Seller's Guide

Everything you need to know about putting your home on the market, accepting an offer, and closing on your home.

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced agent and this easy to follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.​​​​​​​

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Step 1: Understand Why You're Selling

What do you want to accomplish with the sale of your home? Do you want to make a certain amount of money that you can put toward a larger or nicer home? Do you need to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a move to a new city or area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your offer. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you might want to price your home lower than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. Make sure you convey these needs to your realtor® once you choose one so he or she can adjust your selling price accordingly.

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Step 2: Determine Selling Price

Knowing how to price your home is one of the most important parts of the selling process. When you set a fair price in the beginning, you’ll get the most interest from other real estate agents and prospective buyers. Overpricing your home could lead to reduced interest, and underpricing leads to receiving less than what your home is worth. Working with a real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.

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Step 3: Start Preparations

If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

I will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. My team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. We will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

Once we deem the offer is acceptable, we will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your agent.

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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. But first, you and the buyer must make a list of what needs to be done before closing. In some cases, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. I will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, we will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.

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Step 8: Close

You’ve reached the last step in the seller’s process. When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. We will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your realtor® to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.

Congratulations!

Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. Whether this is relocating to a new city, moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life as empty-nesters, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind for your new path.

Our Testimonials

See why our clients love working with us
Jim & Peggy A.

Jim & Peggy A.

Now that the sale of our property has settled, I want to write in order to thank you for all your hard work on our behalf. This was not a simple transaction: it involved a number of owners who were located far away from the pro...
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JB

JB

Greg did so much more than was required and on numerous occasions exemplified what it takes to be an excellent agent. We had to deal with a relocation company while we were buying and several times they were slow to answer on c...
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Christine & Barbara

Christine & Barbara

Working with you was a pleasure from the outset. Your professional and congenial manner inspired confidence, and your insights into market conditions, as well as how individual homes will fare in that market were of great help ...
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Amber K.

Amber K.

Ms. K raved in every way about Greg. Responsive 24/7; Knowledgeable of Market; Professional; Priced Under on Purpose because he knew it would sell higher, she says; Received five (5) cash offers well above asking; Greg meticulo...
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Bubsy

Bubsy

Greg did a super job helping my far-flung siblings and me sell our mother's house in Alexandria. From start to finish, he helped us along the way, beginning with recommending an efficient estate sale company, painters, repairme...
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Stephen

Stephen

It has been made clear to me that many of your clients hold you in very high regard; something that I never doubted. Of all the people I interviewed yesterday, Chip R. was probably the most memorable when he was asked if he wou...
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Out of Town Seller

Out of Town Seller

Greg handled the sale of our parent's home in Alexandria Virginia. This was very challenging because the home was in need of updating and we are out of town and have very demanding jobs. Greg recommended upgrading that we belie...
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Constance C.

Constance C.

Greg assisted with the sale of our condo in Dupont Circle and was extraordinarily helpful, informed, and professional every step of the way. His knowledge of this dynamic market, style of communication, responsiveness, and deep...
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Dan & Susan

Dan & Susan

We Followed Greg’s recommendations and put our house on the market. Greg held an open house for Realtors® and one for the public the following Sunday. Within a week, we had three offers above our asking price. Greg reviewed eac...
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Frank C.

Frank C.

I have been working with Greg for all of my real estate sales and purchase needs in the DMV area for over twelve years. He is professional, polite, punctual and extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of his business. Greg wa...
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Lynn R.

Lynn R.

I cannot praise Greg Doherty enough for his work with me and my siblings to sell our beloved parents' home. Since the first meeting, Greg demonstrated patience and attentiveness as we navigated the difficult process of transiti...
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Joe K.

Joe K.

Greg got us a great Del Ray home as well as sold our prior home here. The market is extremely challenging and we were particular about what we wanted for our growing family. Greg showed us numerous homes and gave excellent advi...
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Sam L.

Sam L.

We bought a house in the Mason Hill neighborhood that was listed by Greg. Greg went above and beyond to answer our questions, including a personal demonstration of how to flush the pool filter. Closing was very smooth and our b...
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Rachel C.

Rachel C.

Greg Doherty is one of the most knowledgeable and responsive agents I know. He works incredibly hard to know the market, the best way to list and sell properties and typically exceeds his clients' expectations. He is also an aw...
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Bart C.

Bart C.

I have known and worked with Greg for 15 years. He is one of the most knowledgeable and hardworking realtors I know!
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Katie P.

Katie P.

Greg Doherty is a great real estate agent to work with. He really knows his way around Virginia, D.C. and Maryland. I especially enjoy his appreciation and knowledge of historical homes and architecture. Greg is incredibly thou...
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Cristina C.R.

Cristina C.R.

I don’t live in DC., Greg made it so easy and comfortable for me to purchase a Beautiful Condo that have not yet visited… Greg is so nice enough to stop by to check on my property every so often that he is in the area. So grate...
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Charles R.

Charles R.

Greg is BY A MILLION MILES the best real estate agent we have ever dealt with. Smart, calm, extremely thorough and hard-working, and a total pleasure to deal with, we hardly had to lift a finger to complete the best real estate...
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Derek C.

Derek C.

Greg is a class act and a great realtor to work with. He has extensive market knowledge, years of experience, and, most importantly, he cares about his clients. Finding your home is not a task that can be trusted to anyone. Aft...
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Julianna C.

Julianna C.

Greg was responsive and immediately helped us through the process to get our home ready and to get it on the market. We had everything ready to go in a matter of days. Thanks to Greg‘s resourcefulness and timeliness and strong ...
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Work With Greg

Greg is great at helping sellers maximize ROI on their house by suggesting upgrades, painting, and staging, along with implementing innovative marketing. He helps buyers identify what it is they really want and need in a home, and once they’ve found ‘the one,’ present an offer that will win in a competitive environment.

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