Understanding the Home Selling Process

Selling real estate in Los Angeles can be complicated. We use technology and marketing to showcase your home to thousands of potential Los Angeles home buyers. It’s our marketing along with our experienced, knowledgeable and professional consultants that ensure your home sale is stress-free from day one.


Step 1 – The Home Evaluation.

It’s important that we price your home properly from the start. New listings receive a lot of attention. If your home is overpriced during the initial marketing campaign, you will lose many qualified buyers to competing properties. Your property will receive the most attention during the first two weeks on the market.

We will provide you with a complimentary CMA (comparative market analysis) to assist you in pricing your home. Your CMA will include currently listed and recently sold properties matching similar criteria to your property.

 

Step 2 – Listing the Property
Once we’ve determined the proper price for your home, we need to prepare the listing agreements. Your listing agreement will include the types of advertising to be used when marketing, guidelines for showings and open houses, the commission rate, and other pertinent details to allow us to best market your home to potential buyers.


Step 3 – Preparing for Showings and Open Houses
We will schedule a time for one of your home stagers to visit your home. Also, your property will be photographed for print, online and interactive video.


 

 

Step 4 – Marketing

Your listing is offered on over 300 online websites, including: Trulia, Zillow, Google Maps, Coldwell Banker, Home Finder, California Moves

In addition to online syndication, our listings are marketed to over 4,300 co-operating brokers and agents throughout Los Angeles to weekly emails and private agent online open houses.

All marketing campaigns are complete with professional photography, brochures, postcards, and online virtual tours.

 

Step 5 – The offer
The “written offer” covers such subjects as the purchase price, down payment, terms of conventional financing or financing to be provided by the seller; and covers such other subjects as the location and duration of the escrow, title insurance issues, termite and other inspections, seller’s disclosure concerning the property and any contingencies upon which the parties’ obligation of performance depends.

 

Step 6 – The Contract

Once the contract is formed, the seller signs the “acceptance” portion of the offer. If the seller makes changes in the terms of the offer, a “counter offer” is prepared. There may be several counter offers between the parties. Once both parties have accepted and signed an acceptable and signed counter offer, an enforceable contract is formed.

The escrow holder creates a set of “escrow instructions” that set forth the terms of the transaction. Once the instructions are signed, the escrow holder obtains information and creates documents necessary to carry out the terms of the transaction.

Step 7 – Satisfying Contingencies
Before the escrow closing, the seller may be required to perform various steps such as: install smoke detectors and low-flow toilets. Some local government regulations require additional “retrofits.”
Step 8 – The closing

The escrow company prepares the deed for signature by the seller in favor of the buyer and requires the buyer to deposit the balance of the cash consideration. At the “closing,” the escrow records the deed in favor of the buyer and tenders the net proceeds of sale to the seller after paying real estate commissions and seller’s closing costs, typically including the cost of the buyer’s policy of title insurance; one-half the escrow fees; and HOA document preparation transfer and recording fees. The buyer’s “closing costs” which are deposited in escrow along with the cash consideration required to complete the purchase, include one-half of the escrow fees; the cost of the lender’s policy of title insurance; document preparation and recording fees; and prorations for secured property taxes and homeowner’s insurance. Following the closing, the buyer becomes the owner of the property and takes possession.