Home Sellers Guide

Home Seller’s Guide 

What to expect from start to close! 

By Eric Swails 

Eric Swails | Brookewood Realty 

207.358.0123 | eric@brookewood.com

Table of Contents 

1. Introduction 

2. Objective 

3. The “CMA” 

4. The MLS 

5. Marketing Plan 

6. Our Agreement 

7. Preparing For Photography 

8. Hitting The Market 

9. Communication Expectations 

10. Handling Showing Requests 

11. Preparing Your Home For Showings 

12. Leave For Showings 

13. Stay Tight Lipped 

14. Stay Calm 

15. How Long Should It Take To Sell Your Home? 

16. Lowball Offers 

17. Multiple Offers 

18. Negotiating 

19. Under Contract, Now What? 

20. Preparing For Closing 

21. The Walk-through 

22. Closing Day! 



1. Introduction 

I’d like to start by saying thank you for the opportunity to help you sell 

your home! 

I’m sure you must be very excited to get your home on the market, see 

activity with buyers, and ultimately get an offer that results in the sale of 

your home. 

The selling process can be fun and exciting, but it can also be stressful 

and be filled with headaches at times. 

And that is the reason behind this document! 

My goal is to make this whole process as easy for you as possible. My 

belief is that things will go more smoothly if you know what you need to 

do and expect beforehand. 

Please read through this and feel free to refer back to it throughout the 

process of selling your home. 

It won’t get into every little detail, as I will be doing a lot of the things you 

don’t need to worry about behind the scenes. 

What it will do, is provide you with the things that you should know 

about, which will save you time, money and headaches. 



2. Objective 

As a real estate agent, I can represent either a buyer or a seller. 

My primary objective differs depending on the type of client. 

Because I’m representing you as a seller, the objective is simple: 

Sell your home at the highest amount the market can take in the 

shortest amount of time possible! 

It’s impossible to promise a “quick” sale. There are many factors that 

determine how long it takes to sell a home. I can assure you that I will 

help you sell it as quickly as possible. 

I have many tools and resources that can help price your home at the 

right amount to get the max the market is willing to pay. 

In order to get that maximum value, it will depend on you as well! The 

best results are achieved when clients are making the best decisions 

along the way, which this guide should help you out with. 



3. The “CMA” 

One of the first things to do before anything else, is to find out the 

accurate market value for your home. 

I’ll do a thorough comparative market analysis (CMA) which will help us 

determine the likely range that your home should sell for. 

In the analysis, we’ll be looking at homes similar to yours which have: 

Recently sold. 

Are currently under contract. 

Are currently active on the market. 

This will help us determine where to price your house so that it stacks up 

against the current competition correctly while considering current 

market activity. 

I will be giving you my perspective and advice on how much you should 

be listing your house for. Remember that you ultimately decide what you 

are listing your home for, but please take into account what we have 

discussed. 

Understand that your home value will eventually be determined by 

buyers in the market. It is only worth what a willing, ready and able buyer 

is going to offer. That should be in line with the value that is determined 

from the CMA, as long as there are no major changes within the market 

and that you make the right decisions on pricing from the beginning. 

Homeowners tend to overprice their home when they first hit the market 

because: 

They want some “wiggle room” to be able to negotiate the price they 

want to get. 



They hope someone is willing to pay higher than the market data 

shows. 

The house is priced based on what the homeowner “needs to get” in 

order to sell the house. 

They add in the cost of improvements that have been made on top of 

the data-driven value. 

When a homeowner over-prices for any reason, market interest is 

typically lost because the pricing is out of line with the competition. The 

house will accrue days on market with little to no activity and any buyers 

that are looking at it will wonder what is wrong with it to cause it to sit on 

the market for so long. 

My advice is to listen to what the data says and consider pricing your 

home accordingly to save time, money and aggravation. 



4. The MLS 

No, we’re not talking about Major League Soccer. The Multiple Listing 

System is the most important marketing tool to expose your house to the 

entire buying market. 

The MLS is a database of just about every home for sale and is what other 

agents are using to find the right homes to show to buyers. Any serious 

buyer will looking at it intently to see what comes to market. 

I’ll be making sure to get your home on the MLS under the best 

circumstances. Eye-catching photography, engaging description, and a 

focus on keeping the information as accurate as possible. 

This is all very important, as your MLS listing is what will be fed to all of 

the marketing websites that buyers may be looking at it. 



5. Marketing Plan 

While the MLS is one of the biggest players in exposing your house to the 

market, it may not necessarily reach everyone. 

What is someone isn’t actively looking but would love your home if 

they saw it? 

What if someone is just simply waiting to see the right place come to 

market? 

What if someone who drives by your home every day sees that that 

it’s on the market? 

Here is some additional marketing that I do to make sure as many people 

as possible can get their eyes on it: 

A yard sign. 

Targeted ad campaign on social media. 

Strategic email marketing campaign. 

Brookewood Realty’s website www.brookewoodrealty.com 

The Real Estate Magazine of Maine. 

Zillow.com 

Trulia.com 

Realtor.com 

Video marketing. 

That should cover just about every marketing angle. If you have any 

additional requests, please let me know and we can discuss putting that 

into the marketing as well. 



6. Our Agreement 

Prior to preparing the marketing or listing it through the MLS, you’ll need 

to sign a “listing agreement.” 

We will schedule a time to sit down and go through all of the paperwork. 

I’ll make sure to review and explain anything you have questions on 

before you sign. 

It’s important to remember that our partnership is exactly that, a 

partnership. It’s a two way street that requires commitment from both 

parties to the process for this to be successful. 



7. Preparing For Photography 

Most people making their decision to even look at a home by first 

analyzing the pictures on it’s listing. 

Having high quality photos will make a big difference in the amount of 

attention that your house receives. 

I am passionate about taking great photos and making sure that your 

home is shown in the best possible light (pun intended). 

For me to get the best quality photos, you will be responsible for a few 

things on your end: 

Declutter every room. 

Make sure the house is clean. 

Make sure all beds are made and all laundry is put away. 

Hide any unnecessary items (laundry baskets, trash cans, vacuums). 

Take down as many “personal items” as you can (pictures, items on 

the fridge, etc). 

Make sure all light bulbs are working. For extra effect, upgrade bulbs 

to a higher wattage to have improved lighting in photography. 

If there is a time of day that your home captures light better than others, 

let me know and we can schedule accordingly. 



8. Hitting The Market 

Okay, it’s go time! The big day! Hopefully we’ll see good activity right 

away. 

Typically, we’ll see the most activity within the first two weeks of hitting 

the market. The most serious buyers in your price range will reach out 

within the first few hours or days of being listed. 

If there isn’t as much anticipated activity or any offers on the table, don’t 

worry. We’ll give it a couple of weeks and then we’ll assess. 

What I’m looking at during that period: 

How many showings were there? 

Did any of the buyers make offers? If not, why? What type of 

feedback was received from the buyers? 

Were there few to no showings at all? Is that due to a slow market, or 

is it something to do with the house or it’s price? 

Let’s hope for strong interest and a good number of showings. If not, it is 

not time to get discouraged. Not all homes sell in the first couple of 

weeks. 



9. Communication Expectations 

One of the biggest complaints real estate consumers have is that they 

aren’t getting timely communications from their agent after the house 

has been listed. 

I strive to communicate with you throughout the process. Obviously you 

can reach out to me anytime you would like. I will be reaching out 

whenever someone is wanting to schedule an appointment to see the 

house/if there is any feedback on a showing/when an offer comes in/etc. 

In addition to that, I will make sure to touch base at least once weekly 

with listing reports by email or text, just to keep you in the know. 

Please remember that I am available to you at your convenience in 

between any of my standard communications and I will respond as 

quickly as I can. Note that I may be with other clients, family or other 

engagements and I will get back to you as soon as I am able. 



10. Handling Showing Requests 

As anxious as you may be to have buyers come to see your home, it can 

also get aggravating. 

Sometimes there may be a ton of activity and it feels like someone new is 

coming through on a regular basis, but no offers are coming. 

There may be times where there isn’t a ton of showings and every once 

in a while there is a request “out of the blue” to take a look. 

Regardless of the scenario, having to show the house can get tiresome. It 

needs to be prepared to be shown, you need to leave your home on 

short notice, and your forced out of your home at times when you may 

not want to leave. 

It is not uncommon that sellers get aggravated with this process and 

could even be rude to agents or buyers that want to see their house. 

Here is some important advice: 

Be as accommodating and pleasant as possible. Because other 

homeowners can get grumpy or rude through this process, you can stand 

out as a seller by being your best self. It can actually impact a how 

someone feels about your house over another. 



11. Preparing Your Home For Showings 

If you did a good job with prepping for photography, chances are you are 

in a good place for a showing. This is one of the final steps of a buyer in 

making a decision to make an offer or not. Think about it like a job 

interview, you have to be prepared if you expect to get what you are 

looking for! 

Of course keeping up with cleaning up the house on a weekly basis is a 

good start, but here are other things that should be taken care of prior to 

a showing: 

Make sure all beds are made. 

All dishes should be in the dish washer or washed and put away. 

There should be no food, crumbs or stains left anywhere. 

Bathroom vanity should be free of items. Hide toothbrushes, 

cosmetics, etc. 

Sweep or vacuum floors if they need it. 

Turn on all of the lights in the house so buyers walk into a bright 

home. 

If you have pets, make sure they are out of the house, secured or a 

proper communication has been made to the buyer in advance. 

Take care of any odors from cooking, pets, etc. 

Don’t leave any valuables out in the open. Those items should be safe 

because buyers will be accommodated by an agent, but why even take a 

chance with them? 

Hide prescription drugs, it’s a sad thing to discuss but people will take 

these. 



12. Leave For Showings 

Some homeowners feel that because they know their home better than 

anyone else, that it would be a good thing for them to stick around to talk 

about the features. 

Some just don’t want to leave. 

They should be leaving for all showings. 

The primary reason is that buyers simply just need to be able to look at 

the space on their own terms to visualize for themselves without them 

feeling like they are being watched or listened to. 

Also, the agent that is with them knows the buyers and what they are 

looking for. You need to have trust that an agent knows what to and what 

not to point out to the buyer based on what the buyer has told them. 

Another big reason that a homeowner should step away during showings 

is liability. Potentially something could be said by the homeowner that 

may be incorrect and could result in legal issues. Also a seller could 

potentially disclose their motivations for selling, which could impact the 

negotiation of the price of the house. 

Keep it simple, leave during a showing. Go visit a neighbor, runs some 

errands, grab a bite to eat. If you are unable to leave, at least attempt to 

keep your distance from the buyer while they are there and minimize any 

interactions without being rude. 



13. Stay Tight Lipped 

Don’t talk to people about the sale of your home! It sounds crazy right? 

Things to avoid: 

Don’t complain about the market. 

Don’t talk about what you’re willing to accept for a price. 

Don’t let too many people know why you’re selling. 

Don’t talk about the number of showings you’re getting. 

Basically you don’t want to reveal your cards if you expect to get top 

market value for your house. The less people that know about your 

situation and the activity for your house, the better. Extra information 

that is revealed during the selling process can impact your eventual offers, 

final sale price, and the terms of the contract. 



14. Stay Calm 

A big reason a homeowner can lose money when they sell their home is 

due to making rash decisions when getting frustrated through the 

process. 

Those bad decisions often happen because when an owner gets 

frustrated, they take those frustrations on their agent. It can cause the 

agent to get defensive. It can impact that relationship in the negative and 

could have an effect on desired results. 

I understand that you can get frustrated at times. Selling a home isn’t 

always easy. I can sometimes get frustrated as well, but I do my best to 

stay composed so that getting through the tough situations becomes 

easier. 

If you feel a need to vent to me, then please do. I’ll do my best to be your 

sounding board. Just don’t treat me like I’m the enemy. I am always 

focused on working in your best interest. 

The end goal is always the same for both of us, to sell your house, for the 

highest amount the market is willing to spend. 



15. How Long Should It Take To Sell Your Home? 

It was discussed earlier that the most activity for your house is in the first 

two weeks. Your house could sell within that time, but could easily take 

longer. The amount of time a home takes to sell can be a point of 

frustration for a seller. 

It can be virtually impossible to time the market because there are so 

many factors. The buyer pool is constantly changing. If priced correctly, a 

seller could get a strong offer within those first few weeks. Even if priced 

correctly, that doesn’t always happen. 

Most homeowners are expecting to sell within one to two months. That is 

generally ideal, as it gives them enough time to pack and be prepared. 

Things aren’t always happening perfectly though. 

The statistics change pretty regularly. Just for reference, here is an 

example of Kennebec County throughout 2018: 



16. Lowball Offers 

Sellers can get turned off by a low offer and respond poorly. They can 

sometimes get so offended that they may not even want to provide a 

counter offer. 

First off, we should be looking on the bright side. There is someone who 

is interested in your property! A lowball offer doesn’t happen every time 

but if it does, it’s an opportunity to negotiate. 

As the homeowner, the ball is in your court to control. You obviously 

don’t need to accept a terrible offer but should be willing to counter. 

Stick to your guns and if the buyer doesn’t want to work with you then 

you move on. Don’t shut them out until the negotiations have come to an 

obvious close. 



17. Multiple Offers 

Okay it’s the dream scenario, a fight for your home! Not so fast! No 

doubt getting multiple offers is exciting but there is a right and wrong 

way to approach this. 

It can be a difficult balance trying to get all parties to their best and final 

offer, making sure to choose the right one, and keeping everything 

together throughout that process. 

Something important to know in advance: The “best” offer is not always 

the “highest” offer. 

If multiple offers are received, we will discuss the situation and 

determine the best mode of action together in the moment. 



18. Negotiating 

There is an art to negotiating. The best approach can vary depending on a 

few different factors: 

The buyer we’re dealing with 

The agent we’re dealing with 

The overall situation (how many showings you’re getting, how many 

buyers have interest, current market climate, etc.) 

Your personal situation and desired approach 

There are definitely other factors to consider as well. 

Many sellers believe that they need to play “hard ball” to get the best 

price for their house. That can work in some situations, but can also 

backfire. Bear in mind that you don’t want to turn your buyer off and that 

in some markets there is a lot of inventory to be sold. 

Generally in residential home sales, hard ball isn’t going to be your best 

option. In real estate, what happens in movies and TV isn’t what your 

going to see in real life. 



19. Under Contract, Now What? 

Okay, you’ve accepted the offer and the wheels are moving. We’re on the 

home stretch, right? There’s still a few very important pieces that can 

make a dramatic impact on the deal: 

The home inspection 

The appraisal 

Most buyers will (and should) do a home inspection. They will have an 

inspector go over everything of importance and write a report that in 

some cases will reveal many problems that sometimes are significant, but 

most of the time are not. 

At this point, the buyer may ask for a bunch of things to be repaired, 

replaced, or credited. 

Time to put our negotiating caps back on and look at all of their requests 

objectively first. You may get upset with their requests but it is important 

to consider it from a buyers prospective. Overall though, if something in 

the report does really need to be addressed, such as a structural or 

operational defect, those will probably need to be addressed. If it’s minor, 

a simple “no” to the request may suffice. 

Generally there will be a compromise made by both parties that will 

allow the deal to stay intact. Weigh out the pros and cons and decide if 

moving forward is the best decision. 

In regard to an appraisal, it is necessary for the buyer’s lender to 

determine if the amount they are lending is justified. 

Appraisals can impact the deal in a variety of ways. Sometimes the 

appraiser can’t find suitable “comparables”, which are homes that are 

similar to yours that have sold recently. Sometimes the appraiser could 

straight up do a bad job (just an opinion of course!). 



If the appraisal does come back low, it does need to be addressed, here 

are a few things that could happen: 

The buyer could agree to make up the difference between the 

appraised amount 

You could agree to lowering the sale price to the appraised amount 

A compromise from both parties, you lower the price a little and they 

put a little more down 

The appraisal could be contested, where we would supply additional 

comparables for the appraiser and lender to consider 

In some cases, an entirely new appraisal could be ordered 

There are many factors that will help us determine which method will 

work best. We will review and discuss together if this happens. 

Remember that this isn’t something that happens every time. This is 

simply a guide to allow you to be more prepared in advance if this were 

to occur. There is no need to stress about in advance about it. 



20. Preparing For Closing 

As soon as your house is under contract, the assumption should be that 

the deal will get done. Now it’s go time for everything you need to do for 

the transition out of the house. 

Start pricing out and arrange for a mover. 

If you’re planning on doing the move yourself with friends and family, 

communicate with them NOW and make sure you have a solid date and 

plan set. Don’t forget to feed them and thank them over and over for 

their support. 

Call your utility companies and let them know that you have sold your 

home and will need to have the service discontinued in your name on the 

date of closing. Let them know that the buyers are intending on taking 

over the services when they move in and that the services shouldn’t be 

shut off in between. 

Start packing now! Any non-essentials that you won’t need right away 

should get boxed up. Don’t let the last few days before close be a 

stressful frenzy of beating the clock. 

Contact your lenders to get a final payoff statement and freeze any 

home equity lines of credit well before closing. 

The time from being under contract to closing can move very fast and 

you’ll feel like you need to do a ton of stuff. Work on each of these a little 

at a time every day and you’ll thank yourself later for it at closing. 



21. The Walk-through 

This is generally the day before or day of closing when the buyer and 

their agent will go to the house and make sure everything is in the 

condition it was in when they agreed upon the purchase of the house. 

Here’s what they are looking for: 

That no damage has occurred since the date they agreed upon the 

purchase. 

All of the fixtures, appliances, mechanical items, and utilities are in 

working order. 

Everything that you agreed to leave behind contractually is actually 

being left behind. 

The house is clean. Leave the house like you would want it to look if 

you walked in as a new homeowner. 

You are entirely moved out. 

When you start packing and moving out, you’ll probably see some minor 

damage and dirtiness that you haven’t noticed before. By doing those 

things well in advance to close, it allows you ample time to go back and 

patch some small holes, do some touch up paint, additional cleaning, etc. 

You just want to eliminate in advance any aggravation that the buyer may 

have in the walk-through. Leave on a good note! 



22. Closing Day! 

Congrats! You have made it to the final step of the process! It’s going to 

be a lot of signatures and paperwork that will be explained at the closing 

table. Here’s how you should be prepared: 

Bring all extra keys, garage door openers, alarm codes, etc. with you 

to closing to give to the buyer. 

You should be expecting that any closing costs are paid out with the 

equity of your home. If that isn’t the case, don’t forget to have the 

cashiers check, certified check, or cash in the amount you closing agent 

calculated to be due from you at closing 

Bring proper identification. A photo ID, social security card, and/or a 

birth certificate should be fine. 

There will still be things that need to be completed behind the scenes. 

There will be final documents that need to be processed and recorded. 

Once complete, you’ll get all of the final documents in the mail to your 

new address! 

Just because we have finalized the sale of your home doesn’t mean that 

our relationship is over. If you have any additional questions after the 

sale, please reach out! I hope that you were satisfied with how you were 

taken care of through this process and would reach back out to me for 

any future real estate needs as well! Don’t forget to tell your friends and 

family and give them my information as well.

Home Sellers Guide

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