Transition Consulting:  We begin by discussing your objectives and your vision of the results, where you’ll be moving, if you might want my help with that, how quickly you want to get there and what events must occur before you are ready to begin.  We’ll assess the condition of your property and discuss what you could do before putting it up for sale to get the best price and merit less commission. We’ll consider various alternatives and devise a tentative action plan suited to your time frame.  I will not rush you into putting your property on the market before property preparations are complete or before you are truly ready.

Pricing the Property:  Following this meeting I’ll conduct a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), taking a look at recent similar sales and the active competition, while taking into account any preparations you’ve considered doing, to arrive at a pricing recommendation for your property. I’ll also be calculating my commission rate based on the property’s primary characteristics and on the extent of inspections, repairs, and other preparations you expect to perform prior to putting the property on the market. My unusual approach to commission setting comes from a recognition that every property and every seller is unique, requiring a unique set of skills, and varying greatly in demands made on an agent’s time and expertise.

Setting the Commission:  My commission system rewards owners committed to completing preparations to help the property sell at the price desired.  It also gives a price break to owners of properties that are intrinsically simpler to market and transaction manage.  During our second meeting we’ll discuss the preparation action plan again, the asking price, the commission, and the overall marketing strategy.  Not until we have a common vision of how to proceed will we execute a formal listing agreement.  I am not interested in signing you up now with the idea of gaining your cooperation later.

Disclosure Compliance Guidance: I’ll provide you with all legally required sellers’ disclosure forms plus additional disclosures customarily used in Sonoma County for your particular type of property and will offer my well-informed guidance to assist you in completing these.  Be forewarned ― conscientious completion of these documents is essential to a satisfactory conclusion.  Disclosures should provide a clear picture of the property’s characteristics and condition so that buyers may make a fully informed purchase decision.  Being thorough and conscientious will protect you from future liability. A property can still be sold “as-is” ― meaning the seller announces in advance an unwillingness to perform any deferred maintenance or repairs ― but the seller is still legally obligated to inform potential buyers of anything that might affect the desirability of the property. I’ll assure that you have all the disclosures needed and that you’re kept aware of your legal and contractual obligations throughout the process.

Marketing —Timing is Everything: 

Only when preparations have been completed are we ready to begin actively marketing the property. Statistics show that the greatest interest and best price offerings occur during the first three weeks on the market.  Therefore complete preparation and the correct timing of promotional activities is crucial to a successful marketing campaign. I will not rush you to put a property on the market before its truly ready to be seen.   I am committed to launching your sales campaign on the right foot— to achieve the greatest impact, to generate an energetic response from both agents and buyers. 

Professional Negotiation:  As offers are received, I assist in analyzing their merits and make inquiries as needed to determine the likelihood that a transaction with a given buyer will succeed.  Is the buyer truly pre-approved?  Are they truly committed to making the purchase work (or are they just “fishing”)?  Does the time frame they’ve indicated match well with yours?  Perhaps an offer is close to working but needs some modification.  I’ll assist you in composing a counter offer requesting the changes desired and will negotiate on your behalf for acceptance from the other side.

Contract Compliance Assurance:  After you’ve accepted an offer I’ll assure that the title report, your disclosures, and any other documents required by law or specifically requested by contract are delivered to and returned from the buyer on time and in accordance with the terms of the contract.  If buyers request a concession as the result of reviewing disclosures or their own further investigation, I will help you assess the merits and negotiate on your behalf for a win-win resolution.

Transaction Management: I personally direct and manage the entire transaction from beginning to end, assisting you to fulfill all legal and contractual obligations, and monitoring the progress and contractual compliance of the buyer as well.  I will personally accompany you to the escrow office when it is time to sign closing documents and make sure that the final paperwork accurately represents what’s been agreed to.  Finally I order removal of the For Sale sign, remove the lockbox, and arrange for delivery of keys to the new owner.

What I Don’t Do:  I don’t try to buy the opportunity to list a property by suggesting that through some slick marketing technique I can somehow sell it for greater than the current marketplace will support. I have no desire to list an overpriced property only to have it languish on the market until the seller becomes realistic about pricing. I’m not interested in accumulating inventory just to create more opportunities for my name to appear on ‘just listed’ postcards, in real estate magazines, and on roadside signs.  Though such promotions serve to enhance an agent’s public image and may help generate more listing opportunities, they won’t somehow magically sell a property that’s overpriced.  I also don’t send out postcards announcing how many dollars worth of property I’ve recently sold ― I have no interest in cluttering the environment with pointless “news”. And I don’t spend 50 % or more of my advertising dollars on self-promotion; I commit my marketing activities and expertise first and foremost to promoting the property of the sellers I’m already working with.  

I approach each day with enthusiasm and a conviction that doing the right thing matters. Being impeccable with my word, maintaining a win-win perspective, and treating others as I’d like to be treated, form the touchstone for my professional conduct.  

Expertise, service, and guidance aimed at maximizing your return while minimizing stress before, during, and after the sale    

Questions?  Send an email via Contact Sharon .  Or give me a call to talk in person.

707 823-8329, or toll free 877 823-8329