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.

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Jen is very responsive and patient when explaining things, she was great!

— Steve J.

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Jennifer was so excellent to work with during the sale of our condo. We had a really tough time with the first broker that we worked with, and we were actually thinking about renting our home out or pushing off the sale after those issues, but Jennifer came in like wonder woman and saved the day. She helped us with our buyer, did the showing with me, and helped me through the whole process step by step. ...

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Jennifer is amazing! Half my family are realtors( they are great as well), and yet I love to recommend Jennifer to my friends. Her drive and passion is top notch. She excels at reading the market and negotiating to maximize the opportunity for her clients. Recently, she dropped everything to show me a couple of houses I was interested in. In less than a few hours she had all the research done on the prop...

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I loved working with Jennifer for both the sale of my home and the purchase of another. Her knowledge of my area helped me list my home at the perfect time, and she was able to help me negotiate things that I hadn’t even thought of. Her dedication and diligence carried over into the purchase of my next property, and she was able to help me smoothly close the transaction. Even in a rapidly changing market...

— Radney

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I can say with confidence that Jennifer is the reason my partner and I are living in our dream starter home. She met with us early in the process to give us information about the market and connected us with an amazing lender. We looked at a handful of houses, but when we were finally ready to put in an offer, she helped us strategize to get our first offer accepted. She is such a fun person that no part...

— Kellan M.

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We had the fortunate experience of having Jenn Schurter as our realtor when my daughter was selling her home. In the beginning, she spent a lot of time explaining the steps involved in the process. Throughout the sale, she made herself available to answer any questions and was very reassuring when we had concerns. She was successful in selling the home for more than the listed price. Jenn is a warm, prof...

— Nancy F.

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Jennifer is highly knowledgeable and an excellent resource for all things Real Estate. In such a volatile market I trust Jen's advice and expertise. Her weekly newsletters are informative and fun! She is great at keeping you in the loop without ever making you feel pressured. I would highly recommend reaching out to Jen if you have questions about the current market or want to explore buying/selling in t...

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Working with Jennifer on buying a house with my wife was a fantastic decision. Her expertise and good recommendations helped get us a great deal on our first house at the pace we wanted. She always communicates quickly when we have questions and has been very pleasant to work with. I would absolutely recommend working with Jennifer if you are looking for a realtor.

— Michael F.

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Jennifer is a fantastic realtor. She guides her clients from start to finish and she is a marketing genius. Her plans have helped my clients in Ohio sell their homes. Jennifer uses her negotiating skills for her buyers and sellers to get a great deal. I recommend Jennifer as a trustworthy real estate agent, she should be your first pick!

— Laura P.

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Jennifer is outstanding! She communicates every step of the way and is prompt, friendly, professional, and thorough. During a crazy time to purchase real estate, she came up with creative solutions. For anyone looking to sell or purchase, I highly recommend working with Jennifer!

— Tina C.

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Jennifer is a master at her craft. She’s committed to continuous improvement and walks with you every step of the way through the transaction. Her attention to detail ensures a smooth closing and you’ll find a great friend through the process. Can’t recommend her highly enough!

— Bekki L.

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Jennifer carries an enthusiasm that makes her a joy to work with! She's hard-working, enthusiastic, and always goes above and beyond to make sure her clients are getting the best value. She's the best in Oregon, an excellent realtor, and an even better person.

— Nyia N.

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Jennifer is an expert marketer with the know-how, ideas, and creativity to help her clients through the entire real estate process. Whether you're new to the area or a fellow native Oregonian, Jennifer would love to be your go-to resource for all things real estate in the greater Clackamas County area.