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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 team of real estate agents 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 team of real estate agents once you choose one so they 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 team of real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of real estate 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

We 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. Our 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 team of real estate agents.

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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. We 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 team of real estate agents 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 OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca did an amazing job listening to our needs and giving us recommendations. She knew exactly what we were looking for and she was the one to suggest a house we hadn't even noticed and it ended up being the perfect one. Her negotiation skills are amazing and the knowledge she shared with us during the process is extremely valuable.

— Mayola R.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca was available every minute we had questions, even when she was on vacation with her family. She helped with the negotiation process and finding an inspector to come out on a Sunday. The whole process went smoothly and very quickly.

— Richard K.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca hands down is the best agent we have ever worked with. We had a sudden death in the family and needed to sell the house. Her compassion and commitment to making sure we made the best decisions for our situation is something we are forever grateful for. We were able to update the house and get it on the market in 2months and we received an offer over the asking price within 18hrs. You can trust Becc...

— Nick D.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Just got my first dream house with Becca! Everything was so great! She's professional and knowledgeable. Our first experience couldn't be this perfect without her help.

— Thu L.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca it's truly amazing! She is knowledgeable and a smart Real Estate Agent. Without her help, I couldn't make my new house dreams come true. She answered all my questions and helped me during the process. I recommend Becca 100%. God bless you, Becca!

— Eva D.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca made it so easy, even fun to find the perfect house. We had unique circumstances - both logistical and financial - and she not only was happy to help us, but she made it a very pleasant experience. She took care of everything we needed and we couldn't be happier! I love that she spent time to really listen to us and the 3rd house we looked at was the perfect fit. She saved us so much time and stres...

— Chris K.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca is and was always super responsive and answered the boatload of questions we had immediately and accurately, proving her expertise in the field. She was patient with me, never pushy, and I truly felt that she had my best interest in mind. Even after closing, she was happy to answer all my other questions regarding transfers, moving in, etc. If I ever get the privilege of entering the market again, ...

— Jeff W.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca did a fantastic job selling my condo. Her knowledge of the market along with her keen eye for detail during the preparation and staging processes, and excellent negotiation skills resulted in a quick sale for an excellent price. All communication between us was clear and effective. Her genuine care and support for her clients is evident. I always felt as if I were a priority. I highly recommend wor...

— Mary M.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca is a master of the real estate business. She took us in hand and led us masterfully through the experience. There aren't enough words to say what a wonderful, caring, and helpful person she is. We could not have made it happen without her leading us. Above and beyond aren't just words to her. We highly recommend her for your real estate needs. Exceptional person.

— Steve C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca was wonderful to work with. Our transaction was much more than a simple purchase of a pre-existing one. We needed to do feasibility on a new house build, while also conducting the due diligence on the pre-existing house on the property. It was a good deal of work. Becca was on top of all of it, doing tons of fast research and digging up info on the property. She knew who to call and what to do ever...

— Sean F.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We had an absolutely amazing experience working with Becca Locke to purchase our home! From start to finish, she went above and beyond to make the entire process smooth and stress-free while helping us find our perfect home. Becca was incredibly knowledgeable about the local areas, patient, and always available to answer our questions promptly even on her days off. She was super quick in scheduling tours...

— Sushmita S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Working with Becca was one of the best decisions we've made. Not only did we find an incredible realtor, but we also gained a true friend. We are new to the area, and were nervous about making such a big commitment without much knowledge of the different neighborhoods and what to expect. Becca made it very easy to buy a home that was a good fit for us at the right price; and she was open and honest throu...

— JMTorres | Bought a Single Family home in 2025 in Genesee, Seattle, WA.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Becca isn’t your typical real estate agent—she sets the standard. From our very first meeting through to closing, we were consistently impressed and inspired by her dedication and expertise. She took charge from Day One, making it her personal mission to sell our home quickly and for a price that exceeded market expectations. From small, cost-effective tweaks that elevated the aesthetics to thoughtful up...

— Gaurav G. | Sold a Single Family home in 2025 in Klahanie, Sammamish, WA.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I am so appreciative of Becca and her assistance with selling my Sammamish home. I had to relocate to care for my aging father and really needed a partner to assist with downsizing and getting my home ready to sell in a timely manner. I was able to focus on my current situation as a caregiver for my father knowing Becca was working diligently to arrange for significant renovations to my Eastside home. Be...

— Lori G. | Sold a Single Family home in 2025 in Klahanie, Sammamish, WA.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We had an incredible experience working with Becca Locke to buy our home in Edmonds. From day one, she was organized, proactive, and truly invested in helping us find the right place—not just any place. Becca knows the market inside and out and offered thoughtful guidance at every step. She’s professional, responsive, and brings a white glove touch that makes the process feel easy and enjoyable. We could...

— Kamron M. | Bought a Single Family home in 2025 in Picnic point, Edmonds, WA.

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