RICHELLE GROUP Pacific
SELLer’s guide
ABOUT US The Richelle Group of Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty is here to assist you with all of your Real Estate needs. We aspire to serve all of our clients with integrity, reliability, and top quality service. We are committed to providing excellent customer service, knowledge that is up-to-date and professional. Our team has a combined total of 27 years experience and spends over $20k per year on training to provide you with the best representation. We are determined to succeed in finding your dream home that meets all of your most desired home necessities. It is our goal to make your Real Estate experience an enjoyable one. Negotiating is our expertise. We look forward to earning your business and assisting you with the purchase of your new home.
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A Team always out performs an individual
ABOUT OUR TEAM RICHELLE SZCZYGIEL
RICK SZCZYGIEL
REALTOR® CalBRE# 01447519
REALTOR® CalBRE# 02024116
Richelle has a passion for Real Estate. Her Midwest upbringing has been a huge asset as people have gravitated towards her due to her values and integrity. She has been in the Real Estate industry for 13 years. She is a certified Negotiating Specialist. Richelle has been very successful in guiding her clients through the purchase of their dream home, and actively helping get top dollar for her clients on the sale of their home. With an incredible drive that motivates her, she stays on beat with the market and makes sure she is working with the latest cutting edge technology. Richelle is a firm believer in giving back to the community and working with various charities that help with San Diego’s homeless, including its youth. The Real Estate market in San Diego has become a global market and Richelle has aligned herself with Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty to take advantage of the worldwide reach that they have to offer.
Rick has over 35 years experience in construction, customer service, and sales. He held a securities license for several years and was a regional manager for an Insurance company. With background knowledge and expertise in trading stock options, granite sales, and insurance. Rick is able to apply his previous job skill sets to Real Estate by providing his clients with excellent customer service, dependability, and integrity.
ALEX YURE
ALEXISS ZAZUETA
REALTORÂŽ CalBRE# 01947513
REALTORÂŽ CalBRE# 02006086
Alex has several years of experience in Real Estate, and a lifelong passion for San Diego. After frequent vacations and visits with his family, Alex decided to make San Diego his home. With a background as an Athlete, Outdoorsman, and former Golf Professional he was drawn to the beauty and lifestyle of this city. Alex earned a Bachelor of Science from W.P Carey School of Business, at Arizona State University. His excellent education has been complimented by additional training, years of work experience in management, financial and investment analysis, negotiating, and Real Estate. Alex has generously devoted his time as a community volunteer with special fondness for Junior Golf and the First Tee. His time as a teaching golf professional has provided him with ample opportunity to develop the patience required to work with everyone, from first time buyers to seasoned investors.
Alexiss has always loved helping others and meeting new people. She has a passion for Real Estate and has been in the industry for several years now. With a background as a Real Estate Assistant, Transaction Coordinator, and Loan Processor, she is able to fully understand and assist her clients and team with the entire process of buying and selling a home. Growing up in San Diego has made her became very familiar with all the locations this beautiful city is surrounded with. Alexiss believes in providing her clients with the best customer service, integrity, and professionalism. She is dedicated to helping her clients find their dream home or helping with the sale of their current home.
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DECIDING ON A REALTOR® Nearly two-thirds of people who sell their own homes say they wouldn’t do it again themselves. Primary reasons included setting a price, marketing handicaps, liability concerns, and time constraints. When deciding upon a REALTOR®, consider two or three. Be as wary of quotes that are too low as those that are too high. All REALTORS® are not the same! A professional REALTOR® knows the market and has information on past sales, current listings, a marketing plan, and will provide their background and references. Evaluate each candidate carefully on the basis of his or her experience, qualifications, enthusiasm and personality. Be sure you choose someone that you trust and feel confident that they will do a good job on your behalf.
WHY WORK WITH US? BENEFITS OF OUR TEAM We proactively prospect everyday looking for a buyer for your home by: • Calling through potential buyers that want to live in your neighborhood. • Running social media ad campaigns to attract buyers. • Tracking down current renters who could be looking to buytheir first home. • Door-knock the neighborhood to find out if anyone is looking to move up or downsize in your neighborhood. We also: • Preview homes daily, staying on top of the market and inventory to determine value. • Negotiate to help you position yourself so you have the highest chance of getting your target price. • Contact other local agents to see if they have any potential buyers who are looking in your area or for your home style. • Network with over 800 agents through our company-wide intranet
BENEFITS OF A SELLING WITH US WHY SHOULD YOU HIRE OUR TEAM TO REPRESENT YOU WITH YOUR SALE. When working with our team we exclusively represent you and your interests. From the moment you put your home on the market, to the day you sell to when receive the keys to your next home. We are with you every step of the way. We take the time to learn about you, analyze your selling needs and make recommendations based on the information you provide us with. A Seller’s Agent is an expert on the local market, and can advise the most affective way to market your home to ultimately help you reach your real estate goals.
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ABOUT PACIFIC SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty provides our clients with comprehensive real estate services offering years of expertise, in– depth market knowledge and the resources of a global network. Whether it’s a move across town or around the world, we provide comprehensive resources for expediting a smooth transition. Founded in 1976, the Sotheby’s International Realty brand is a unique luxury network of brokerage agencies offering a wide collection of luxury homes, estates and properties for sale throughout the world. With more than 670 offices and 13,000 sales associates across 49 countries and territories, our network is committed to helping its clients find a home and luxury real estate agent in the world’s most desired locations. Our purpose is to artfully unite extraordinary properties with extraordinary lives – servicing the needs of the most prestigious clientele in the world.
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SELLING FACTORS You’ve decided to sell your property. Before anything else, it is a good idea to sit down and clarify your motivations and draw up a basic time frame for the selling process. WHY SELL? Why do you want to sell your property? Do you intend to simply find a larger property, or do you plan on moving to another neighborhood, school district, city, province or country? You might think your reasons are obvious, but it would do you well to consider the implications of each option for your lifestyle, opportunities, and finances. Being clear about your intentions for selling will make it easier for me to determine the most appropriate option for your specified financial situation, lifestyle, and real estate goals. WHEN SHOULD I SELL? You should immediately establish your time frame for selling. If you need to sell quickly, I can speed up the process by giving you a complete market analysis and action plan to obtain all of your goals. If there is no pressing need to sell immediately, you can sit down with me over coffee and thoroughly review the current market conditions and find the most favorable time to sell. WHAT IS THE MARKET LIKE? When you work with me, you can be sure that you will have my knowledge, expertise and negotiating skills at work for you to arrive at the best market price and terms. I will keep you up-to-date on what is happening in the marketplace, the price, terms and conditions of competing properties, while my associate mortgage broker will go through all financing options available for you for your next home. With Richelle Realty you will know exactly how to price and when to sell your property.
EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS! Real estate can be scary for some people. There are so many obstacles to overcome from finding the right buyer to purchase your home at the right price to making moving accommodations in order to settle rin to your next home. From the first contact you will realize that we are not your average real estate team. We care. We treat you like family. We listen, learn, teach and grow with you every step of the way. We connect in a way that we consider “the right move!”
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UNDERSTANDING WHY YOU ARE SELLING Your motivation to sell is the determining factor as to how you will approach the process. It affects everything from what you set your asking price at to how much time, money and effort you’re willing to invest in order to prepare your home for sale. For example, if your goal is for a quick sale, this would explain one approach. If you want to maximize your profit, the sales process might take longer thus determining a different approach.
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SELLER’S INFO - 5 STEPS STEP ONE: PRICING YOUR HOME Pricing your home is the first and one of the most important aspects when selling your home. By properly analyzing the market, we are able to make an accurate assessment of your home while keeping all your questions and concerns in mind. The best pricing strategy is based on our client’s needs. Not everything can be explained in the stats, and client preferences can never be measured. STEP TWO: PRESENTATION Overall presentation is so key in the successful sale of your home. From photography, to video, to printed marketing material, to online presence; our presentation relates to the character of each home and must be up-to-date, attractive and professional. STEP THREE: MARKETING 90% of all homes are found on the internet and 99% of all searches are found through Google, Yahoo, or Bing. We ensure our clients receive the necessary exposure when selling their home. We take advantage of any new and innovative avenue to enhance our online presence so that our client’s home gets the exposure it needs. STEP FOUR: NEGOTIATING While we review the offers, our negotiating skills help get the job done. STEP FIVE: CLOSING We specialize in closing all the deals we open. If it’s in reach, and in your best interest, we will get it done. Congratulations on your new home!
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THE DETAILS COULD MEAN ALL THE DIFFERENCE When you set your price, you make buyers aware of the absolute maximum they have to pay for your home. As a seller, you will want to get a selling price as close to the list price as possible. If you start out by pricing too high you run the risk of not being taken seriously by buyers and their agents and pricing too low can result in selling for much less than you were hoping for.
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MARKETING YOUR HOME 1 THE SELLER CAN GENERALLY BE EXPECTED TO PAY FOR: Did you know that the average agent sells only 8 homes per year? Did you know that 45% of real estate agents spend less than $500 per year on training and professional development. These are the facts, so how do you know if your agent is an expert in helping sell your home? There is way more involved with selling a home, but most of the time, the problems that arise during the selling process starts at the beginning. By determining buyers’ expectations, needs and wants, and comparing them to what the market is showing, an expert will be able to connect potential buyers to your home. However, it is important to understand how an agent will be able to identify these factors. When deciding on an agent that will guide you through the process, ask the necessary questions and ensure you are comfortable with their response. Our team will be able to determine things that buyers want most such as timing and motivation, expenses and finances, lifestyle and community profile and provide a customized marketing strategy that fits your needs as a seller. LET’S MARKET IT FOR ALL IT’S WORTH! Have you ever heard the term “if you build it, they will come”? Well in real estate, we would all love for things to be that easy—”if you list it, they will come”. The truth is, if you want to generate the traffic necessary to sell your home, you have to market, market, market! I spend a lot of time, money and resources finding better ways to market our client’s homes. But if nobody sees your home, it simply won’t sell. Therefore, the most important part of our plan of action is to get your home the exposure it needs in order for it to successfully sell. However, we have to make sure your home is in ready-to-sell condition. So let’s begin to prepare...
EXTRAORDINARY MARKETING Our comprehensive marketing plan will get your home seen by thousands of motivated buyers. Ultimately, my goal is to get your home the most exposure necessary and highlight the best qualities it possesses. THE RIGHT PRICE: Our team will quickly put together a custom marketing plan with an effective price. A well priced home often generates competing offers and drives up the final sale value. Our market analysis takes into account the most actively searched prices and home values throughout your area, including expired listings and properties still on the market. THE RIGHT EXPOSURE: In marketing your home, we also develop a listing that emphasizes its unique and sellable aspects. We then put your home in front of buyers, establishing it on the local MLS, new listings sheets, and real estate publications. Our nation-wide network of professional real estate contacts and buyers will also have the opportunity to check out your listing. EFFECTIVE INTERNET MARKETING: In addition, our team will use the Internet and our innovative website, www.richellerealty.com, to make your listing highly visible. With more than 90% of buyers checking the web first when looking for a home, this is a part of your marketing strategy that you can’t afford to miss.
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MARKETING YOUR HOME 2 Our team takes the time to ensure your home gets the exposure it needs in order to sell. We don’t hesitate to door-knock, distribute flyers, talk to the neighborhood, and do neighbor invited open houses. We do open houses like no one else does! BROKER TOURS & SUPERIOR OPEN HOUSES The broker tour opens your home to agents from other firms. An open house is usually the most convenient time for other agents to bring buyers to see your property. But we don’t just do open houses, we do open house like no one else. We’ll show off your home so that it looks its best for this important event. PRINTED MARKETING PIECES We provide professional Property Listing Brochures/Booklets, Hiend Elite Property Booklets, Unique Marketing Pieces and Attractive Feature Presentations. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS, VIRTUAL TOURS AND WEBSITES Creating a digital experience for home buyers on the local, national, and international market. We provide professional photos and tours on more than 15 websites in all. We give you the online exposure you need. PROFESSIONAL STAGING CONSULTATION The best way to showcase your home for all it’s worth is to professionally stage your home. Our team provides professional staging consultation to help bring out the best in your home. MARKETING PRESENTATION Our team follows a proven system that allows us to get the most out of your home. This system includes customized marketing products such as informative property brochures that highlight the best qualities of a home, professional photography, video presentations, web exposure that utilizes all search engine optimization sites (at least 15 websites), and quality print ad campaigns that are unique to the property. All this helps to ensure the quick and successful sale of your home.
PRICING YOUR HOME There are many factors involved that lead to the successful sale of your home. However, there are key components that stand out from the rest. One of these components is an essential part of the process. FIRST: Pricing your home correctly is so important. An overpriced home can be detrimental in the end, while an undervalued property certainly doesn’t always generate the buzz it needs. Pricing your home properly takes an experience agent who understands the market. The last thing you want is for your home to stay on the market longer than expected. At that time, interest starts to diminish and perception of the home could go from positive to negative.
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APPEARANCES MATTER MAKE ‘EM COUNT Appearance is so critical that it would be unwise to ignore this when selling your home. The look and “feel” of your home will generate a greater emotional response than any other factor. Prospective buyers react to what they see, hear, feel, and smell even though you may have priced your home to sell.
PHOTOGRAPHY & STAGING STAGING OR VIRTUAL STAGING Staging has been proven to sell a home for more money in less time. Although staging is not for every home, we will guide you through the decision of choosing staging vendors or virtual staging. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY - THE TRUE DIFFERENCE There’s a difference between iPhone photography and professional photos. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have exceptional photos of your home. Buyers develop an opinion of a property before even having stepped inside, so it’s an essential and extremely important part of the process. Our team of experienced agents only uses the best photographers, helping your home stand out and highlighting the best qualities of your property. Below are some before and after photos. Discover the difference for yourself!
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
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HOME PREPARATION
HOME EXTERIOR • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
House number should be easy to read. Lights on timers to ensure house is lit up after sunset. Eaves troughs, and down spouts in good repair. Garage/car port clean and tidy. Litter picked up. Cracked or broken window panes replaced. Doorbell and door hardware in good repair. Touch up trim paint on doors, window frames, fascia, etc. Mow, edge and weed the lawn frequently until the home is sold. Overgrown shrubbery should be cut back to show as much of the exterior as possible. A low-cost investment in seasonal flowers or ground cover will add a personal touch. Inspect the roof for necessary repairs and any visible broken shingles or tiles. Stucco water stains can be repaired using a mild bleaching agent. Fences should be mended and painted. Wash all windows inside and outside.
HOME INTERIOR • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Lights should be on and drapes should be left open during daylight hours. Heat set at a comfortable temperature. Fresh flowers/plants in various rooms. Chipped plaster and paint touched up and repaired. Doors and cupboards properly closed. Leaky taps and toilets repaired. Burned out light bulbs replaced. Squeaky doors oiled. Mirrors, fixtures, and taps cleaned and polished. Seals around tubs and basins in good repair. Floors cleaned, garbage containers emptied. Inside of closets and cupboards neat and tidy. Valuable property, out of reach, out of sight, or locked away. Pets absent, where possible, or contained during showings. All torn screens should be repaired or replaced. Avoid repainting the entire house unless current colours are very loud.
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TESTIMONIALS “Richelle has to be one of the most patient, good natured and tolerant people we know. Richelle did far more than agents normally do. She helped me navigate some very complex and sometimes abrasive situations. Throughout the transaction, Richelle handled herself in the most professional manner. Richelle’s advice, knowledge, hard work, never ending patients, humor, limitless energy and “do whatever it takes” attitude transformed what seemed to be a dismal situation into a very positive and profitable outcome. We appreciate everything you did, Richelle.”
Jonathon “Initially I didn’t think we needed a real estate agent. I was very wrong. Even though our escrow was a relatively smooth one, there were still many different steps that we would not have been able to navigate without Richelle’s help. I don’t know how many times we thought during the process, thank goodness we decided to work with Richelle. She is responsive, honest, detail oriented and she followed through on everything she said she would do. I plan to recommend Richelle to my friends and colleagues. She took care of the details, so we could enjoy our home buying experience.”
Jon & Janelle “I’ve had the privilege of working with Richelle for the past few months. Hands down she’s one of the BEST agents in town. Her expertise in the real estate industry is unbeatable; she knows the city and buildings inside and out. But on top of all her top knock experiences, she’s a very pleasant person to work with. She responds to text/emails quickly and her dedication to put her clients satisfaction on the top priority is something I’ve never seen before (good to mention I’ve worked with many agents) Overall she turns buying and selling a house into an exciting experience!”
Sogol “Couldn’t have been a better experience. Alex is knowledgeable, patient and thoughtful. Our particular purchase happened to be pretty complicated but he knew just the right resources to rely on and was flummoxed by nothing. You’d be very lucky to work with Alex if you’ve got the opportunity.”
Noah & Renata
MORE TESTIMONIALS “The catch phrase (“The early bird gets the worm”) is true. When I first started to look at properties on-line, Alex was the first agent to contact me, and as it turned out, the best I could have hoped for. Though many other agents had contacted me, the reason I chose Alex was a combination of market understanding, professional and courteous communication, and most importantly, a pace that was both easy, yet timely. I never felt pressured to settle on a home I really didn’t want. Alex has a strong intuition and interpersonal skill set that truly separates him from the rest of the pack. By throwing in the A-Team funding broker, escrow office, inspector, etc., he surrounds himself with, I would not hesitate to use Alex for any and all real estate ventures.”
John D.
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KEEP EMOTIONS IN CHECK DURING NEGOTIATIONS Let go of the emotion you’ve invested in your home. Be detached, using a business-like manner in your negotiations. You’ll definitely have an advantage over those who get caught up emotionally in the situation.
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RICHELLE GROUP Pacific Direct 619.200.5545
1111 Prospect St Suite 100, La Jolla, CA 92037
richelle@richellerealty.com www.richellerealty.com Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Each office is independently owned and operated.