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Atlanta Seller's Guide to a Smooth, Profitable Sale

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

Read what clients have to say about working with her.

"Dawn was amazing! She was so helpful in finding our first home! Very quick response time, very knowledgeable, and very genuine. Would definitely recommend it if you want the process to run smoothly."
"Dawn was amazing! She was so helpful in finding our first home! Very quick response time, very knowledgeable, and very genuine. Would definitely recommend it if you want the process to run smoothly."
Allison R.
"Working with Dawn to sell our condo was an exceptional experience in a tough market environment for real estate. Her deep knowledge of the market was evident from our first meeting, and her process expertise made the sale of our condo happen. We were particularly impressed with Dawn's responsiveness, attention to detail, and communication skills. She was always available to answer and address any questions or concerns. Her negotiation skills were top-notch, resulting in the successful closing of our property. Dawn Anderson exceeded our expectations, and we highly recommend her to anyone looking for a dedicated, motivated, and knowledgeable real estate professional."
"Working with Dawn to sell our condo was an exceptional experience in a tough market environment for real estate. Her deep knowledge of the market was evident from our first meeting, and her process expertise made the sale of our condo happen. We were particularly impressed with Dawn's responsiveness, attention to detail, and communication skills. She was always available to answer and address any questions or concerns. Her negotiation skills were top-notch, resulting in the successful closing of our property. Dawn Anderson exceeded our expectations, and we highly recommend her to anyone looking for a dedicated, motivated, and knowledgeable real estate professional."
Karen S.
"Dawn was absolutely amazing in getting our house sold. She was very professional, very accurate on the market, and a fierce negotiator. Dawn simplified the process for us and made our part easy. Dawn uses a wide variety of marketing avenues to get your house sold. I would absolutely recommend Dawn for any of your real estate needs!"
"Dawn was absolutely amazing in getting our house sold. She was very professional, very accurate on the market, and a fierce negotiator. Dawn simplified the process for us and made our part easy. Dawn uses a wide variety of marketing avenues to get your house sold. I would absolutely recommend Dawn for any of your real estate needs!"
Seller
"Dawn was wonderful and helped us buy our dream house, even though it meant showing us houses for a whole year. She patiently showed us around and also helped convince the previous owners that we were the perfect family to move into our (current) beautiful home! I would recommend Dawn to anyone who does not want to compromise with any of their requirements!! We certainly did not!"
"Dawn was wonderful and helped us buy our dream house, even though it meant showing us houses for a whole year. She patiently showed us around and also helped convince the previous owners that we were the perfect family to move into our (current) beautiful home! I would recommend Dawn to anyone who does not want to compromise with any of their requirements!! We certainly did not!"
Buyer
"As first-time home buyers, my husband and I needed both personal and professional support from an experienced real estate agent, and Dawn delivered! She made herself available at all times and made us feel comfortable throughout the entire home-buying process. Dawn was prompt, left no stone unturned, and diligently advocated on our behalf. Whether it was contract negotiations, the inspection, or the appraisal, Dawn protected our interests from the beginning to the closing table. We highly recommend Dawn and will definitely use her again for our future real estate needs."
"As first-time home buyers, my husband and I needed both personal and professional support from an experienced real estate agent, and Dawn delivered! She made herself available at all times and made us feel comfortable throughout the entire home-buying process. Dawn was prompt, left no stone unturned, and diligently advocated on our behalf. Whether it was contract negotiations, the inspection, or the appraisal, Dawn protected our interests from the beginning to the closing table. We highly recommend Dawn and will definitely use her again for our future real estate needs."
Buyer
"I highly recommend Dawn for your home-buying and selling needs. She went above and beyond what a relator needs to do. She was our 3rd relator in our long search to find a house- and she was our lucky charm. She would check out the neighborhood and house before she would show it to us, so as not to waste our time looking at and driving to houses that would not work for our family (but may have looked good on paper). She walked us through every part of the home-buying process- clearly explaining what we needed to do and have done. She knows the business and really knows the neighborhoods. I can not rave enough about Dawn- she is the relator you need! We were not (even close) to buying a million-dollar house, but she did not treat us any differently than someone who was. She continued to check on us and follow up, even after all the papers were signed and the deal was done. Dawn Anderson is the real estate agent you need in Atlanta!"
"I highly recommend Dawn for your home-buying and selling needs. She went above and beyond what a relator needs to do. She was our 3rd relator in our long search to find a house- and she was our lucky charm. She would check out the neighborhood and house before she would show it to us, so as not to waste our time looking at and driving to houses that would not work for our family (but may have looked good on paper). She walked us through every part of the home-buying process- clearly explaining what we needed to do and have done. She knows the business and really knows the neighborhoods. I can not rave enough about Dawn- she is the relator you need! We were not (even close) to buying a million-dollar house, but she did not treat us any differently than someone who was. She continued to check on us and follow up, even after all the papers were signed and the deal was done. Dawn Anderson is the real estate agent you need in Atlanta!"
Brian M.

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