The Listing Appointment w/ team leader, Erin Melton
1. Erin will come by the home and do a “visual-only” inspection of your home. If you worked with The Melton Team to purchase your home, she simply needs to “re-familiarize” herself w/ layout, features, etc. She’ll be taking notes as she walks through, asking you questions about items you’ve mentioned to her previously, potential “eye sores” she notices, etc. Erin will also jot down things that need to be replaced/updated. Don’t worry about having the house in “show-ready” condition at this time. :)
2. Erin will sit down with you and briefly discuss her observations and recommendations. Remember, it’s her job to be candid with you regarding items that need to be addressed prior to listing. She knows first-hand what appeals to buyers and what improvements have been cost-effective for other sellers. Ultimately, the goal is to make your home appealing to a buyer and to stand out amongst competing listings. *See Stage 3 “Staging Your Home” for helpful tips!
3. Erin will go over her detailed CMA with you, including interior and exterior pictures of the comparable properties. These properties include the following:
- Similar/near-by homes that have closed within the past three-six months;sometime, she will extend that period out further if necessary(sold listings)
- Similar/near-by homes currently on the market (active listings)
- Similar/near-by homes that are under contract/pended (on their way to closing)
- Similar/near-by homes that did not sell (expired or withdrawn listings)
For each category,(if applicable), she will show you in-depth details regarding list/end/sale price, days on market, # of times listed prior to going under contract and general condition observations. This is one of the most important steps in the listing process as this will help you and Erin arrive at a marketable and aggressive listing price for your home. Ultimately, the CMA will reveal your competition today, what buyers were not willing to pay and what buyers were willing to pay. The appraisal,(which is ordered by the buyer’s mortgage company), will actually perform a similar report once your home goes under contract. That report will also study comparable properties to determine if your home has the appropriate condition and value necessary to justify the sales price.
4. Erin will go over how The Melton Team will effectively market your home. She’ll provide examples of marketing materials as well as information about the numerous websites where our listings can be found. Our team encourages you to check out these sites and contact our past clients for your own piece of mind!
5. When you’re confident about listing your home with The Melton Team, time to take care of the paperwork! This can be done in-person, by fax or email. Erin will put together the required paperwork, review it with you and indicate where your signatures/initials/dates are required. At this time, we will decide on the listing price, when the home will officially hit the market and what improvements/cleaning needs to be done prior to that date. She’ll need at least one key for the lockbox and to schedule a date for her to come back to take listing pictures.
6. A sign will be put in your yard, a lockbox on your door or porch rail and your listing will be entered into the multiple listing system (MLS)! Congratulations! Your home is listed!
7. Over the next week, your new listing will be submitted to the various advertising websites, marketing materials will be created and placed at your home. Plus, Erin will begin regularly “talking up” your home on Facebook and Linkedin.
