Mr. Magnolia’s Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Home in Queen Anne

One of the most popular neighborhoods in Seattle, Queen Anne is the home of the iconic Space Needle. It’s also a neighborhood rich in history and architectural diversity and has some of the city’s best dining options as well as views. Whether you plan to up or downsize in the Queen Anne area or you’re relocating to a different part of the city or country, you will likely not have a difficult time finding interested buyers for your home. However, to maximize your selling price and ensure the process is a smooth one, you should follow a few tips. Here is your ultimate guide to selling your home from trusted Queen Anne real estate agent Corey Hays.

The first step in any successful selling process is to choose the right Queen Anne real estate agent. Develop a list of possible agents by talking to family and friends as well as doing some internet research. Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few possibilities, schedule a time to talk to the agents in person or over the phone. Ask them some questions, such as what types of homes they’ve sold in the past, how many people are on their team, and what their favorite marketing tools are. If you’re still trying to decide between two agents, always go with the one you feel most comfortable with. You’ll be working with this person for several weeks (or more), and the process will go much smoother if you get along well.

Once you’ve chosen an agent, he or she can help you set the right price for your home. Most agents will do this by performing a comparative market analysis. A CMA looks at homes in the area that are comparable to yours and that have recently sold. A fair price is important as pricing too high will turn away potential buyers, while pricing too low will result in losing potential profits.

Preparing your home prior to listing is key. The first task is to declutter. Remove all belongings that are essential for your everyday life (if you’re still living in the home) and that don’t help designate the purpose of the room. This includes papers, old clothes, personal items like artwork, family photos, and knickknacks, and seldom used kitchen appliances. Make sure counters are clean and uncluttered and that storage spaces are well-organized.

Now it’s time to deep clean. Most of those prepping Queen Anne homes for sale opt to use a professional cleaning service that specializes in getting homes ready for the market. A pro knows how to make every corner of your home shine, and delegating this task will free up your time to focus on more important matters (like finding a new home!).

Your clean and decluttered home is now ready to stage. This is another task that is better left to a pro who can use best practices to make sure your home appeals to your ideal buyers. Professional stagers will remove or replace bulky furniture, make sure each room has a designated purpose, and increase curb appeal to provide a warm welcome to all who view your home.

Your home is now ready to be listed on the multiple listing service (MLS) and on other real estate sites. Many agents will also list it on their own website as well create a landing page with the sole purpose of showcasing and selling your home. Your agent may also use marketing tools like social media ads and newsletters as well as market your home to their network of other real estate professionals and those in the market for a new home.

Your agent’s marketing efforts will lead to those interested in seeing your home. You can show your home during open houses or scheduled private viewings, or you can have a virtual tour created so interested buyers can see your home from the privacy of their own. While open houses and showings are great ways for buyers to get an up close and personal look at your property, some agents prefer virtual tours to reach the most buyers possible–especially those who don’t live in the area and can’t attend an in-person event.

Getting offers on your home can be exciting, but it’s important not to jump at the highest offer. Evaluate all the offers with your real estate agent and pay attention to things like contingencies, pre-approval status, down payment, and timeline. Once you’ve chosen the best offer, you can either accept it as-is or you can counter-offer. If you decide none of the offers are sufficient, you can pass on them and wait for more offers to come in.

Did you choose an offer that satisfies all your requirements? Now it’s time to close the deal! Once you’ve accepted the offer, you will move into escrow, where the money is held by a third party until all necessary requirements have been satisfied. You will then pay closing costs (depending on the offer you accepted, these costs may be paid by the buyer, you as the seller, or split between the two of you) and move on to close on the deal.

Listing Queen Anne homes for sale does not have to be a stressful process. With the help of a professional agent like Corey Hays (also known as Mr. Magnolia), you can breeze through the steps of listing, grab the attention of your ideal buyer, and be ready to close and buy your new home before you know it! Ready to take the next step? Reach out to Corey and his team today for expert guidance from start to finish.