Although knowing and trusting your Realtor is important, there's a difference between hiring any Realtor and hiring the right Realtor. It’s true what they say, there is more than one way to sell a house.

Whether you choose to sell your home yourself, hire a discount listing service, or hire your moms hairdresser, it’s your job, as the seller, to take accountability for how your deal gets handled. No offense to hairdressers! They are trust earners too — just like Real estate people! (And by the way, my hairdresser is awesome!) Below are the steps to complete a successful deal. While reading the content below, remember you can replace “you” with “The Giambra Team” whenever you’d like.  

Steps to a Successful Transaction!

INTERPRET DATA

To be successful selling your home, first determine the asking price. You only get one great chance to do this, so make sure it’s right! It’s very important to consider not only the sold homes near you, but also available homes that are currently for sale, and homes that are “pending” (under contracting and “pending” closing). The asking price is everything, and the deeper you dive into the current market, the more likely you will get this right.

PREPARING

The price of your home needs to match the product you are selling. In the prep phase, you have the opportunity to get ahead of any home or bank inspection issues that may exist. It is always our suggestion to get in front of these issues so your deal is not interrupted with a price reduction, seller concession, or cancellation in the future. This is also the time to determine what work can be done to increase your net proceeds on the transfer.

Sometimes, this is as easy as cleaning and re-staging. Other times, it might make sense to scrape and paint the porch or even install a new roof on the garage. However, always consider the return on investment prior to hiring a contractor to make large improvements.

MARKETING

To capture the essence of your home, you need to hire a professional photographer. ThreeSixtyViews.net is our go to because of their responsiveness, quick turnaround time, and quality of work. The photos are so important because the internet tends to be the first place buyers see your home. After the real estate content is captured, you need to find all relevant listing platforms to showcase your home. MLS, Avvie, Zillow, Loopnet, Crexi, Trulia, RedFin, are great listing platforms that buyers use to find available homes. Then it is time to consider the value of social media. The creation of social media content can be a game changer to turning consumers into buyers. Receiving 10,000 more views on your home through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, could mean tens of thousands of more dollars in your pocket.

ADMINISTRATION

Showing your home to every person who expresses interest in your home and following up until you have three “no’s” from them will mean everything to the final sale price! Whether this is a notification on social media, a phone call, a text message, or an email, it is essential to be highly responsive to all of these requests. You may leave thousands of dollars on the table if you make a decision to sell your home to someone without offering every interested party the opportunity to walk through your door.

SELLING

Before the offer deadline, it is extremely important to talk to every agent and buyer who goes through your house. I’m always reminded of the French writer, Voltaire, in these moments. He reminds us to “judge a man on his questions not on his answers.” This is where you pry for information like, what's driving the buyer’s desire to purchase? And why did the buyer decide against writing an offer on your home? Context is everything!! At this stage, the goal is to find the highest paying, most qualified buyer. Negotiation is key here. How are you going to get the buyers to increase their offer or deposit, waive their home inspections, cover a short appraisal, or any of the other items to ensure your deal gets to closing? Don’t forget to use your Chris Voss, late night DJ voice while getting to the best terms.

CLOSING

Once the contract for your home is fully executed, there are another 100+ steps to get to the closing table. There are 8-10 different settlement agents you’ll need to diligently manage which, alone, can be extremely time consuming. A solid transaction coordinator will give you context and status updates to make sure you remain confident through one of the most fragmented transactions that exist. If you don’t close, your house is still for sale.

In conclusion, we urge and encourage consumers of real estate to always get three opinions on how you should sell your home. How you choose to sell is important and scary when you consider that 80% of people's net worth is tied to the equity in their homes.

Community Engagement:This month, our Real estate people volunteered at the WNY Heroes bi-weekly food distribution event.“As I pulled up to the WNY Heroes food distribution, I was shocked to see 300+ cars lined up with veterans and their families and it was clear to me how important this morning was to them. It was a privilege to spend time with the volunteers. Thank you Chris and WNY Heroes for the opportunity to volunteer and for the reminder about how important it is to give back to the community we serve. We will be back!”

OFF MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

We are constantly searching for off market opportunities for our buyers. Here’s what we found! Contact one of our agents to learn more/

Single family on the West Side of Buffalo

• This property could work as a flip, BRRR, or a great place to renovate, live and have equity. After a renovation investment of $30,000 to $50,000, the estimated value is between $230,000 and $250,000.

Price range: $120,000-$150,000

Single family on the West Side of Buffalo (next door to the one above)

• This property would also be a great BRRR, flip, or place to renovate and live in. After renovation, the estimated value is $250,000 to $275,000.

Price range: $120,000-$150,000

(call for addresses, 716-239-6432)

CONTRACTORS WE RECOMMEND

A great contractor is someone you can rely on to get the work done on schedule and within the budget. That is why The Giambra Team recommends the following people to do the job!

Kenny Carpets, Eric Balsom

716-912-7583

Whether you’re looking for economical carpeting for a rental or a luxury option for your primary residence, Eric at Kenny Carpets should be one of your three bids prior to hiring anyone for carpet installation. Carpet patterns and colors are subjective — pick what you like and don’t get lost by asking too many people for their opinion.

Distinct Design, Joann Lettieri

716-906-1222

Joann is the most elite stager in Western New York. Her prices, furniture selection, and overall design taste helps us sell our listings for more money than our competitors. Joann is also very helpful in making decisions on finishes for renovations (paint colors, type of cabinets, countertop, plumbing/electric fixtures).

Got Trash

716-800-2000

Got Trash stays on this list for the second, straight month thanks to their commitment in helping our clients! These guys successfully finished three clean outs for us this week alone!!

By far, one of the most reliable companies in the area for any sort of clean out, clean up, or any kind of debris removal. They are one of the most professional contracting companies we’ve dealt with and we always enjoy the work and quality service they provide to our clients.

I hope that everyone found some value in this newsletter and, more than that, I sincerely hope everyone enjoys this Mother’s Day Weekend!!!

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Summer is finally here and we are kicking it into full gear! This is the busiest time for most people — real estate people especially!

OFF MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

We are constantly searching for off market opportunities for our buyers. Here’s what we found! Contact one of our agents to learn more/

Single family on the West Side of Buffalo

• This property could work as a flip, BRRR, or a great place to renovate, live and have equity. After a renovation investment of $30,000 to $50,000, the estimated value is between $230,000 and $250,000.

Price range: $120,000-$150,000

Single family on the West Side of Buffalo (next door to the one above)

• This property would also be a great BRRR, flip, or place to renovate and live in. After renovation, the estimated value is $250,000 to $275,000.

Price range: $120,000-$150,000

(call for addresses, 716-239-6432)

CONTRACTORS WE RECOMMEND

A great contractor is someone you can rely on to get the work done on schedule and within the budget. That is why The Giambra Team recommends the following people to do the job!

Kenny Carpets, Eric Balsom

716-912-7583

Whether you’re looking for economical carpeting for a rental or a luxury option for your primary residence, Eric at Kenny Carpets should be one of your three bids prior to hiring anyone for carpet installation. Carpet patterns and colors are subjective — pick what you like and don’t get lost by asking too many people for their opinion.

Distinct Design, Joann Lettieri

716-906-1222

Joann is the most elite stager in Western New York. Her prices, furniture selection, and overall design taste helps us sell our listings for more money than our competitors. Joann is also very helpful in making decisions on finishes for renovations (paint colors, type of cabinets, countertop, plumbing/electric fixtures).

Got Trash

716-800-2000

Got Trash stays on this list for the second, straight month thanks to their commitment in helping our clients! These guys successfully finished three clean outs for us this week alone!!

By far, one of the most reliable companies in the area for any sort of clean out, clean up, or any kind of debris removal. They are one of the most professional contracting companies we’ve dealt with and we always enjoy the work and quality service they provide to our clients.

I hope that everyone found some value in this newsletter and, more than that, I sincerely hope everyone enjoys this Mother’s Day Weekend!!!