Expert Tips for Selling in Washington

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, I 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.

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.

Testimonials

Betty B.

Ms. Karlous found my dream home. I am not exaggerating. Never did I ever think I would live in a home like I own now. She listens, she queries, and she gets to know her clients. She could tell immediately if the homes I looked ...

Bob F.

I have had the pleasure of working with Shaunna on several real estate transactions. Whether she is representing a buyer or seller, Shaunna is always thinking ahead and positioning her clients in order to ensure they have an am...

Bryan S.

Shaunna, while being friendly and positive, in addition to really being on the ball, really goes the extra mile to make things happen! Thank you, Shaunna for hanging in there till the end!

Beth C.

Shaunna Karlous is all-around wonderful to work with! We have double the experience to say so. She was our realtor when we bought the house, and then recently when we sold our house. Two qualities that impress me most are her d...

B. Dieter

We recently used Shaunna Karlous to sell our home. She had great people skills, listened to our ideas, did her research, and put together a very professional website. Shaunna consistently went the extra mile in serving us, our ...

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Shaunna was our second Realtor ever. Our first experience was terrible. This time around was great. My wife and I met Shaunna through a random open-house event that she was hosting. We had some conversation with her and she und...

Angelicque I.

Shaunna was amazing! We were selling a very nice 2nd home in Idaho with a pool etc. She researched and interviewed agents until she found just the right person. Peggy was wonderful calm experienced and very knowledgeable! In a ...

Don Marie S.

We had the pleasure of working with Shauna on a recent FSBO transaction. If you are looking for a realtor that puts her client first, then look no further. Shauna really cares about the desires and best interests of those invol...

Richard C.

Over the years we've worked with 6 realtors, so we have a basis for comparison. In every way, during the entire process, Shaunna Karlous was superb. Should we ever need a realtor in the Camas or Vancouver area again we would as...

K. Reddig

I recently bought and sold many properties with Shaunna. Every step of the process was intentional, structured, professional, and timely. In today's fast-paced world, it is refreshing to partner with a realtor who has my best i...

D. Lokan

Worked with Shaunna on a multifamily sale. Shaunna was very pleasant to work with. Response time and all deadlines were right on track. Look forward to working with her again.

D. Winn

For all my Pac NW Friends! Shaunna is a real people person and knows her stuff. Professional, reliable, and adventurer! She can find it, she can sell it!

Peter W.

Shaunna is amazing. She did a superb job helping us find our perfect home. We were moving from another state and she went the extra mile to make everything as smooth and stress-free as possible, including doing virtual walkthro...

Elaine V.

Shauna is professional and responsive to our needs. We were blessed to be referred to her.

Adam G.

Shaunna was great to work with. I needed an agent up in the WA area for a client that was moving there. I spoke to Shaunna and we closed this deal super fast. I was the loan officer on the transaction and she was great to work ...

Lisa

Shaunna is a pleasure to work with in every way! She has professional experience, a kind nature, and attention to detail that not only draws people to her but gives them the confidence that they are in the best of hands.

Gail B.

We used Shaunna Karlous, a real estate broker to sell our home in Cams Wa. Shaunna is outstanding! Shaunna spent hours answering our questions. She made the process incredibly easy. Shaunna took extra steps, which many other re...

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I wish there was a 6-star option for responsiveness! It seemed throughout the whole process of buying our home, Shaunna was very flexible and always available to help. On weekends and later in the evenings Shaunna was there to ...

Work With Shaunna

She offers the highest level of dedicated personal service with local expertise. This is why she has earned the respect and trust of her clients through her unwavering commitment to their needs. Shaunna is a real estate broker in the Vancouver Washington area with over 13 years of local experience. Specializing in luxury homes, Shaunna skillfully serves a diverse clientele, including first-time buyers, seasoned investors and pre-empty nesters looking to downsize or multi-generational living solutions. A trusted figure in the SW Washington market area, Shaunna's exceptional customer service, professionalism, and extensive knowledge of the local real estate market ensures a tailored and fulfilling real estate experience for every client.