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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 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 agents is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of real estate agents 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.

Real Feedback. Real Results.

Tameka G.

Tameka G.

Marie and her team are the absolute best! I am beyond thankful for the help and support she provided me while trying to sell my first home. I was under a lot of stress, especially living across the country trying to manage a pr...
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Amy K.

Amy K.

Marie did an exceptional job selling my home. She made the entire process as stress-free as possible and was always there to answer any questions or concerns. I highly recommend using her for selling any of your properties.
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Phyllis S.

Phyllis S.

Maria was very professional she sold my house very fast..she also was on top of everything.
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Jason W.

Jason W.

Honestly, I can’t speak highly enough of this amazing agent. She has facilitated numerous transactions for me and also others I have referred her company to. The process has always gone smoothly and with her professionalism, kn...
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Eloise D.

Eloise D.

It was smooth sailing working with Marie and her team, she was very professional and got everything done with ease, I would recommend her to anyone needing Real Estate help. If you want your house sold, call Brickman Real Estat...
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Courtney G.

Courtney G.

Marie and Mitch were so helpful to my brother and I when we needed to sell my father’s home suddenly. They wasted no time ensuring the process for us was swift and painless. Will definitely use them in the future.
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John C.

John C.

Great experience and very knowledgeable! I recommended it to family and friends.
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Daniel S.

Daniel S.

Mitch and Marie are exceptional! Their promptness, knowledge of the market, strategic mindset, kindness, and good energy literally covert a potentially chaotic purchase process into simplicity. Mitch and Marie actually impress ...
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Angela R.

Angela R.

Absolutely thrilled with our experience working with Marie Brinkman and the team! From start to finish, she was professional, attentive, and reliable. Marie and Mitch worked tirelessly to ensure we closed on our dream home and ...
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Chris W.

Chris W.

Mitch and Marie are incredible at what they do. They did a complete renovation job for an investment property in Portsmouth, and everything turned out amazing. They put great care into what I wanted and always had my best inter...
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Jason R.

Jason R.

Marie and Mitch Brinkman are an amazing real estate agent and loan officer team! I have worked with them numerous times and they always provide top-notch professional service. They truly care about helping their clients. I high...
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Kevin M.

Kevin M.

Very impressed with the knowledge, work ethic, and communication skills of the team. Not one time was my questions never answered in a timely manner. Mitch and Marie did a great job in ensuring I felt safe and comfortable about...
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Caleb D.

Caleb D.

Great experience with Mitch and Marie after leaving a poor-performing realtor. They were very responsive and informative and great at giving options so we could pick what worked best for us. They were highly involved and active...
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Mianna

Mianna

With moving to Virginia just short of 2 years ago, it is challenging to find people who mean well, or who you know you can trust. In the short time that my wife and I were working with Mitch and Marie, we found ourselves in the...
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Wendy C.

Wendy C.

Brinkman Real Estate is exceptionally skilled at what they do! Their attention to detail, commitment to excellence, and true dedication to their clients' needs are extraordinarily rare. They daily channel their combined talents...
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Sasi T.

Sasi T.

Working with Mitch and Marie was a great experience. Marie walked us through the entire process, which made it easy because we had never sold a house before. We received an offer above our asking price within a few days after w...
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Capri D.

Capri D.

Marie and Mitch are the absolute best team you can have by your side. They both go above and beyond to make sure you find the right property. My fiancée and I have begun our journey in real estate, and we really could not have ...
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Mason D.

Mason D.

Marie and Mitch were extremely helpful and ensured that our home-selling experience went as smoothly and pleasantly as possible. They were always available to give advice or lend a hand during the entire process. We are beyond ...
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Connor F.

Connor F.

After working with multiple real estate agents in the area the Brinkman Team is hands down the best real estate agent to work with in the Hampton Roads! They take genuine time to understand what you are looking for and don’t gi...
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Tileda B.

Tileda B.

Marie and Mitch are very professional. They listen to what you are looking for and the price that you can afford. They do what it takes on their part to make sure you get your dream home. They are in constant contact with you g...
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Whether you’re a first-time buyer, a seasoned investor, or looking to sell, we are here to guide you every step of the way. Let’s embark on this journey together and turn your real estate dreams into reality!

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