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A Step-by-Step Guide to Selling your Home

Seller's Guide

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 real estate agent 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. I 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 I deem the offer is acceptable, I 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. I 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 real estate agent 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.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

As first-time homebuyers, we could not have asked for a better realtor than Lessie Reyes. From the very beginning, she was incredibly patient, knowledgeable, and always willing to answer our questions. Buying a home can feel overwhelming, but Lessie took the time to explain everything clearly and reviewed documents with us so we fully understood each step of the process. She was there to guide us from start to finish and made what could have been a stressful experience feel much easier. She also recommended a third-party home inspector who was amazing, thorough, and someone we completely trusted. Having great professionals around us made such a difference throughout the process. What we appreciated most was how much she genuinely cared. We never felt like just another client. She treated us like family and always looked out for our best interests. We are so grateful for all of her help in finding and purchasing our first home. If you are looking for a realtor who is responsive, caring, and truly dedicated to her clients, we highly recommend her!

— Joe K.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Lessie was an amazing realtor to work with for my wife and me. She helped answer all of the questions we had and took care of all the details leading up to closing on our house. We are planning on recommending all of our friends to work with Lessie in the future when looking to buy a home.

— Noah P.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Thank you, Lessie Reyes, for handling the sale of our home. You did a fine job of keeping us informed about everything every step of the way and suggesting good but reasonable handymen to do repairs. We appreciated your honesty and professionalism throughout the process. It was our pleasure to have you represent us.

— George & Deborah A.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Buying a home can be an incredibly stressful and overwhelming experience, but Lessie made the entire process remarkably smooth and manageable. Her extensive knowledge of the market, strong communication skills, and consistent updates helped us feel confident every step of the way. She was always available to answer questions, explain details clearly, and offer thoughtful guidance when decisions needed to be made. Lessie’s expertise and dedication truly set her apart. She took the time to understand our needs, advocated for our best interests, and ensured we were well-informed throughout the journey. Thanks to her support, we were able to successfully purchase our dream home. We are deeply grateful for her professionalism, patience, and commitment, and we highly recommend her to anyone seeking a reliable and exceptional real estate agent.

— Ron L.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

For almost 14 years, Lessie has been a great, reliable, honest, genuine realtor for my family and me, and more recently, she proved once again how much she's an experienced, reliable realtor in the Tampa Bay area. Would only do property deals with the help of Lessie.

— Zayd F.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19. My God fulfilled another promised into my life by providing Lessie to us. God already provided us with the best realtor agent way before thinking of selling the house. I truly believed that it is part of His amazing plan for me and my son (Jeremiah 29:11). Start fresh and move forward on this challenging journey of life and be used for His glory and honor. Lessie became my friend 2 years ago without thinking that she would be used by the Lord to set us free from this financial burden. As a dear friend, I opened my heart and my goals to her, and she listened intently. She is truly a gem to this industry due to the fact that her heart is not to earn a sum amount of money but to be a willing vessel of God to help her brothers and sisters who are struggling and in need. Lessie used all her marketing knowledge/wisdom, experiences, and computer skills to sell my house in just 2 weeks. Amazingly impressive, right? Such a blessing to choose her as my realtor agent. God sent indeed!

— Leonilyn S.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Lessie helped and guided us on this journey; she worked beyond our expectations and knows her craft very well. Assisted us and works hand in hand when situations arise, she is motivated, a trouble shooter, principled, and ethical. Thank you, Less, and kudos!

— Seller

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Lessie was an absolute rockstar! As first-time homebuyers, we were nervous and unsure of what to expect. But Lessie's expertise, patience, and guidance made the entire process seamless. She was always available to answer our questions, address concerns, and keep us updated on the progress. Her knowledge of the market, negotiation skills, and attention to detail were impressive. We felt confident and supported throughout the journey. We can't recommend Lessie enough! If you're looking for a top-notch realtor who truly cares about her clients, look no further. 5/5 stars!

— Sabrina A.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Lessie is the best real estate agent that I have worked with. She genuinely helps you. Lessie took care of everything for me, including little things that she was not even required to, for instance, getting a good, dependable handyman. Always punctual, valued my time, and overall did not hesitate to give me her genuine feedback, which I loved!

— Buyer

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

Lessie is now family. When we were introduced to Lessie, we had never met, but our friends said she would take care of us. One of the hardest workers I have ever met. When she is your realtor, you are in great hands! Truly the best!

— James B.

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Whether you are buying your dream waterfront home in Cory Lake Isles, relocating your family for a tech career in Tampa Bay, or liquidating an investment asset for maximum return, working with Lessie Reyes means entrusting your goals to an 18-year industry leader. By combining sophisticated mathematical market modeling with personal attention, transparent communication, and global buyer networks, Lessie ensures every detail of your transaction is executed flawlessly.

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Lessie Reyes

(813) 298-5541
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TAMPA, FL 33647