Home Seller's Guide

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Why Use

An Agent?

USING AN AGENT CAN HELP YOU GET THE MOST FROM YOUR SALE

There’s a reason nearly 90% of sellers use a listing agent: Selling a home takes time, knowledge of neighborhood trends, and negotiating skills. So while eliminating the agent’s commission—6% of the sale price, on average—sounds mighty tempting, try to resist.

As agents, our chief tasks are to help set the right price and then get buyers in the door. We have access to the most up-to-

date information about recent sales of comparable homes (“comps”) and competing listings in your neighborhood. The market is shifting every day. It’s our job to keep abreast of those changes.

Many people might think that Trulia or Zillow are good public databases which potential sellers can use to get their own data, but you should know that the data on these websites is often 90 days old or older... and thanks to agreements with the Nashville MLS (the database of home-sale data locally), will only show a portion of the available facts about a home or transaction.

Couple that with the fact that public releases about the accuracy of Zestimates in Nashville pitch them as 4 to 40% incorrect at least 50% of the time,

and you can see how relying on these tools can get a little disastrous. But that's not all!

A good agent also will market your home aggressively. That means recommending staging techniques to make the place look great, maximizing the listing with professional-quality photographs, and showing the house to prospective buyers.

Most important, an agent will vet potential buyers so that you deal only with serious prospects.

Once we’ve found a buyer, we negotiate counteroffers, track the paperwork, and generally hand-hold you through the most nerve-racking part of the process.

If you’re determined to go it

alone, discount programs like ForSalebyOwner.com and HelpUSell allow you to pay only for the services you choose, including listing your home on the same local multiple listing service agents use. Even so, many direct sellers offer commissions to buyers’ agents as an enticement to bring their customers to the home. Owners who pay 2%-3% are 25% more likely to sell than those who offer nothing, according to For Sale By Owner.

I handle the ever-changing legal atmosphere for you.

Buying or selling a home is not like purchasing a plane ticket. Every home is different, and laws change every year and vary from state to state.

Generally speaking, people purchase a new home every 7-10 years, and a lot can — and usually does — change between transactions.

Realtors® are immersed in real estate, and they must stay current with all the updates in regulations, laws, contracts and practices. We work hard to stay on the cuttingedge of Nashville real estate, and we put that knowledge to work for you.

You will typically net a higher sales price using an agent... even after commission.

While in general, sellers who use agents make anywhere from 4% to 25% more than homes selling without an agent, there's one famous example. Colby Sambrotto, the Founder of ForSaleByOwner.Com, attempted to sell his home For Sale By Owner. At a list price of 2 million dollars, and after 180 days of no success, Colby decided to list it with Realtor®, Jesse Buckler. Jesse sold the home for $150,000 more than the original list price (an increase of 7.5% on the initial listing price). The same person who is making a living from people trying to sell their home by themselves actually sold his home faster than when listing on his own, and net more money when using a Realtor®. Couple that with the fact that approximately 89% of all FSBO sellers eventually use an agent, and you've got a strong reason just to pull the trigger now.

I use an intensive marketing plan to market your property.

Who knows better how to market a home for sale than someone who's been doing it almost every day, and is constantly surrounded by the best marketing approaches in the industry? The first thing we tell our clients to do is to google their address. After listing with us, I ask them about a week later to google their address again.

At this point, the first page of Google is loaded with great marketing content for their address.

Video presentations, contextual posts, pictures, and information that any home buyer wants to see!

A great Realtor® is going to proactively prospect buyers for you by leveraging the Realtor® network through reverse prospecting as well as use every marketing and sales technique they have developed over their careers. If you decide to work with me, I will be with you every step of the way fighting to protect your equity. We leverage not just a network of contacts, but a top-tier tech approach to help max out your home's exposure.

I can help connect you to reliable contractors.

A good real estate agent knows the market and they also know people in the business. They can help a seller find a title company with the lowest fees and best service. They can help the seller find the best contractor if repairs are needed before the listing or after an inspection. But that's not all! Believe it or not, agents like us can help you: Negotiate inspections Negotiate appraisals + Negotiate title resolutions + Negotiate seller concessions + Negotiate earnest money + Negotiate inclusions and exclusions + Negotiate survey resolutions + Negotiate due diligence resolution + +

Earn more, with less stress, when using an agent.

It is almost always better to use a real estate agent to sell a home, instead of selling yourself.

A local agent will make you more money on the sale using knowledge and experience. Before you try to sell a house on your own, consider the benefits of using highly qualified and knowledgeable agents like us to help you! After all, you wouldn't go to a court case worth hundreds of thousands of dollars without a lawyer on your side. Use a Realtor®!

The Selling Process A GUIDE TO HOME SELLING

1. Cleaning Up If you’re in the market to sell, it’s probably time to clean house. Literally.

Selling a home requires preparation, patience, and in most cases, good-oldfashioned elbow grease. From list to closing, we’ll walk you through the most important steps and terminology.

2. Contact A REALTOR® The job of a full-service real estate agent is to represent your best interests through every step of the sales process.

Your agent should listen to your needs and understand the market in which you are selling a home. They should be experts in marketing, negotiation, transaction forms, and finance options, as well as have an understanding of technology and how it can enhance the marketing of your home.

A good agent should also prepare you for what to expect within the process, given local market conditions.

3. Setting a Price Determining the right price is handsdown the most important part of achieving the highest return in the least amount of time. There are a lot of factors that go into determining a home’s market value, such as the sales

price of nearby homes that have recently sold, the listing price of similar homes that are currently on the market, as well as the condition and location of a home. In order to determine pricing, your real estate agent will provide a comparable market analysis which walks you through what your home is worth – and why.

But there are also other reasons the price is important! Setting a price even slightly too high can turn off potential buyers, meaning your home sits on the market during its crucial first few weeks. If a home sits on the market for too long, usually 90 to 120 days, buyers will begin to assume (even incorrectly) that there is something wrong with it.

Most agents instead recommend picking a slightly low price, which can encourage a lot of interest and a multiple-offer bidding war.

4. Staging & Marketing Your Home First impressions are key when selling a home, so before the ‘for sale’ sign goes up, put in the time to make sure it’s in ship shape. A beautiful, well-staged home can attract many times as qualified buyers. I typically recommend fresh paint, clean closets, and cheery but minimal staging – there’s a lot you can do to make even the most humble of abodes look like a million bucks.

Getting your home presentable to buyers is the first step in my marketing plan. Today, the vast majority of homebuyers use the internet in their home search, so that's where we start!

After getting gorgeous professional photos, we'll collect all the data about your home, write a fantastic description, and upload the details onto the local Multiple Listing Service.

This service covers most of middle Tennessee and will ensure that your home appears digitally on thousands of websites listing homes for sale. But we don't stop there. We create specialized home listings for your property on websites like Zillow.com, feature it on our own website, promote it using advertisements on social media, and provide information on your home to our network of contacts: more than a thousand people.

Not every agent out there will spend their own money to market your listings. That's just one of the ways we're a little different.

5. Organize Home Showings & Viewings Showings and viewings are an inconvenient, yet necessary part of the home selling process. When your home is on the market it has the potential to be shown at any time, so it's important to maintain a certain level of cleanliness; clear dishes from the sink, make beds, put away dirty laundry, and vacuum and dust regularly. It's also a good idea to clear out; it makes buyers uncomfortable to tour a home when the owners are in the next room, so for the sake of your sale, vacate your home for showings. Another important thing?

Don't forget about pets! Try to have arrangements for your pets not to be around during showings. While it can

Helping you sell your home for the most money.

be a bit of a hassle, it usually ensures that your pets are less stressed overall during the home selling process.

6. Purchase & Sale Agreement Once an offer on a property has been made by a buyer and accepted by the seller, they enter into a legal contract known as a Purchase and Sale Agreement. This document outlines the specific terms and conditions of the transaction.

When you get an offer, you can decide to accept it, reject it, or make a counteroffer. Once you have agreed on terms, it is time to review and sign the formal purchase and sale agreement, which typically contains: The approximate closing date + What property—such as appliances, and lighting—are included in the sale + The amount of the buyer's deposit and where it will be held—usually in escrow (by a third party)—until the closing + The amount of the mortgage that the buyer needs to finance purchase of the house + Inspections that the buyer may want to make, such as a general, radon, or termite. + Cost adjustments to be made at the closing, which can include points, property taxes, etc. + What happens if either the buyer or seller backs out of the deal + Any contingencies, which could include the seller fixing a problem with the house, the buyer obtaining financing, or other items. +

7. Inspection Once a buyer and seller reach mutual acceptance on a property offer, a home inspector is hired to investigate every nook and cranny to determine if the home is in need of any repairs. An inspector will check items, such as the roof, basement, heating system, water heater, air-conditioning system, structure, plumbing, and electrical.

Afterwards, buyers will have a chance to negotiate with the sellers to cover the costs of certain repairs or to ask for concessions.

7. Escrow Once the offer is accepted and a closing date agreed upon, escrow allows the buyer and the seller to have an outside party ensure all parts of the contact are complete. As your agents, we will help coordinate the completion of all necessary forms to the escrow company and monitor the escrow process until the transaction is complete.

7. Closing At closing, all the paperwork is signed by the buyer and seller, both parties pay any settlement fees and the documents are officially recorded. Prior to closing, you'll receive a settlement statement outlining any fees which may apply to you.

After a completed closing, you no longer own the property. Unless the contract or a side agreement states otherwise, you must relinquish possession of the home by giving the buyer all keys, door openers, and other devices that control the home’s systems and appliances.

interest, but sets the stage for

Strategic Home offers and negotiations that could Pricing PRICING YOUR HOME IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF SELLING YOUR NASHVILLE HOME

Determining the best asking price for a home is one of the most challenging, and also important, aspects of selling it. In fact, it’s a balancing act. You don’t want to set a price that’s so high that it discourages showings and serious offers from the very qualified, motivated buyers who would ultimately determine your property’s top market value.

On the other hand, you don’t want to set a price that’s so low that it attracts lots of

result in your getting less than the market would actually support if you were a little more aggressive.

Moreover, this balancing act is even trickier now, given that we’re still in a buyers’ market that is fraught with a variety of economic uncertainties. All the more reason why, when you make your decision to sell, you should do plenty of research as well as seek out the advice of one or more experienced real estate and financial professionals.

So what is 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’s is dependent on selling your home at a certain price in a given time frame. However, simply put, your home’s value is not determined by you, but by what the market is willing to pay for it at a given time.

These days, the market increasingly includes home buyers who have researched property values over the internet for months, have already viewed at least 10 homes, and are not under any pressure to buy. Indeed, they may be quite hesitant, not worried about missing out on unbelievable deals because they continue to pop up.

In trying to determine your

home’s true market value and, as such, set your expectations for what you’re likely to sell it for, you should:

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. In addition, your home may have features that you highly value, but which might actually reduce its market value by limiting the number of potential buyers.

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.

Price your home to sell when its market exposure and buyer interest are highest In a purely numbers sense, how you price your home will directly impact how many buyers, showings and offers you attract, as well as how easily it sells, as depicted in the Pricing Pyramid diagram below.

However, the practical dynamics of attracting those qualified, motivated buyers who will pay top market value for your home is a little more complex. That’s because experience shows that you’re far more likely to get top market value if you sell your home during a certain “golden window of opportunity” during the listing. In short, timing is crucial.

Beyond five weeks, your home will increasingly be viewed as a stale listing – i.e. as a commodity with a history of being rejected by other buyers.

Consequently, there will be less market buzz, less showings, less offers and less likelihood that you’ll get your asking price.

your home. This leads to critical lost time waiting for finance approvals that never go through.

Reducing the price after buyers have begun to perceive your home as a stale listing won't generate as much interest as if you’d priced it properly from the start. +

The bottom line: realistic pricing is strategic pricing!

Pricing your home realistically right from the beginning – to coincide with its window of maximum market exposure so that you can best leverage buyer interest and emotions – is important, particularly in a market like this one.

This is why it is crucial to price your home correctly right from the beginning so that you get and accept a solid offer during the three or four week “golden window”.

If you do, you’ll not only attract more buyers, you’ll attract the right buyers: qualified, motivated and willing to pay top market value for your home at the very time you’re most likely to get it.

The consequences of overpricing.

The strategy of overpricing your home when you list, knowing that you can reduce the price later, might seem to make sense at first glance. However, it seldom works. In fact, sellers who overprice their homes – even just 10% above market value – and then reduce the price one or more times often end up getting less than they would have if they’d priced it realistically from the start.

Generally, studying what has worked in your area – and what hasn’t – will help you to strategically price, position and stage your property so that it sells for top dollar in a reasonable time frame, with the least inconvenience for you.

Here’s why: + Fewer buyers – even if they’re otherwise attracted to your home– will respond to the online and offline marketing of it if they know it’s overpriced.

Fewer agents will show your home to their buyers 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. +

You’ll attract the wrong buyers – i.e those looking in your price range – who won’t be interested in your home, having viewed other homes truly worth what you’re asking for yours +

An excessive price on your property makes others more attractive – i.e. both those priced where yours is, and also those priced where yours should be +

You’ll get fewer – if any – serious offers overall because buyers may consider doing so a waste of time +

Even if you do get a serious offer, the excessive price can lead to a mortgage rejection for the buyer once the lender has a professional appraisal done on +

"If opportunity doesn't knock...

we build a door."

Marketing Your Property Marketing encompasses just about every topic covered already – home preparation, pricing, presentation and even negotiation, as well as strategic advertising and networking. All these activities are undertaken with one aim: to maximize your home’s market exposure, and with it the number of showings and offers you get so that you ultimately sell for top market value.

An experienced real estate professional has the knowledge, expertise and resources to implement a plan that will effectively coordinate all of these activities so you do just that.

How buyers find out about homes for sale As we’ve seen, strategically preparing and pricing your home are master keys to attracting serious, financiallyqualified buyers. However, in order to maximize the impact of these preparation and pricing strategies, your home needs to be effectively exposed to the marketplace through a variety of advertising media.

Currently, the internet (including Zillow, Trulia, real estate professional websites, social media, blogs, etc.)

and direct contact with real estate professionals are far and away the main sources of home information for buyers (at 90% and 87%, respectively). Other sources are yard signs, open houses, newspaper and real estate magazine ads, home builders and television.

An interesting phenomenon is the yard sign’s role. Buyers who call on a yard sign already have convinced themselves that they like the town, neighborhood, street - even your front yard. This same “qualification” is present when people call on your home after finding it on mobile apps.

Buyers are flocking to the web The internet is revolutionizing real estate advertising.

Clearly, your real estate professional needs to have an internet marketing strategy in place to target these desirable and more market informed internet buyers.

Here’s what discriminating internet buyers look for most on real estate websites: 98% – Property photos (plenty of them)

The successful marketing of a home, like that of any good or service, is a multifaceted process that includes nearly every activity involved in getting it sold for the price that you want.

98% – Detailed information about properties for sale 78% – Virtual tours 78% – Real estate agent contact information 78% – Neighborhood information This means that selling your home fast will require a compelling web presence where buyers are known to go online for real estate information.

In addition, our internet marketing plan includes emphasis on information rich sites that offer lots of property details and photos, virtual tours, community and school reports, and mapping.

Also, because today’s demanding internet buyers often expect a fast response to their online requests for property information (many within an hour), I have an experienced and internet-savvy, and efficient system in place for managing web and email inquiries.

Particularly in this market, it’s important that your home be advertised to its fullest over the internet, and that inquiries about it be handled in as close to real

time as possible. Effectively reaching and responding to more of these internet buyers can increase the demand for your home and, in turn, its value.

Marketing your community as well as your home Real estate industry surveys have repeatedly found that neighborhood quality is the most important reason why home buyers choose where to live. In fact, experience shows that buyers usually “buy” an area first, and are often willing to pay a premium for homes there.

That’s why it’s crucial to highlight your community’s amenities –like proximity to quality schools, restaurants and shopping, local parks and attractions, as well as other benefits that impact on lifestyle. Real estate professionals like me have access to the kinds of detailed community and school information that today’s buyers are looking for, and they are highly capable of portraying the relationship between the value and benefits of your community and home together.

A comprehensive approach to showcasing your home in the marketplace While the internet is now the real estate i

information source of choice, if you want to maximize the number of serious buyers, showings and offers you get it is necessary to employ a broad spectrum of advertising in a coordinated manner. Real estate professionals have a wide range of options for maximizing a property’s exposure to the marketplace, including: + Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Realtor.com®, Zillow.com, and Trulia.com + Benchmark website + Searchallnashvillehomes.com + Facebook® and Twitter® + Craigslist + Notifying referral sources in my database + Open houses + Direct email campaigns + Home Highlight info to all agents in their company’s local offices + For Sale sign + Networking within the community

Such extensive market exposure will also ensure that you don’t sell your home to just any buyer, but to the right buyer – who will pay top dollar for it.

89 In 2015, 89% of home sellers used a real estate agent

For most families, their home is their largest financial asset, and deciding to sell it is a big decision that involves a lot of preparation and work. When you're ready to sell it's important to have a fantastic real estate professional handle the details involved in the successful sale of a home for top dollar. As an experienced professional who has helped many Nashville area residents sell their homes, I know how to handle every aspect of the sales process from strategically marketing and showcasing your home to making sure everything's signed, sealed and delivered by the closing date.

Providing you with comprehensive, high-quality listing service is my top priority.

The cornerstone to my real estate selling success is the top tier marketing that I bring to the table. Everything from the right price to internet marketing plays a role in how I get an offer in front of my sellers. And getting the right exposure for your home means targeting interested buyers through online campaigns, real estate publications, and a nationwide network of real estate pros. I’ll give you the edge!

When it comes to selling your home, knowing your real estate market can make all the difference. And selling your biggest investment evokes a range of emotions – excitement, anxiety, sadness, stress, nervousness – and I'm here to give you peace of mind. Whether you're moving up to accommodate a growing family, downsizing due to retirement, or short selling to avoid foreclosure, I'm here to help and to ease your mind.

ABOUT

SCOTT

My goal in real estate is to provide the assistance needed for the buyer and seller to come together. I understand what is important to my clients. Buying or selling a home is a major decision; I want my clients to be satisfied with their purchase during and after the sale. If you are looking to buy or sell a home in the greater Nashville region, my attention to detail is second to none.

Scott Rowland is a real estate agent and the Principal Broker at Benchmark Realty, Llc. Mt. Juliet branch. Scott received his real estate license in 2001 and never looked back. He has had the privilege on working with many great clients all over the Middle Tennessee area.

Some of these areas include Wilson, Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson, and Montgomery counties. He has seen and been a part of the growth of Mount Juliet, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Lebanon, and Clarksville.

Scott has worked on hundreds of home sales since 2001. With about 60 percent buyer and 40 percent seller business ratio he puts his attention wherever it needs to be to help his client meet their goals. HomeLight ranks Scott as one of the top 8% of agents in the area for successfully selling homes and as one of the top agents who are able to successfully complete transactions.

“I am very fortunate to be a part of Benchmark Realty, LLC., the fastest growing real estate company in the state of Tennessee” says Rowland. “I am especially excited to be a part of the new branch of Benchmark Realty, LLC. in Mt Juliet.” Mount Juliet was recently ranked number 16 in the nation for growth according to Realtor Magazine.