Selling Your Arizona Home

Thinking of selling your home? You’ve come to the right place.

Arizona is full of unique and diverse communities, each with their own flavor and character. Hence, each neighborhood appeals to a different buyer and to obtain the best possible return your marketing must have the right message to reach the right buyer. Your Sonoran Sky Real Estate agent has the knowledge and experience to optimally market your home and get you the best deal.

There are many reasons for wanting to sell your home: too much space, not enough space, relocating for schools or work, life changes that require a move… whatever the reason, it is important to mentally and physically prepare for the home selling process.

After years of living in a home you’ll undoubtedly have some strong emotional connection which can make selling a bit stressful. Plus, your home is a huge investment and you do not want to make a financial mistake. This is where your Sonoran Sky Real Estate team can lend support. We have the market knowledge and selling experience that will put your mind at ease so you’ll feel confident and calm making a move. We will walk you through the home prep and selling process, create an estimated Net Sheet so you’ll have an idea of how much money you’ll have from the sell, negotiate deals, explain the financial outcome of various offer, close your buyer, and get you the most for your home in the shortest amount of time.

The First Step to Selling your Arizona Home is to become informed!

Your Sonoran Sky Realtor will explain the Arizona home selling process, give you a free comparative market analysis, and send you regular area sales updates so you become familiar with your local market.

The best time to sell a home in Arizona

You’ve heard plenty of people talk about a Buyer’s Market vs a Seller’s Market, but what does that mean to you and your home’s value? And are there really better months to sell?

Well, the current market means a LOT! And yes, there are better times to sell. Traditionally Arizona homes sell best from February to June. But, like most things in life, the housing market is ever changing. The past 5 years have shown little difference in the season when selling your Arizona home. No one can predict what’s to happen next, but your Sonoran Sky Real Estate agent has years of experience that will benefit you when deciding when to sell. We will help you understand the current housing market, trends, sales in your local area, and your best selling window. Still, the best time for YOU is when you are ready or need to sell.

What are the steps to selling your Arizona home?

First Impressions Matter

We live in a fast pace, image-orientated society, where every piece of information must be direct, concise, and meaningful to catch the buyers eye quickly and completely. Whether it is the wording and MLS photos, or the individual website featuring your property, your marketing materials must be crafted to showcase your home in its best light.

But marketing is not the only factor when selling your home. From the initial on-boarding paperwork and consults to prepare and stage the home, to the intricacies of offer negotiations, managing Buyer repair requests and keeping the deal on-track to closing, your Sonoran Sky agent is there to personally attend to all the details. As a result, our clients become raving fans and happily refer us to their good friends and beloved family members.

Commit to a Sales Strategy

Your Sonoran Sky Real Estate agent will walk you through the numerous proven strategies to selling a home in Arizona, then, with your input, customize one specifically that meets your needs. Your custom sales strategy will encompass the financial pros and cons of home prep, targeting a specific demographic buyer, staging, choosing the right price, showing schedules, the benefits of open houses in the digital age, and more. Our team will obtain insightful feedback to tweak and adjust the strategy as necessary, while keeping tabs on the market and prospective buyers – always ready to move in to close a deal.

Prepare your home for sale

We’ll say it again. First Impressions Matter. Selling your home is a complicated process, it takes time and energy. Sometimes just knowing where to start is half the battle. Your Sonoran Sky agent will help you decide which projects will get you the most bang for your buck and where to avoid costly remodel mistakes.

Using the eye of a “critical buyer,” your agent will do a thorough walk-through and home evaluation of your home. We’ll discuss your home’s current condition compared to recent area sales, and suggest repairs or improvements that will add to your net return without going over the amount your neighborhood can deliver.

Every home sells better with these basics done:

Have the house professionally cleaned
Declutter inside and out
Create top notch curb appeal
If needed, paint inside and out
Clean the windows and window coverings
Pay extra attention to the front door and entry
Replace air return filters and clean registers
Make sure plumbing, electrical, and structural items are in good working order
Remove personal items
Stow away extra kid’s toys, pet paraphernalia, and hobby supplies
Remove pets and any odor they leave behind
Air out rooms naturally and use air fresheners
Arrange furniture to make rooms appear spacious and create free-flowing pathways

In general, the home must allow your buyer to imagine the wonderful lives they will have when living there rather than seeing the life you and your family enjoy.

Price your home right!

In a hot Seller’s Market a well-priced home generally sells within two days of being listed on the MLS… and over asking price. In a Balanced Market, finding a buyer could take over three weeks. And in a Buyer’s Market a sale might take months.

So how do you price your home correctly? Your Sonoran Sky Real Estate agent will compare every aspect of your home to similar, recently sold homes in your area. We will adjust the comps up or down depending on condition, upgrades, and special features so you can rest assured the target price we suggest is the right price for your home to sell for the most money in the shortest amount of time.

To Stage or Not to Stage?

In general, a well-staged home sells faster and for more money than an empty or overly cluttered home. The idea of staging is to showcase rooms, making them highly appealing to the buyer’s eye. You want the Buyer to see how beautiful the home could be. Even small changes in the arrangement of furniture and furnishings can make a huge impact. Your Sonoran Sky agent will help you with this. Or, if area sells indicate professional staging will bring you a greater profit, we will refer you to a top notch local staging company to get the job done.

Effective Marketing

This is where Marcella Lambert and your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Team really shine! We’ll craft enticing marketing materials and listing descriptions that highlight your home’s best features and local amenities, making your listing stand out above all others and drive buyers to your door.

Our 19 Point Marketing Plan says it all. You’ll get professional photos and video that will be used to advertise your home across hundreds of quality online websites and ads geared to showcase your home.

Your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Team will setup a web presence just for your home and give you links to share. We will create social media ads that deliver proven results.

You’ll get high quality, sharply designed brochures or flyers to entice visitors to buy and remind them what they liked best about your home. Your agent will hold open houses (a must in this digital age), Realtor Tours, and a custom showing schedule that works for you.

Navigating Hurdles and Moving a Sell Forward

There are many moving parts and strict deadlines to a sale, but rest assured, your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Agent will be by your side, smoothly guiding the transaction every step of the way.

Here are the parts to the Arizona home selling process you’ll want to understand:

READ the Purchase Contract: It is best to know and understand all parts of the Arizona Residential Purchase Contract before you get an offer. Your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Agent will educate you on all parts of the contract and their meaning.

HOAs and Other Governing Bodies: Provide copies of all governing documents to your Realtor. Include financial statements, information on any current legal issues, and the CC&Rs.

Seller Disclosures: Honestly disclosing what you know about your property, area, and HOA can help protect you from legal problems down the road. Seller Disclosures allow the buyer to make an informed decision about the purchase. A buyer has five years after a sale to discover undisclosed issues with a home. If proven the Seller knew about these issues, the buyer could sue for repairs and/or damages.

No Showings, No Offers: In a balanced markets, if your home has been listed for 14 days with no traffic and no solid offers there is a problem. Your Sonoran Sky Real Estate agent will do a deep analysis of the showing traffic and feedback to identify potential issues to set straight. Often these have to do with the current market and the listed price compared to your home’s condition and location.

Offers and Contract Negotiations: Once you get offers your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Agent will help you evaluate the terms, price, and strength of each buyer funding so you can make a wise choice of whether to take an offer or counter it. We will “clean-up” any ambiguity in the offer to keep everyone on the same page and you safe legally.

The Escrow and Title Process: Your title officer will request information from you and provide a Preliminary Title Report. Read this carefully and correct necessary items.

The Inspection Period: Once you accept an offer, the buyer’s inspection period begins. The buyer has a set number of days to inspect the home and area to determine if they want to proceed with the sale, ask for repairs, or cancel altogether. It is the Seller’s duty to accommodate reasonably requested inspections. Afterwards, if we receive a request of repairs, your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Agent will guide you through the process of responding. Any agreed upon repairs will need to be completed and invoices/proof of the work sent to your agent.

The Appraisal: If the buyer is getting a home loan, or on some cash deals, an appraiser could be called upon to give their professional opinion of the home’s value. This is a very important time in the selling process as typically the home has to appraise in order for the buyer to get the loan. Your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Agent will put together a pre-appraisal package to ensure the appraiser sees the values we used to price the home.

The Buyer’s Financing: During the escrow process your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Agent will make sure the buyer is diligently working to secure their loan so there are no surprises at closing. Every once in a while a buyer’s funding does not come through and the buyer may try to re-negotiate or be forced to cancel the deal.

The Contract Terms, Conditions, and Time Lines: Your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Agent will be behind the scenes making sure you, the buyer, the lender and the title company meet deadlines and conditions of the contract. We will keep you out of breech and move the transaction to a smooth close.

Your Move: In Real Estate, we say “the day of closing belongs to the buyer.” This means you should be out of the home no later than 10:00 a.m. on the date escrow is scheduled to close. But don’t worry, your Sonoran Sky Real Estate Team will be able to help you find a new home or temporary lodging anywhere in Arizona. If moving out of the State, we can refer you to a top local Realtor. Depending on the timing of the transaction, you might do a simultaneous close and be able to move from your old house directly into your new one, saving you the hassle and expense of a double move. We also know top notch movers to help you get the job done. Check out these helpful moving techniques.

Fund Transfer: It is extremely important you verify, and then double check the verification of any wire transfers you are doing. Scammers can imitate phone numbers and emails to and from your Agent, the Title Company, and your Lender.

Closing Obligations

Closing Documents: Carefully review the closing documents you receive from title before signing. Make sure the costs and dollars amounts are as you expected and the funds are going to the correct place.

Empty and Clean: Remove all personal items and debris from the home, leave it clean and in the same condition the buyers saw when they made the offer along with any required repairs completed.

Utilities, Cable, Alarms: About a week before closing contact your providers to move service out of your name effective on the closing date. DO NOT have the utilities disconnected! They need to be on for the final walk-through.

If disconnecting your washing machine, refrigerator, gas dryer, or other appliance, make sure you leave water and gas valves in the OFF position. If they leak repair them so the house does not get damaged.

Mail Forwarding: Contact the Post Office to have mail forwarded.

Warranties: If your roof, HVAC unit, solar system, pool equipment, appliances or other items are under warranty you’ll need to transfer the warranty to the buyer.

Repairs: Complete any agreed upon repairs and send your agent copies of the receipts and/or certifications.

Hand Over the Keys: Leave your house and community keys, fobs, garage opener, codes, mailbox keys, box location and box number, gate keys and code, clubhouse and other pertinent items in a kitchen drawer.

Recording: Once all the papers are signed and the buyer’s money has been received by the title company the escrow officer will send the deed to be recorded at the County Recorder’s Office. Once recorded, your house is SOLD and your funds are on their way!

Selling Your Home