Sell With Me

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 agent 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 real estate agent once you choose one so he or she 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 real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An 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

I 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. My 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. I 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 I deem the offer is acceptable, I 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 agent.

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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. I 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, I 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. I 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 real estate agent 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.

Cheers to Your Achievement

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.

Testimonials

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Puneet S.

House hunting in SF can be insane so in addition to a great realtor one needs a friend who is always there to give you advice, soften the blow when something doesn't work out, has your best interest in mind and doesn't push you...
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Darel H.

Michelle was my agent for a recent purchase in a San Francisco hi-rise. She was great about educating me on the market and once I found the place I wanted she made the rest happen. I know she can't guarantee there won't be any ...
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Roe G.

If I could give Michelle 10 stars, I would. She is incredible. Michelle is professional and so "on top of things" She is smart, efficient, and always calls back promptly. She understands the market and people. Michelle knows ho...
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Michael O.

Michelle is amazing! Helped me purchase my first property in San Francisco. Very kind, caring, and detailed during the entire purchase. Quick to respond to any question I had, and constantly stayed in contact. An expert of the ...
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Jessica L.

Michelle was recommended to me by my friend. She is very efficient and find me a super lovely condo with a reasonable price within one month in this crazy market. And Her service doesn't stop after closing the deal. Since I am ...
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Dean L.

We live in San Diego so we could only check potential agents' reviews online and conduct brief phone interviews before making a decision. We decided to go with Michelle because she had lots of experience in the neighborhood, lo...
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Bryan S.

Michelle brings the buyers. At the end of the day, that's what really matters when you're a seller. We worked with Michelle to sell our condo in the South Beach/ Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. We chose Michelle beca...
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Deborah J.

Michelle Ye did a great job successfully facilitating the sale of our condo in the South Beach area of San Francisco! She guided us through the process, facilitated all the updating of the condo-using contractors who were reaso...
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Oski Y.

We eventually completed a very long and painful closing process, and within *weeks* it was apparent that the market trends that Michelle had forecast had proven true, and I made an amazing equity gain on my investment almost in...
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J H.

Michelle has been absolutely amazing. I am so glad she was my Agent! She is 'The Expert' when it comes to SOMA and SF real estate market. She is up to date with current market conditions and is very well informed. She has sold ...
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Seller

Michelle is the total package, the best agent around! Her professionalism is unmatched, with great advice on everything, very polite and not pushy at all. Michelle coordinated upgrades on my '91 studio unit, totally transformin...
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Buyer

Great experience working with Michelle. She was extremely responsive and very helpful. Went above and beyond and even gave us much-needed remodeling advice!
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Seller

We have sold 2 condos in San Francisco South Beach with Michelle Ye as the selling agent, amidst the 2020/2021 pandemic. Both times she did an amazing job. It couldn't have been easier for us. Contracts were signed in less than...
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Seller

I knew from the moment I started talking with Michelle that I had found an amazing professional who would become a close partner in selling my place! Michelle suggested simple and efficient steps to upgrade my property which ha...
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Seller

Michelle did an amazing job of coordinating a light renovation during the pandemic, so I didn't even need to travel and come to San Francisco. Through her referrals, we updated all new floors, counters, and paint to get the pro...
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Jenn C.

Working with Michelle was such a great experience! She’s knowledgeable, professional, and responsive to just name a few of her expertise. Even with the slow market; she’s able to help me sell/prepare my home at a higher than my...
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Baxter R.

Well, my wife and I are trying to coin a new term: "Michelle magic". Michelle listed our place for sale and had it in contract within 4 days during the heat of the coronavirus pandemic (at a solid price too). She's motivated, k...
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Seller

Michelle is a real estate agent superhero! She came to the rescue when I needed to sell my condo in South Beach this summer while I was living in another state. Everything was taken care of, from the remodel to the sale itself....
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Peter P.

Michelle was very responsive, quick, supportive, and exceedingly knowledgeable throughout the entire process of searching for available properties, making offers, finding the right mortgage, closing, and so on. Even after closi...
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Robert & Betty C.

Michelle Ye was professional in all aspects of the sale of my San Francisco condo and very knowledgeable about the San Francisco real estate market. Her excellent advice, guidance, and support throughout the home-selling proces...
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Testimonials

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Michelle Ye is a distinguished luxury real estate agent in San Francisco, renowned for her exceptional work ethic and unwavering dedication. With a keen eye for detail and outstanding communication skills, she effortlessly navigates the complexities of the market. Her strong presence and confidence ensure every transaction is handled with finesse. Additionally, Michelle excels in marketing and negotiations, making her an invaluable asset to her clients.

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Contact Details

Michelle Ye | CA DRE# 01758904

Phone

(415) 312-6688

Email

[email protected]

Address

160 Main St Los Altos CA 94022

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