Whether you are selling your very first home or relinquishing your sixth residence, there is no question a myriad of emotions come into play. You may be moving a few miles away or cross country. Regardless of the distance, there are many details that have to be addressed and perils to avoid before you close and get yourself established in your new home.
When it comes to real estate agents, one size does not fit all. It is important to have a close, personal relationship with your broker for many reasons. First and foremost, most people who are in the process of selling their home recognize it is often their number one most valuable asset. If you have owned a home in the Denver market if only for a few years, it has most likely appreciated in value. A broker’s experience in negotiating, how many current clients they have (i.e. workload) and familiarity with the neighborhood can all play into the success of the sale. Selecting an agent who can determine the top value for your home and succeed in selling it quickly is of vital concern.
But a real estate transaction is much more than just price. Having a healthy relationship with your realtor is vital in a successful transfer of your home to its new owner. The brokers at Usaj Realty have unique perspectives on not only what a successful real estate sale looks like but how to have a great relationship with a client.
According to Jenny Usaj, employing broker/owner at Usaj Realty, a key factor to consider is the customization of the process. While the steps to selling a home in Denver are all similar in terms of the paperwork, each home seller, buyer, and negotiation is different.
“It is important to find a brokerage that can really highlight why your property is unique to get top dollar,” she said. “In today’s market, most buyers are shopping online, and viewing photos, videos, and 3D tours of homes before they ever even talk to an agent. At Usaj Realty, we are able to provide custom marketing services for every property. Our “white glove” boutique service is unlike any other experience. We are able to provide this service as we heavily invest in online marketing strategies and designers, and we are exclusive with our clientele.”
Jenny Usaj has identified five points of value when choosing Usaj Realty to sell your home:
- Enhancing your property: This includes a staging consultation, cleaning, snow removal, curb appeal, and organizing the premises.
- Pricing strategy: We provide sellers with market data and discuss the national real estate market trends down to the market within your own neighborhood. Calculations are based on appreciation/depreciation in your neighborhood as well as the absorption rate and best time to sell! We will have all the numbers you need to price your home for a timely sale.
- Maximize exposure: Our agents formulate an extensive marketing plan. We provide custom print marketing, social media, and open houses. Other opportunities include professional photography, video, and 3D tours.
- Negotiate contract: We are here to represent your best interests. We will walk through all offers and note the benefits of each contract. The five main points of negotiation in a contract include price, terms, dates, inclusions/exclusions, and contingencies.
- Manage your transaction: We have a team that will work with you once you are under contract to assure deadlines and expectations are met. This ensures that the paperwork is organized, timely and a smooth sale is enacted.
At Usaj Realty, our service guarantee to our sellers is as follows:
- Deliver a Comparative Market Analysis to assist in developing a pricing strategy.
- Explain our detailed marketing plan, including specific strategies and buyer targets.
- Recommend property enhancements to maximize marketability.
- Provide a written estimate of seller expenses and proceeds.
- Review your property history and disclosure statement and deliver it to each prospective buyer.
- Commit to regular communication including prospects and market feedback.
- Promote the property through advertising, direct marketing, industry networking, social media, MLS, and the internet.
- Provide counsel and negotiating assistance on all offers to purchase.
- Communicate all financial information as provided by buyers and ensure each buyer is pre-qualified or pre-approved with a lender.
- Monitor and communicate the status and satisfaction of contract contingencies and deadlines.
- Offer any required referral or vendor services, as well as access to community and property information.
- Attend the closing appointment with you.
- Follow up after closing to assure the satisfactory completion of all service details.
Beyond the nuts and bolts, there are the personal touches that are critical in the sale of your home as outlined by two of our Usaj Realty brokers, Megan Ivy and Kristin Boritzke:
Megan Ivy
“There are many important skills to be an effective real estate broker but these are my top three.”
- Being a good communicator: This encompasses being a good listener, having clear communication skills and being able to read all kinds of people well. Real estate can feel like a circus at times. With all of the people involved in a transaction from buyers, sellers, agents, lenders, title companies, inspectors, etc., good communication is absolutely key to keeping a deal on track.
- Caring/concerned: Anyone can learn how to help people buy and sell real estate. You can’t, however, teach someone to care about others. These are core traits of an individual interested in having someone on your side who genuinely cares about you and will keep you insulated in even the most challenging of real estate deals.
- Analytical/strategic thinking: I believe that real estate is a beautiful balance between art and science. Being able to analyze numbers and data as well as balance that information with intuition, timing and strategy can be tricky. With so much information at our fingertips, a great agent has to be able to sort through it, hone in on relevant and crucial components, and apply that information strategically and tactfully. Whether pricing a home well, making an offer on a property, or negotiating on behalf of a client, you need an agent who thinks quickly on his or her feet.
Kristin Boritzke
“Selling a home can be one of the most exciting and yet one of the most stressful times in your life. Having an advocate who will guide you through the selling process with ease while maximizing your profit can be invaluable. Usaj Realty provides me with all the tools I need to make sure my clients feel comfortable and taken care of when selling their home. These are my favorite tools:”
- Market Knowledge: Knowing the market trends and understanding what could add or decrease the value of a home in a neighborhood allows me to properly price and market your property appropriately. Weekly marketing meetings, blog posts, and monthly statistical reports allow me to always be in the know.
- Attractive marketing: Marketing your property to the correct channels as well as having fresh, clean, marketing material will really allow you to be in front of the largest audience of buyers. The more buyers you can get in front of, the higher the chances of multiple offers on your home. The Usaj marketing team does a phenomenal job of keeping all the marketing materials consistent, attractive, and easy to understand. With a comprehensive marketing strategy, we will guide you through every step of the home selling process with ease.
- Maximum exposure: In an ever-evolving real estate world, being in front of the right audience is key. Social media has changed the marketing game, allowing us to tailor our marketing strategy to make sure that we are hitting our target audience. And if for some reason that mark is not being hit, we have the back-end analytics to tweak what we need to make sure we capture more. With Usaj Realty having over 20,000 followers on Instagram alone, it is safe to say that your property will be marketed with maximum exposure.
(Editor’s note: This article was originally published in May of 2017. It has been revised and updated to reflect current trends and new information).