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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.

Success Stories

"Josh's knowledge of the real estate market is truly impressive. He always has the latest and greatest listings, and works really hard to always stay on top of the market. He is very easy to work with, and takes the time to understand his clients wants and needs. It's always a pleasure working with Josh and I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a top notch realtor and a shrewd negotiator!"
"Josh's knowledge of the real estate market is truly impressive. He always has the latest and greatest listings, and works really hard to always stay on top of the market. He is very easy to work with, and takes the time to understand his clients wants and needs. It's always a pleasure working with Josh and I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a top notch realtor and a shrewd negotiator!"
Karima G.
"Josh is my Realtor of Dreams Come True. I really love how responsive he is, even when we had 10,000 questions that we could have Googled. Josh is really smart and knows the market and the business backwards and forwards. I am impressed by how much he continues to learn and educate others. But my favorite thing about Josh is his positive attitude and cheerful personality. He’s just really lovely to be around and at every setback (offers get passed for all cash, backed out of escrow because a historic home needed 500,000 in renovations or a worldwide pandemic hits) Josh was always encouraging and upbeat. That is really, really valuable when house-hunting in California can be so soul crushing. You will love working with Josh. He is also really kind and hilarious. (Pic below of us celebrating our house closing!)"
"Josh is my Realtor of Dreams Come True. I really love how responsive he is, even when we had 10,000 questions that we could have Googled. Josh is really smart and knows the market and the business backwards and forwards. I am impressed by how much he continues to learn and educate others. But my favorite thing about Josh is his positive attitude and cheerful personality. He’s just really lovely to be around and at every setback (offers get passed for all cash, backed out of escrow because a historic home needed 500,000 in renovations or a worldwide pandemic hits) Josh was always encouraging and upbeat. That is really, really valuable when house-hunting in California can be so soul crushing. You will love working with Josh. He is also really kind and hilarious. (Pic below of us celebrating our house closing!)"
Nick K.
"I used Josh Schroeder to find my vacation home in Laguna Beach and Josh did a fantastic job in finding us an ideal home that meets my wife and our family's criteria. In addition to being a professional agent, Josh went above and beyond by helping us out with different reliable vendors for the home inspections, termite treatment and so on. I highly recommend Josh to anyone who is looking for your lodging in Laguna Beach."
"I used Josh Schroeder to find my vacation home in Laguna Beach and Josh did a fantastic job in finding us an ideal home that meets my wife and our family's criteria. In addition to being a professional agent, Josh went above and beyond by helping us out with different reliable vendors for the home inspections, termite treatment and so on. I highly recommend Josh to anyone who is looking for your lodging in Laguna Beach."
John N.
"Josh was our realtor for a Sept 2022 home purchase. From the relationships he built with us as individuals and a family, to those he had in his network, to the connections he made to ensure our lender and the sellers were in sync during escrow, and finally his wide network of service providers to help with home improvement, Josh is one of a kind. You’ll do yourself a huge favor by selecting him as your realtor!"
"Josh was our realtor for a Sept 2022 home purchase. From the relationships he built with us as individuals and a family, to those he had in his network, to the connections he made to ensure our lender and the sellers were in sync during escrow, and finally his wide network of service providers to help with home improvement, Josh is one of a kind. You’ll do yourself a huge favor by selecting him as your realtor!"
Dana L.
"I strongly recommend Josh Schroeder to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home in Orange County. Josh was my agent when I sold my condominium in Aliso Viejo, and I am very happy with the results. Josh is knowledgeable about the area, knowledgeable about real estate in general, and is a great communicator. I was so thankful for his advice and guidance. I was particularly happy about his access to vendors (painters, etc.) who were available and reasonably priced. And, as many others have noted, Josh is just plain really pleasant and calming to be around. I feel very fortunate to have found such an excellent agent."
"I strongly recommend Josh Schroeder to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home in Orange County. Josh was my agent when I sold my condominium in Aliso Viejo, and I am very happy with the results. Josh is knowledgeable about the area, knowledgeable about real estate in general, and is a great communicator. I was so thankful for his advice and guidance. I was particularly happy about his access to vendors (painters, etc.) who were available and reasonably priced. And, as many others have noted, Josh is just plain really pleasant and calming to be around. I feel very fortunate to have found such an excellent agent."
Gregg J.
"Buying a home is an adventure, and never a linear path, but Josh was a fantastic advisor, communicator, and support throughout the entire process. He was responsive, acted with the utmost integrity, followed through, kept me in the loop, answered questions, and was an advocate and representative whenever necessary. I had a tight timeline of needing to find and secure a new home and he did everything in his power to meet, and beat, that timeline (including preparing a virtual tour for me since the home went on the market while I was out of town). I would wholeheartedly recommend him to any buyer or seller!"
"Buying a home is an adventure, and never a linear path, but Josh was a fantastic advisor, communicator, and support throughout the entire process. He was responsive, acted with the utmost integrity, followed through, kept me in the loop, answered questions, and was an advocate and representative whenever necessary. I had a tight timeline of needing to find and secure a new home and he did everything in his power to meet, and beat, that timeline (including preparing a virtual tour for me since the home went on the market while I was out of town). I would wholeheartedly recommend him to any buyer or seller!"
Jessica S.
"Josh did an incredible job helping me buy my first home! He is diligent, easy going, and knowledgeable about his craft. Throughout the entire process he kept me up to task and date on everything that needed to get done to facilitate the deal. Josh is willing to go the extra mile to add value to his clients and ensure that they feel informed and well taken care of!"
"Josh did an incredible job helping me buy my first home! He is diligent, easy going, and knowledgeable about his craft. Throughout the entire process he kept me up to task and date on everything that needed to get done to facilitate the deal. Josh is willing to go the extra mile to add value to his clients and ensure that they feel informed and well taken care of!"
Logan B.
"After my 100-year-old mother died, we were left with a decision to make regarding our family home for 50 plus years. Josh Schroeder met with us during this very difficult time, and gently guided us along. He went above and beyond to help us understand the process of selling a home like this, and all it would entail. It quickly became apparent how well he knew the market. He was always available for us, at one time pulling over to side of the freeway as he was headed out of town, to answer our texts. He has an innate ability to communicate with all members of the family, as my daughters still lived in the house when we began our process. He’s a “connecter” by nature, and we are thrilled to say that we sold our family home to another lovely family and never needed to go on the market! We couldn’t have done this without Josh Schroeder’s knowledge, networking ability, hard work ethic and strong communication skills. I would highly recommend him to anyone in search of a realtor! I know my family will continue to use him for any future needs that arise."
"After my 100-year-old mother died, we were left with a decision to make regarding our family home for 50 plus years. Josh Schroeder met with us during this very difficult time, and gently guided us along. He went above and beyond to help us understand the process of selling a home like this, and all it would entail. It quickly became apparent how well he knew the market. He was always available for us, at one time pulling over to side of the freeway as he was headed out of town, to answer our texts. He has an innate ability to communicate with all members of the family, as my daughters still lived in the house when we began our process. He’s a “connecter” by nature, and we are thrilled to say that we sold our family home to another lovely family and never needed to go on the market! We couldn’t have done this without Josh Schroeder’s knowledge, networking ability, hard work ethic and strong communication skills. I would highly recommend him to anyone in search of a realtor! I know my family will continue to use him for any future needs that arise."
Dana H.
"I recently referred a client to Josh Schroeder for selling properties in the beautiful areas of Temple Hills and Laguna Beach. Josh Schroeder’s expertise in these exclusive coastal communities, combined with his extensive global connections, sets him apart as a premier real estate professional. Leveraging his global network, he skillfully navigated negotiations, adapted to the recent NAR changes, and successfully secured multiple competitive offers on the properties. Josh Schroeder’s deep understanding of the luxury real estate landscape, paired with his international reach, ensured a seamless and successful experience for my client. If you’re looking for a top-tier agent in Temple Hills or Laguna Beach with global connections, I highly recommend Josh Schroeder!"
"I recently referred a client to Josh Schroeder for selling properties in the beautiful areas of Temple Hills and Laguna Beach. Josh Schroeder’s expertise in these exclusive coastal communities, combined with his extensive global connections, sets him apart as a premier real estate professional. Leveraging his global network, he skillfully navigated negotiations, adapted to the recent NAR changes, and successfully secured multiple competitive offers on the properties. Josh Schroeder’s deep understanding of the luxury real estate landscape, paired with his international reach, ensured a seamless and successful experience for my client. If you’re looking for a top-tier agent in Temple Hills or Laguna Beach with global connections, I highly recommend Josh Schroeder!"
Chris H.
"I had the pleasure of working with Josh to sell my home and purchase another in Laguna Beach, and I can confidently say he exceeded every expectation. From start to finish, he made the entire process seamless, stress-free, and even enjoyable. Josh is an exceptional negotiator who truly looks out for his clients’ best interests. He secured the best possible deal on both my sale and purchase, ensuring I got top value on my old home and a fantastic price on my new one. His market knowledge, strategic approach, and unwavering dedication made all the difference. Beyond his expertise, Josh is incredibly responsive, professional, and genuinely cares about his clients. He took the time to understand my needs, provided insightful guidance, and handled every detail with precision. I never had to worry about a thing he had it all under control. Josh is the one. I can’t recommend him highly enough! He is very trustworthy and truly goes the extra mile."
"I had the pleasure of working with Josh to sell my home and purchase another in Laguna Beach, and I can confidently say he exceeded every expectation. From start to finish, he made the entire process seamless, stress-free, and even enjoyable. Josh is an exceptional negotiator who truly looks out for his clients’ best interests. He secured the best possible deal on both my sale and purchase, ensuring I got top value on my old home and a fantastic price on my new one. His market knowledge, strategic approach, and unwavering dedication made all the difference. Beyond his expertise, Josh is incredibly responsive, professional, and genuinely cares about his clients. He took the time to understand my needs, provided insightful guidance, and handled every detail with precision. I never had to worry about a thing he had it all under control. Josh is the one. I can’t recommend him highly enough! He is very trustworthy and truly goes the extra mile."
Melika B.

  

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