Pall Spera Company Realtors-Stowe, VT
Pall Spera Company Realtors-Stowe, VT
Teresa Merelman, Broker, Pall Spera Company Realtors-Stowe, VTPhone: (802) 793-5171
Email: [email protected]

How to prepare for the home selling process

by Teresa Merelman, Broker 04/12/2023

character holding up for sale sign next to house

It can be very alluring to sell your property in hopes of gaining a large payment. However, before you put your property up for sale, there are a couple of factors to take into consideration. 

What to do before hiring your real estate agent

Before hiring a real estate agent, understand what you’re searching for. Your agent needs to know exactly what you want to get out of your home’s sale and how to help you achieve that.

Does your agent have familiarity with communities in your area? Do you know who your target buyers are? What other knowledge could your agent impart on you before the selling process? What are breaking points for your selling timeline? What is your selling timeline? 

Do you need to find more than a listing agent? Do you have another place to go while your home is on the market, or will you be living in it while you sell it?

These are all questions to ask yourself before collaborating with your agent and asking them similar, if not the same, questions once you begin.

Listing promotions & marketing

After preparing for your home sale, it’s time to investigate listings, promotions and other marketing activities. Do a once over and create a cleaning and preparations checklist to help you ready your property for sale.

Your property should be tidy and free of personal belongings before showings. If you have a lawn, the space should be manicured. If lawn care isn’t a concern, make sure patios, porches and decks are free of clutter. 

Once you’ve cleaned the property, added plants, repainted walls to neutral colors and whatever else you may need to do to increase curb appeal, you can start a marketing strategy. 

Get your home professionally photographed, and start creating marketing opportunities with your hired real estate agent. Turn to social media and other communication tools to help promote your listing while working closely with your agent of choice.

Preparing financially 

Remember, sellers are usually held accountable for home repairs. A pre-listing inspection gives you a good idea of how much the repairs will cost. Be mindful of your mortgage payoff cost, which is the payment required to take care of the mortgage balance. 

There is also likely to be a broker commission fee, which is a percentage of the price the property will sell for, paid to the representing brokerage. Your real estate agent should be able to provide you with an estimate of those fees, as well as any other transaction fees you may incur. 

The closing process

A real estate attorney can review and outline closing documents, as well as negotiate disputes within the contract. Before the closing, settle any issues with the title, so the property can be transferred to the buyer during the closing process. Be prepared for funds to be allocated to the seller and participants of the transaction. 

While the home selling process can be overwhelming, creating a seller checklist can help ease some stressors. It’s also a great idea to remember you aren’t going through this process alone. When you hire a real estate agent, you also get a team of other real estate professionals that work closely within their network, which gives you even more security when selling your home.

About the Author
Author

Teresa Merelman, Broker

 Teresa's beginnings were at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She was child #5 of 8 and born into an Air Force family that moved all over the United States but usually ended up back in the Washington, D.C. area. Teresa attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and received her bachelor's degree in business from George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia. Some of her prior careers include: computer buyer in Fairfax, Virginia; Deputy Clerk at the U.S. District Court in Denver, Colorado; Police Officer in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; and Bed & Breakfast owner in Stowe, Vermont. Teresa obtained her license as a Realtor® in 1998. She has been through many ups and downs in this profession and continues to learn every day. She very much enjoys the real estate profession and the wonderful people she has met and assisted along the way. In order to serve her clients and customers, Teresa continually attends classes and seminars. Some of her Designations and Certifications include: 

  • ABR - Accredited Buyer Representative (2003)
  • CBR - Certified Buyer Representative (2000)
  • e-PRO - Internet Certified Professional (2001)
  • CNHS - Certified New Home Specialist (2005)
  • CRS - Certified Residential Specialist (2005)
  • AHS - Accredited Home-Stager Specialist (2008)
  • TRC - Transaction Referral Certification (2009)
  • RSPS - Resort and Second Home Specialist (2009)
  • GREEN - NAR's Green Designation (2009) 
  • SFR - Short Sales & Foreclosures Certification (2009) 
  • SRES - Senior Real Estate Specialist Designation (2012)
  • AHWD - At Home With Diversity (2021)
  • SRS - Seller Representative Specialist (2021)

Teresa has also served and continues to serve on several boards:

  • Lamoille Area Board of Realtors - President and Board of Directors
  • Vermont Association of Realtors - Board of Directors
  • NEREN (MLS) - Board of Directors and Shareholder 
  • Vermont Real Estate Commission - as a member of VAR's Liaison Committee
  • Stowe Vibrancy - Board of Directors - this is a volunteer group that promotes activities in the Village of Stowe

In 2007, Teresa was named Vermont Realtor of the Year.Teresa and her husband, a local attorney, moved to Stowe in 1987. They had two sons and Stowe has been their home for the past 36 years. She still feels the Stowe area is a wonderful place to raise a family, there's always something going on. Teresa can often be found behind the lens of her camera documenting the beauty of the area and its many events.As an update, Teresa's older son is now a Doctor/resident at the University of New Mexico's Emergency Management Program. Her younger son graduated from James Mason University and currently resides in Chicago, IL as a supervisor for OKTA.