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, 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. 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.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

For buying or selling a home, you need Karista Smith! As the buyer's agent for our vacation home, her unmatched knowledge of the neighborhood provided invaluable insights, like optimal lot positioning for afternoon sun by the pool. She listened to our needs, guided us away from windy areas, and shared community history, helping us find the perfect property for our family. Karista is professional, accessible, and always ready to answer our call. Karista’s connection to the community made her an excellent resource, providing referrals to services needed before and after escrow closed. Karista’s strong negotiation skills and extensive real estate knowledge made the process of buying a second home stress-free.

— Colleen J.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Karista is fantastic to work with as your representative and real estate agent, she takes the time to understand what you are looking for in a home. This is a big investment and life moment for many and Karista made it easy and comfortable. She truly has your best interest in mind when you are buying a home. Her in-depth knowledge of the market was very evident on my first engagement with her. Her follow-up and timeliness are exceptional, and her guidance and concern for value and detail are represented by her character. Karista, thank you for making my home purchasing experience easy but most of all trusting. You set the bar for great client representation and market knowledge, my family and I can't thank you enough.

— Kaushik B.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Karista Smith Superstar Realtor of La Quinta! Superstar Realtor: Karista’s commitment to my wife and my needs, and satisfaction was at the superstar level! Karista was flawless in the way she managed and represented us during the purchase of our new home. At every step of our new home purchase, we felt and knew that we were the most important people in her professional life. Customer Service: Karista’s no-pressure approach when my wife and I were selecting a house was comforting because she knew and made us feel that we would find the perfect house and that is exactly what transpired. Keen Eye: During our conversations and house viewings with Karista, she honed in on exactly the qualities that we were looking for in a home. Without a doubt, Karista understands the real estate market and more importantly, she understands our needs at every moment of the home acquisition process. Strong Representation: What impressed us the most is her ability to be extremely knowledgeable of the entire process i.e., our relationship, the local market, timely submittal of documentation and contract execution process, and excellent relationship with other realtors and loan officers; Knowledge is Power, and she went to battle for us during some difficult seller and buyer negotiations. Knowing that Karista was handling our business, with a strong hand when required meant that I didn’t have to fight that battle! Superstar Results: My wife and I were blessed, fortunate, and grateful to have Karista as our Superstar Real Estate Agent during the purchase of our new home. Karista shielded my wife and me between the seller which made the home purchase process manageable and enjoyable because we trusted that she was looking after our interests at every moment. We recommend Karista Smith, a Real Estate Agent with the highest rating available.

— Alberto C.

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She brings extensive market knowledge and expertise in the luxury real estate market and consistently earns a position in Palm Springs Life's Top Real Estate Agent annual publication.

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Contact Details

Karista Smith | CA DRE# 01311385

(760) 641-6895

[email protected]



45000 Club Dr

Indian Wells CA 92210