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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 team of real estate agents 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 team of real estate agents once you choose one so they 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 team of real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of real estate 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

We 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. Our 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. We 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 we deem the offer is acceptable, we 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 team of real estate agents.

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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. We 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. We 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 team of real estate agents 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.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva was always available and handled all details with myself and the Trust managers. She was a joy to work with. She worked with numerous individuals, including my brother, always clearly and directly. She helped us wait for that 'right' buyer and we made a good sale.

— Seller | 13104 Desert Moon Pl NE Albuquerque, NM 87111

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva did a stellar job on all aspects of selling my condo, including photography, educating buyers on key selling points of the property, negotiating a record price/sf for the complex, quickly connecting the buyer with a specially lender, and assisting with repairs from the inspection. This is my seventh transaction with her since early 2000. She is excellent!

— Seller | 3101 Old Pecos Tri #305 Santa Fe, NM 87505

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva is knowledgeable, honest, personable, and super patient. We took our time (over a year) to identify the right house and price. Aviva understood our needs, always communicated with us, and kept working hard until we found our home. I'd highly recommend her and definitely would contact her again.

— Buyer | 4529 Camino San Juan Santa Fe, NM 87507

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Hi, my name is Christina P. A year and a half ago, I met Aviva Schear with Barker Realty Group. From the moment she stepped into my home, I was sure she was a perfect fit for me. She has a bubbly personality, and we got along great. She explained the process and provided me with information on how she would market the property. Since then, I've been blessed to have conducted four real estate transactions...

— Seller | 320 Artist Rd #19 Santa Fe, NM 87501

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

If you are looking for a realtor, look no further. Aviva is knowledgeable, experienced and confident. We felt like we had a friend in the business to be our guide. If we ever need a realtor again, we would not hesitate to work with Aviva.

— Buyer | 2718 Vereda Rodiando Santa Fe, NM 87505

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva was incredibly pleasant and professional throughout a difficult buying process that saw two contracts cancelled for different reasons, before we concluded the deal on the third try! She was positive, a wonderful advocate when that was needed, and supportive. She also made my difficult schedule work — even when it involved changing her own. I would work with her again in a heartbeat, and wholehearte...

— Buyer | 1728 Violetas Rd NW Albuquerque, NM 87104

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Not only is Aviva professional, ethical, and knowledgeable, she will always go out of her way to make sure that the buyer is informed as to the entire process. She is extremely respectful, helpful, personable, and honest. She has been in the real estate business for 22 years and I will personally guarantee that she is the most qualified person I have ever worked with. If you want to purchase a home or pr...

— Buyer | 1301 Hummingbird Ct Santa Fe, NM 87501

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva is an absolute find! Her expertise in Santa Fe is remarkable, only to be complimented by her attention to detail, thoughtful listening, tenacity, and follow-through. Aviva wasn't just my broker, she was a partner, helping me navigate the buying process in a very tough market. I wouldn't have found a home I love without her!

— Buyer | 539 Onate Pl Santa Fe, NM 87501

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva is very patient. It didn't matter how many times my bid was beat by a cash offer, she helped keep my spirits up. She did not let me get discouraged. When I finally found my home, she made sure I had everything I needed, made follow-ups for anything I did not receive responses for. I would highly recommend Aviva as your realtor!!!

— Buyer | 1813 Chisholm Tri NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva – I can’t thank you enough for all the hard work, dedication and time you spent selling my homes in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. You even managed to find me a fantastic investment property in Santa Fe during the process! From our initial meeting I was impressed with your knowledge and immediately knew you were the perfect fit for me. You clearly explained your process, showcased your expertise as a Br...

— Buyer & Seller | 3809 Tulane Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Having gone through many home sales and searches, I can truly say that Aviva Schear is the best Realtor that I have worked with across many different states. Aviva went above and beyond all my expectations. Her ability to understand and resolve issues were conducted in both a timely and precise manner. If you are in New Mexico and looking for someone you can trust, I would highly recommend getting in tou...

— Buyer | 7074 Crystal Dr NE Rio Rancho, NM 87144

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva assisted me with buying, selling and renting properties in Santa Fe, and Rio Rancho. Since 2020, she handled 23 transactions valued at $10 million for me. Aviva is knowledgeable in all aspects of real estate, including negotiating, pricing, handling inspections and arranging for repairs, monitoring new builds and ensuring all needed repairs are made before closing, analyzing legal and code issues a...

— Buyer & Seller | 2733 La Luz Cir NE Rio Rancho, NM 87144

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

So many good things to say about Aviva just not enough space. I will recommend Aviva 100%. She did guide me again on selling my house and with her experience made it easy and made the best of it. Awesome job Aviva. (She is still helping me on buying my next house). That’s how great she is. Thank you Aviva

— Jon N.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva was very attentive to all my requests. She found me the perfect house that clicked all my boxes. She was so fast with her paperwork we could close in less than a month. She is an amazing realtor! She organized the sale of my old house and the buying of my new house perfectly.

— Buyer & Seller

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

I had the pleasure of working with Aviva as my real estate agent, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the experience. From the moment we started the process, she truly streamlined my search, taking the stress out of what can often be a complicated journey. Aviva understood exactly what I was looking for and quickly identified homes that matched my criteria. Her attention to detail was impeccable, and s...

— Buyer

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Five stars are not enough to give Aviva. I'm extremely thankful to have her in the process of buying my first house. Aviva is fantastic. She spent time with me to understand what I was looking for my first house she made me understand that it was not just a house that I had to like, she made understand I had to look for my home. She was always available to show me houses with a great attitude always pati...

— Cyndy P.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva came recommended through a friend of a friend and from the beginning she was great. I was moving from CA and had to do many virtual viewings and Aviva was wonderful and patient in helping me find the right home. And she made the process easy and answered all my questions as a first-time home buyer in ABQ. Definitely recommend her for helping you find your next home!

— Buyer

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva is a pleasure to work with! She has a wealth of knowledge of the area as well as regulations and contractors to utilize. She is very understanding to our needs as well as personable. Aviva is quick to reply to our questions as well as concerns. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a realtor.

— Buyer & Seller

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Aviva is a Giant gem of a realtor! An excellent person inside and out. So super smart in her long-term real estate career. I would only use Aviva for any new property I may purchase. She is not only intelligent, she is fast, always available and always way ahead of the best. I really don't know how she does it. Never a flaw. I also trust her immensely with my life purchase and all that goes with it. Than...

— Buyer

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Our experience with Aviva has been nothing short of AMAZING! From our initial contact all the way through the process was stellar. I would highly recommend Aviva for your home needs if you are looking to buy, sell, rent, or if you need guidance on where to start.

— Buyer | Seller

Your Next Chapter Starts Here

I take great pride in forming strong working relationships with my clients. I enjoy helping clients find their dream home or helping them begin a new life with their new move. Buying or Selling a house is likely one of the biggest & most important investments.