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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. 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 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.

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WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Awesome and sincere agent! I came across Traci just looking up agents to buy a home in a new area after trying to use our selling agent from a different location and boy are we glad we did. Moving is hard, and downsizing is even harder, but moving to a new area plus the latter is not for the faint of heart. In comes Traci who not only did what was expected but above the call of duty. My only regret is th...

— Shakara R.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Excellent, Mrs. Crawford was very helpful in the selling of our home. She went above and beyond to help us prepare our home for selling to ensure we were happy and satisfied with the asking amount. This was our first time selling a home and she walked us the the entire process. I would recommend her to anyone!

— Desmond F.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

More than a 5-Star Realtor! We loved working with Traci and consider her the best Realtor we've had the opportunity to work with. She helped us as Sellers and Buyers in the fall of 2022. First, her communication and ability to listen to our needs/wants were top-notch. Every step of the way she kept us informed and advised us about our options. We were so thankful for how patient she was as we toured home...

— Laura P.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

The best Realtor out there! We met Traci when we started looking for a home to rent for our recent PCS down to Mayport. She was amazing! We then decided to buy a home instead of rent and reached out to Traci to help us navigate that path. She is absolutely amazing! She knows how hard it is to shop for a home when you are currently living in another state because she has lived that life. She toured all th...

— Jennifer G.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Exceptional The best Realtor there is Mrs. Tracy was amazing, knowledgeable, and reliable, listened to your needs, and was realistic about the market, your budget, and interest rates. Found an amazing house for me in 4days and closed in less than a month also sold my house a couple of years later, and when I moved she recommended me to another amazing Realtor in VA She’s always available to answer my que...

— Zanna J.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Absolutely Superb. Traci was professional from start to finish. She is knowledgeable, answered our questions promptly, and was a wonderful advocate for our investment property, especially since we are out of state. Highly recommend!

— Traci L.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Amazing Agent. Ms. Traci is an amazing Realtor that we were matched with. She made the home-buying experience easy and comfortable for first-time home buyers. She answered every question we asked and helped us understand the entire process. I thank her for her service and dedication to us.

— Estephanie M.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci Crawford was truly exceptional. As a new arrival to the Jacksonville community in 2017 my goal was to buy a home so I started looking for Realtors on Facebook and saw Traci’s profile I messaged her and asked her a few questions she answered right away. I followed her Facebook group which helped so much throughout the years until I was able to buy my first home she was always there to answer all my ...

— Claribel B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci is very knowledgeable and walked us through the whole process. She is very quick to respond to our questions and concerns being that this was our first time buying a home it was great having someone understand all the questions we had. We went the the VA home loan process and it was very helpful having someone who has also gone through the process to help us. I would highly recommend her and her te...

— Nancy S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Refuse to work with anyone else. Traci was not only a respectful and helpful Realtor but she was a professional and friend. She guides you through everything with a calm and friendly helping hand. As a first-time homeowner I was met with a lot of new things and challenges, especially in today's society and Traci never once made me feel stupid or alone. I owe this seamless process to her and I couldn’t im...

— Leah W.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Amazing home-buying experience! From the first time we met Traci, she made us feel completely at ease with our decision to purchase a home. She was extremely knowledgeable and patient and gave us peace of mind (especially since we started the process from out of state). She had lots of insight into various neighborhoods that would suit our search criteria and had a myriad of resources available for us to...

— Julio L.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci was very patient, and overall good experience. After putting my house on the market, we ran into every obstacle known to man! I moved across the country and Traci was able to take care of everything for me! She is very professional, patient, and helpful! She took care of everything and was amazing at bringing my stress level way down! My house in Jacksonville, FL finally sold in March! She is an am...

— Ulrica U.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

It was an absolute pleasure to work with you both in buying and selling your home. Your trust in my ability to guide you, even remotely, through a hot seller's market was greatly appreciated. I am happy to hear that our commitment to detail and personalized service, including advising on selling versus renting, was valuable to you. Your recommendation means a lot to me, and should you ever return to Jack...

— Movicque K.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Loved having her. My husband and I couldn’t have asked for a better agent to help us sell our home. She was there every step of the way. She helped in any way she could and we really appreciated it. This was our first time selling and she explained the process perfectly. We would 100% recommend her to our friends and family and use her again!

— Tiffany W.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We initially were using Traci to help us with finding a rental as we are a military household. From the start, she set up an area through the app her company uses and answered any and all questions we had. Once we decided to shift gears and buy, Traci was essentially there 24/7 toured homes for us, and truly cared about getting us into the home we wanted 12 out of 5 stars recommend Traci to anyone lookin...

— John T.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Top-notch sales. Traci is experienced, engaged, and involved. She made my selling experience awesome. She got me in touch with someone to stage the house, told me what I had to do to get what my house was worth, and took great time and effort to get the house out on the market so it was visible to buyers. I was pleasantly surprised that the house sold in little time as I had heard from other sellers that...

— Sharon B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Being in the Marines and just having to wait on your orders and knowing how the military works, Traci being in the military herself knows exactly what was going on with my PCS. She worked around the clock helping me find the perfect house close to my base. Would recommend her to anyone who is PCSing to Jacksonville FL or to anyone who is moving to the area.

— Josh G.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

As a new arrival to the Jacksonville community, I chose Traci to assist me with the purchase of my first home because of her experience, knowledge of the greater Jacksonville area market, kindness, and enthusiasm. I couldn't have asked for a better home-buying and eventual selling experience. Traci carefully guided me through each step, was transparent throughout the process, and was incredibly responsiv...

— Jeanelle S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Highly recommended! Traci Crawford helped my wife and I purchase a home in the West Jacksonville area and the process could not have been any smoother! Traci guided us through the home-buying process almost entirely online while we were abroad, and she worked with us every step of the way providing honest and detailed information regarding our purchase. I would love to work with Traci again and I will de...

— Jorge C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

There are not sufficient words to express our appreciation and gratitude to Traci and her team for how they guided our family through the process of purchasing a condo for my parents in the Southside of Jacksonville in 2022. My wife found Traci as we were looking for a property for my parents. From the very beginning, Traci was extremely patient and understanding of our situation and helped us to navigat...

— Victor M.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Wonderful to work with. She dealt very patiently with my inlaws who are elderly. There were many ups and downs in the process, but Tracy was very professional and understanding and her team had the utmost reliability and professionalism. Every single person she recommended we trusted to do what they said they were going to do.

— Brunilda M.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci Crawford helped me buy a new home in the Somerset Subdivision in Orange Park, FL in 2022. I met Traci through a friend and it was the best decision I've made when it came to finding a house. Traci made sure I found exactly what I liked and let me know if the property we saw wasn't the best decision or not. The whole process was very smooth from my end, with the housing hunting process being very fu...

— Lindwood E.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci is a phenomenal Realtor and was a great pleasure to work with. She held my hand every step of the way being a first-time home buyer. She was patient with me; dealt with my indecisiveness, and fears, and talked me off the ledge of frustration that comes with purchasing in a crazy seller's market a few times. Through it all, she remained calm, gave advice, and consistently communicated the next steps...

— Jackqulyn B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I came across Traci through a FB group when my husband and I were in the stage of researching relocating to Jacksonville, Florida in January of 2022. I really liked Traci's FB page and the information she featured on it. She has tons of great resources. In May of 2022, with Traci's help, we put in an offer on a home and it was accepted. We closed on the home on June 16, 2022. We are now officially homeow...

— Tanairi V.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci and her team made purchasing a home from another state as smooth and seamless as possible. Buying a home in another state and site unseen in person can be super stressful, but she was very knowledgeable about the area and made the process so pleasant. She listened and understood my needs and wants and I ended up with the perfect home for me and couldn't be happier.

— Cherice C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci Crawford helped us buy a home in Jacksonville, FL this past spring, and we highly recommend her for your home search. If you are like us, we found buying a home during this crazy market a bit daunting, and it gave us a lot of peace to have an amazing Realtor to guide us every step of the way. Traci is experienced and knowledgeable; on multiple occasions, we were struck by the tiniest details or ast...

— PB

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Look no further than you have found your Realtor. A true gem friendly, polite, knows her stuff and not to mention on time. My wife and I were always late for the showing but Traci is one of a kind easy to reach and she replies as soon as she can I thank you again Traci for helping us close on our home

— Lerone V.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Best Google search ever! I couldn't have asked for a better agent to help me during a stressful time in a tough market to accomplish so much. Traci Crawford helped me sell my property in the Durbin Crossing neighborhood on February 11th, 2022, and purchase my new property shortly thereafter. From my initial call to Traci, her prompt response and active listening helped me navigate all of the steps of sel...

— Nyieta C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

My husband and I moved our family across the country on a very short timeline and were unable to see homes in person. Traci was absolutely amazing and did video tours of several homes for us so we could feel like we were choosing the right home for our family. She was very communicative and helpful throughout the entire process, which was comforting for us as first-time homebuyers. Even after closing, Tr...

— Grace F.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

As most of us know, purchasing a home can be a daunting task, but Traci Crawford and Team made our first-time home-buying process so effortless. When my husband and I made the decision to purchase, we wanted someone who clearly understood the challenges of being a Military Family. We lived across the country in Washington State, so for us, this buying process seemed twice as difficult. We wanted someone ...

— Shivanna R.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci was very helpful and patient with us throughout our home-buying process. As first-time homeowners relocating back to the US after living overseas, we had a lot of questions, concerns, and requirements (to say the least) and Traci was crucial in making this transition as seamless as possible for us. She and her team were an absolute pleasure to work with and we would 10/10 recommend her to anyone in...

— Ashley H.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci diligently worked with me while I was stationed in Kuwait. She understood the nuisances of being deployed and wanting to prepare yourself for a home. She kept me on track and encouraged me when my first offer fell through. Now I'm a homeowner of a more beautiful home and in my dream location! She was truly a God send. Thanks, ma'am.

— Rutha L.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I would absolutely recommend Traci and her team. They were all great to work with. They were professional, helpful, and responsive. Our budget was respected, our concerns addressed at every step, and we always felt like Traci and her team were covering all the details we had missed and made sure to get us a great home with minimal headaches. There's not much else to say- if you contact her, you'll be sol...

— Bell L.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I don't even know where to start with Traci and how amazing she is. We were viewing homes sight unseen only through her eyes. I had a lot of requests for a house and she didn't bat an eye at us. I could text or call her literally anytime and she was so prompt in response and always willing to help. We just moved into our home 3 days ago and are so happy with it. I don't know why I picked Traci to help us...

— Jeanne B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci Crawford was an excellent agent to work with in purchasing our home in St. Augustine, FL. She was always accessible and greeted us with a positive and pleasing attitude. I would recommend her for any and all of your Real Estate endeavors.

— Rickey T.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci is a wonderful person and great at what she does! My husband and I were very fortunate to have her leading the way as we navigated home buying for the first time. She took our vast ideas, likes, and locations and narrowed them down to make the search much less overwhelming. She answered all of our questions, worked hard around the clock, and by November of 2020 we had a safe and sound home in the b...

— Codi A.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci Crawford was referred to me by a friend back in June. I explained what I was looking for. Traci went out of her way to do virtual tours and to set up face-to-face tours. Traci went out of her way to help me understand the paperwork, she even went the extra mile to do 3 way calls with the loan officer! Traci is very professional, and understanding, and replies to texts, and calls in a timely manner....

— Buyer

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci made buying our new home from afar a breeze! She took care of all the details and was extremely thorough during the entire process.

— Shauna O.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci gives you excellent service during and after the sale. I trust her!

— Janice Z.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Mrs. Tracy is exceptional she made this journey so easy, she listened to my needs and found my dream house in 5 days close to a month she was there every step she’s always reachable to answer any questions and concerns you have, She’s the best.

— Rosanna J.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Traci made this experience so easy. It was like she was my personal secretary- taking me through the different steps of homing buying. Even after my my first home, she stayed in touch to make sure I was up to date with all the things that needed to be taken care of like property tax.

— Angella W.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Oh, what a wonderful lady. I am not someone who is here to waste my time and I rarely submit reviews but for this lady, I have to because of the rigorous task involved in getting a home. She is very knowledgeable, she is very efficient, kind-hearted, and responds to her calls or messages in a timely manner. She truly cares for her customers. Tell her the kind of house you want and all the packages you ar...

— Emeks B.

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