best interest of everyone involved. I was very impressed by her work ethic and perseverance re: a situation which took a great deal more time and effort than perhaps either of us expected. Yet, despite that, Kristen met the challenge head on, with immense determination, optimism, and a laser focus. She never once made me feel like anything she did was too much work or a hassle. etc. which exemplifies, on her part, enormous humility too! Frankly, after she closed the deal. I wasn’t quite sure whether I had stumbled upon the best realtor or a really good friend?! (I can assure you that when you work with her. you too, will likely not be able to tell the difference!) Finally, I could not be Happier about the Results she yielded. Kristen Studwell is undoubtedly a cut above the rest!"
"Kristen is absolutely Fabulous! She is “the” most Awesome RE Agent I’ve ever worked with. First, she exhibits unrelenting patience, honesty, hard work, and determination ~ and works in the best interest of everyone involved. I was very impressed by her work ethic and perseverance re: a situation which took a great deal more time and effort than perhaps either of us expected. Yet, despite that, Kristen met the challenge head on, with immense determination, optimism, and a laser focus. She never once made me feel like anything she did was too much work or a hassle. etc. which exemplifies, on her part, enormous humility too! Frankly, after she closed the deal. I wasn’t quite sure whether I had stumbled upon the best realtor or a really good friend?! (I can assure you that when you work with her. you too, will likely not be able to tell the difference!) Finally, I could not be Happier about the Results she yielded. Kristen Studwell is undoubtedly a cut above the rest!"
A. LoCascio
"Kristen was an absolute pleasure to work with. She’s incredibly responsive, deeply knowledgeable about the local market, and always one step ahead. Kristen attended walkthroughs and open houses on our behalf when we couldn’t be there, and she truly advocated for us every step of the way. We couldn’t recommend a better agent."
"Kristen was an absolute pleasure to work with. She’s incredibly responsive, deeply knowledgeable about the local market, and always one step ahead. Kristen attended walkthroughs and open houses on our behalf when we couldn’t be there, and she truly advocated for us every step of the way. We couldn’t recommend a better agent."
Joseph S.

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