Seller's Guide

From determining your home's value to closing day, learn more about the home selling process.

Selling your St. Louis Area Home with Tracy Hess

It is an exciting time to be selling your home. The market is at the best level it has been in some time. I am here to assist you with planning the steps of preparing and marketing your home to sell for top dollar. As a trusted RE/MAX® Integrity agent, I can help you navigate the process and help answer any questions you may have along the way.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Home Sales

Prepare to move

Whenever you're selling your current home, the first step is to prepare to move by figuring out where you'll go next. Whether you need to buy a new home, you're moving in with a relative or making other plans, now is the time to make accommodations.

Talk to a real estate agent

Once you've decided on a course of action, it's time to speak with a real estate agent. Interview multiple agents to hear different strategies on pricing, marketing, etc. Then choose a real estate agent that you can trust to advocate for your best interest. Your agent can talk to you about home improvements, finding a new home and more.

Prepare to Sell

After you've chosen an agent, it's time to prepare your home for listing. This could include making repairs and improvements, getting professional photography done, packing, moving thing to storage and even hiring stagers to help you home stand out!

List Your Home

Once your preparations have been made, there's nothing left to do but make your listing live. When your listing goes "live' that means the information and photos are sent to every major property search site via the MLS. If someone is looking in your area, they'll be able to view photos and read info about the house, favorite your house and schedule a showing to view the home in person.

Review Offers & Negotiate

If your home is priced correctly, you'll start to receive offers. You can accept, reject or do a counteroffer until you find terms that are agreeable to you. You may need multiple counteroffers from the buyer and the seller to settle on a final agreement.

Inspections & Negotiate

Next, the buyer will order inspections to verify the condition of the home. Based on what's in the inspection reports, the buyer can request repairs be made. You're not obligated to make these repairs, but the buyer can also walk away from the deal during this phase.

Title & Underwriting

The buyer than works with a title company to do a title search and ensure the title is free of liens, encumbrances, etc. If there's a problem, the seller may have to correct it before closing. Underwriting refers to the process the lender uses to provide final loan approval. There's nothing for the seller to do except be aware that this process is going on in the background.

Final Walk-Through

Final walk-through may take place up to four days prior to the closing date. At final walk-through, the buyers will tour the home one last time, making sure to verify that repairs were made according to what was agreed upon.

Closing & Possession

At the closing table, you'll have a lot of documents to sign and it's important to listen as they're explained to you. You must turn over the keys to the property once the funds have arrived in your account.

Top Tips for Home Sellers

Make sure you review these pro tips for home sellers before you list your home:

Consider Smart Improvements

Many times, sellers are eager to provide lots of updates to enure they maximize value. However, some updates may not bring much of a return. It's important to discuss these things with your REALTOR®, first.

Consider Multiple Agents

Different agents will have different strategies for marketing your home. Know the differences before you make your decision.

Consider Providing an Occupancy Permit

Many municipalities require occupancy inspections and permits to ensure the home has been kept in livable condition. With this in mind, consider obtaining this before listing. That way, you may be alerted to problems that could cause the deal to hit a snag.

Consider Professional Photography

With so much home searching done online, make sure your home looks as good as possible to all those people viewing your home from their couch with professional pictures that really show off the space!

Consider an Open House

Depending on a home, the open house could drive up demand for your home, which could mean more offers of asking price or above!

Consider Staging

Staging a house can really help show off its assets. It can also help hide awkward spaces that may make buyers think twice about writing an offer!