SELLER’S GUIDE
FROM THE BRANDY PENNINGTON TEAM You are about to embark on the exciting journey of selling your home. Whether it is the first home you have sold or the tenth, we will make your experience fun and exciting. We are devoted to using the expertise and full resources of our office to achieve this. We are prepared to guide you through every phase of the selling process from setting a price, marketing your home, accepting an offer, to closing on the property and beyond.
PLEASE KEEP THIS GUIDE WITH YOU DURING THE SELLING PROCESS. IT WILL BE A HELPFUL RESOURCE BOTH DURING AND AFTER THE SALE OF YOUR HOME. Let’s take this exciting journey together! We look forward to meeting your real estate needs every step of the way!
Brandy Pennington REALTOR®
ABOUT BRANDY A lifelong resident of Anchorage, Brandy knows the market she sells. She chose real estate as her career after attending the University of Alaska Anchorage, and graduating from Wayland Baptist University with a Bachelor in Health Sciences. Her passion for real estate investment and expert negotiating skills have placed her in the Top 10 Producing REALTORS® in the Pacific Northwest region. Her commitment to excellence and personal integrity have earned the respect of her community, clients and peers. Brandy enjoys sharing her expertise with clients and helping them achieve their unique real estate goals. Whether they are buying, selling or investing in Alaska’s diverse and profitable real estate market. Brandy wants to be your REALTOR® for life by building a legacy of serving your needs as they evolve, and representing your family for generations to come.
PERSONAL TOUCH. POSITIVE RESULTS. “It’s about more than real estate. It’s about your life and your dreams!” WHY CHOOSE BRANDY?
Your important real estate business depends on it. Brandy’s incomparable experience, tenacity and commitment to your best interests will make all the difference in the successful sale of your home.
MARKET EXPERTISE
Anyone can put up a for sale sign, but there’s no substitute for home-grown knowledge or top-tier service. Brandy has cultivated exceptional insight on the Anchorage and Mat-Su Valley real estate markets. Her expertise includes buyer climate, market inventory, value analysis, growth potential, and other vital elements that will affect your best interests.
BROAD EXPERIENCE
Brandy is your go-to real estate expert, with a proven track record and hundreds of successful home sales. She has worked with a diverse clientele ranging from first-time buyers to savvy investors seeking to build their portfolios. Brandy is one of Anchorage’s most accomplished listing REALTORS®.
SKILLED NEGOTIATING.
Brandy is the ultimate negotiator and a savvy facilitator of successful deals. Her focus is to get every client the best value and protect their bottom line. A real estate deal is only successful if all parties agree on mutually beneficial terms.
CONCIERGE SERVICE
You will have no upfront costs when selling your home with Brandy. All of the related costs, such as home staging and appraisal are covered by Brandy and reimbursed when your home sale closes. 
THE LISTING TIMELINE PHASE 1
FIRST MEETING WITH BRANDY
SIGN LISTING PAPERWORK
PREPARE AND STAGE
PHASE 2
SET PRICE
BEGIN MARKETING YOUR HOME
RECEIVE OFFERS
PHASE 3
NEGOTIATE OFFERS
HOME INSPECTION
APPRAISALS
PHASE 4
DO A FINAL WALK-THROUGH
MOVE OUT
CLOSE & RECORD ON PROPERTY
LET’S GET STARTED Brandy’s philosophy is to sell your home in the least amount of time, for the most amount of money, with the least amount of hassle. Her mission is to close successful deals and build lasting relationships. Brandy wants to be your REALTOR® for life by building a legacy of serving your needs as they evolve, and representing your family for generations to come. At our first meeting we will supply all necessary paperwork and documentation to prepare your home for re- sale. This includes listing agreements, disclosures and preliminary title reports.
SETTING THE STAGE
Preparing your home for sale can be challenging, but it is a critical step in our proven process. Together we will conduct a comparative analysis and establish an honest market value for your home.
WORKING TOGETHER
The real estate market is highly competitive and according to the National Board of REALTORS®, only 60 percent of homes actually sell. It is important to have a REALTOR® with formal education, experience, the ability to anticipate market fluctuations, avoid gray areas, and handle such issues in a quick and professional manner. Brandy has the proven expertise to map out successful marketing and selling strategies for your investment. “You can trust in my experience. I have been actively involved in the real estate market since 2002, and as an investor I have “been there and done that”. I am confident that I can lead you through a successful transaction. My boutique real estate services have helped many families like yours, and I am looking forward to working with and for you!” - Brandy Pennington, Realtor
SO WHAT’S YOUR HOME REALLY WORTH? In a perfect world, your home’s value would be everything you think and need it to be. Perhaps you have specific financial goals or you’ve just made an offer on another home that is dependent on selling your home at a given price point. However, your home’s value is not determined by you, but by what the market is willing to pay for it at a given time. Prioritizing your goals is very important at this stage of the transaction.
TRY TO BE IMPARTIAL.
Unfortunately, the market is not interested in what you originally paid for your home, or how much you need to sell it for to buy your next home and meet your financial goals.
REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE SELLING.
Do you want to sell or do you need to sell? While in a buyers’ market you’ll seldom get more money than is required to meet your financial needs. Unfortunately your personal situation may dictate that you take less money than the market would otherwise be willing to give you if you had more time.
HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ANSWER:
What are your motivations for selling?
What will the sale of this home do for you?
Where will you go after the sale?
OUR PRICING PHILOSOPHY GOAL: Select a price that is right on target for the market and generates offers. RULES OF THUMB:
If you are getting showings but no one is writing an offer, it generally means that you are four to six percent above market value.
If your number of showings is low and you’re experiencing a lot of inquiries but the buyers don’t come to see the home, then your home is overpriced by six to twelve percent.
THE BOTTOM LINE: REALISTIC PRICING IS STRATEGIC PRICING!
Pricing your home realistically from the start is vitally important, particularly in today’s market. We need to maximize the market exposure so that you can best leverage the buyer interest and emotions. If you do so, you’ll not only attract more buyers, you’ll attract the right buyers: qualified, motivated and willing to pay top price for your home during it’s peak market value time-frame.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF OVERPRICING:
Despite being otherwise attracted to your home, fewer buyers will respond to our marketing efforts if they know it’s overpriced.
The right buyers – i.e. looking to buy a home like yours – may never even view it because they’ll confine their search to a lesser price range where yours should be.
Even if you do get a serious offer, the excessive price can lead to a mortgage rejection based on the lower appraisal value. This leads to critical lost time waiting for finance approvals that never go through.
CREATING A BUZZ In today’s real estate market, generating qualified buyers who will make a solid offer takes a lot more than a yard sign and an ad in the newspaper. Brandy will develop a marketing plan built around your needs, and is committed to bring qualified and motivated buyers to the table.

Post your home on all of the nation’s most used search engines and real estate advertisements 5 days ahead of average MLS listings.
Arrange private showings.
Schedule, advertise, and host open houses.
Create and distribute “Just Listed Flyers” to your neighborhood and per-qualified buyers.
Prepare and deliver weekly progress and feedback reports.
Contact REALTORS® who sell homes in your price range and offer to host a courtesy showing for their buyers.
Work to protect your best interest at all times throughout the transaction and beyond.
Communicate with you in a timely and efficient manner.
OFFERS AND COUNTER-OFFERS A home sale by itself can be complex. There will be people looking at your house, documents to sign and issues to be negotiated. It’s important to get it done right. You need to carefully prepare your home, understand the market and see what alternatives are realistically available. The old motto “be prepared” is a good guide in such circumstances. Brandy believes in a proactive approach that will help us be prepared for every step of the process.
WHAT’S AN ACCEPTABLE OFFER? A number of factors determine whether a buyer’s offer is acceptable. They include:
Is the offer at or near the asking price?
Has the buyer buried thousands of dollars in discounts and seller costs within tiny clauses and contract additions?
What is the alternative to the buyer’s offer? If a home has not attracted an offer in weeks, then sellers need to determine if a better deal is possible -- recognizing that each month costs are being incurred for mortgage payments, taxes and insurance.
Does the owner have enough time to wait for other offers?
What if several offers are received? Do you choose the high offer from the purchaser with questionable finances who may not be able to close, or a somewhat lesser offer from a buyer with pre-approved financing or other attractive concessions?
In each case, Brandy and her team will carefully review offers, consider marketplace options and to help you determine whether an offer is acceptable.
WHAT IS A COUNTER-OFFER? A counter-offer is nothing more than a new offer. The seller can now choose one of three reactions: accept the offer, decline the offer or make a fresh counter-offer. Offers and counter-offers reflect the back-and-forth activity of the marketplace. It’s an efficient and practical process -- but also one that may contain tricky clauses and hidden costs. Brandy can explain the local bargaining process in detail and assist in the actual negotiations.
HOW DO YOU NEGOTIATE? It’s sometimes argued that negotiation must produce one “winner” and one “loser.” Others suggest that a “win/win” situation is possible where each side gets something of value. Real estate bargaining typically involves compromises by both sides. It’s not war; it’s not winner-take-all; and it’s not the time to take personally any comments made by the purchasers. Instead, negotiating should be seen as a natural business process; buyers should be treated with respect; and owners should never lose sight of either their best interests or their baseline transaction requirements. These are the standards unique to each owner, which must be met before the home can be placed under contract.
MARKET-SMART MAKEOVERS KITCHEN New flooring, cabinets, counter tops, appliances and lighting can be costly, but buyers typically look for updated kitchens, and you’ll recover a large percentage of your expenses on resale. Even a minor face-lift – for instance, new paint, floor covering, cabinet doors and hardware – can pay off in a faster sale at a better price.
BATHROOMS As with the kitchen, renovating bathrooms can pay off in terms of both value and marketability, especially in an older house. Opt for good lighting, large mirrors, attractive fixtures and materials, plenty of storage and neutral colors.
NOT READY TO RENOVATE? Invest in a thorough deep clean of the home and watch the offers come in!
SMALL UPGRADES AND REPAIRS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE There are few things that put buyers off more than viewing a home that appears to be uncared for. If you want to maximize your chances for getting top dollar, you might need to make some minor upgrades, but you’ll definitely need to make all necessary repairs – even those that are “out of sight, out of mind”. Leaving aside major structural and functional matters, here are a few relatively minor upgrades and repairs that can go a long way to improving how buyers perceive your home:
EXTERIOR
Fix or replace anything damaged or worn, such as patio and deck, gutters and eaves, windows, shutters, screens, storm doors, light fixtures, porches and steps, walkways and fences.
Touch up all exterior paint or if needed, re-paint the house.
Fix doorbells, tighten loose doorknobs and oil squeaking hinges.
Clean or paint front door, polish front door hardware, replace “Welcome” mat if necessary.
Green-up dry lawn patches, plant extra flowers for color, place potted plants beside the front door.
INTERIOR
Fix or replace cracked molding or floor tiles, leaking taps and toilets, loose door knobs, squeaky door hinges, closets or screen doors that are off their tracks, bathroom lighting and hardware, toilet seats, loose caulking or grout.
Fix and touch-up walls, ceilings, windows, etc.
Brighten interiors with a new coat of paint in light, neutral colors.
THE FULL SERVICE LISTING YOU DON’T PAY UNTIL YOUR HOME SELLS!
Brandy strongly believes in her marketing process and wants to remove any obstacles that could keep you from getting the best offer for your home. When you sell with Brandy, you will enjoy no upfront fees for your listing! This includes home staging, photography, even some home repairs and upgrades! Selling your home can be expensive! Most Anchorage/Mat-Su home sales will require the homeowner to pay roughly $5,500 in upfront costs, prior to closing. These expenses are a necessity to properly market your home and attract quality buyers. But here’s the good news: Brandy will cover ALL of these upfront costs for you! She’ll be reimbursed at closing through your mortgage payoff.
COSTS PAID UPFRONT BY BRANDY PRIOR TO CLOSING
Home staging: $500-2500
Professional photography: $450
Title report & as-built fee: $250-550
COSA/DEC testing: $1600+
Home Appraisal: $1000
Home repairs and upgrades: $1000-5000
Vacant property maintenance: $500-1000
TYPICAL COSTS YOU CAN EXPECT TO PAY AT CLOSING
Mortgage balance payoff
Brokerage transfer fees
Reimburse Brandy for upfront home sale costs(such as appraisal, home staging, and testing/report fees)
Other negotiated terms of sale (appraisal, home warranty, etc.)
Brandy will provide you a breakdown of all your costs and what you can expect to net from the sale of your home.
ARE YOU READY TO SELL WITH BRANDY? THE NEXT STEP
Schedule the initial meeting with Brandy at your home
Complete the Sellers Questionnaire at brandypennington.com
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE FIRST MEETING
Meet and greet with Brandy and members of her team!
Sign listing paperwork
Review sellers questionnaire
Brandy will do an initial walk-through of your home
Brandy will present a marketing strategy for your home, taking into consideration your specific time-line needs
Preliminary property photos, to be used for internal market analysis
Brandy will do a “blue-tape” walk-through of your home and identify any areas of concern
CONTACT BRANDY PHONE: 907-336-SOLD WEBSITE: BRANDYPENNINGTON.COM EMAIL: brandy@brandypennington.com DWELL REALTY - 3230 C STREET - ANCHORAGE, AK 99503