Selling. Educated.

THERE'S SELLING, THEN THERE'S SELLING WITH ME

TOP LISTING AGENT

TOP LISTING AGENT

Evan Smeenge - Chief Real Estate Advisor

Evan Smeenge is an exceptional Chicagoland real estate agent who aims to make transactions fun, inviting, and seamless for everyone involved. Evan has cultivated a deep understanding of the buying, selling, and local marketing processes that guarantee a positive experience for every one of his clients.

DO IT YOURSELF -- DO IT TOGETHER

Plan

When Life Gives You Lemons

What's the plan, stan?

Planning is more a natural stage in the listing process. You've already come to the understanding of your next step. Are you retiring, is your family growing, are you relocating? All of these tend to happen to us without control. That's ok.

Prep

Is Your HOUSE Ready? Are You?

To prepare your home to list on the MLS, you should first focus on making it as appealing as possible to potential buyers. This may include decluttering, depersonalizing, and doing some minor repairs or updates. Some specific things to consider include:

  • Cleaning and decluttering every room, including closets and storage spaces, to make them appear as spacious as possible.
  • Depersonalizing your home by removing family photos and personal items, so that buyers can envision themselves living there.
  • Giving your home a fresh coat of paint, if necessary, to neutralize any bold or dated colors.
  • Making any necessary repairs, such as fixing leaky faucets or broken tiles.
  • Ensuring that all appliances and systems, such as heating and air conditioning, are in good working condition.
  • Staging your home, which is the process of arranging furniture and decor to highlight the best features of your home and make it more attractive to potential buyers.

List

WE'RE GOING LIVE! - FIRE IN THE HOLE

I mean, this is a pretty straightforward stage. I put it live in the MLS.

One thing to be ready for is showings. They'll start coming in, so you'll need to get your butts out so buyers feel free to roam, see, and experience your home.

Market

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT.

I said above that the strategy of marketing your home is as unique as your home. Well, this is where we implement the strategy that we've created. I've already started things off in the prep stage, but this is when the fire starts burning.

Negotiate

Find a Real Estate Agent

I like to say that a deal happens when both parties feel they've won. However, I think the better way to see this is, both parties should feel they lost a little. If someone is comfortable, the other side is not. 

Remember, BOTH parties need to come together to make a deal happen. That is negotiation. Period.

Finish

I Can Hear The Hallelujah Chorus

At closing, the sale of a property in Illinois is finalized and the title to the property is transferred from the seller to the buyer. The closing process typically involves the following steps:

  1. Signing closing documents: The seller and buyer will need to sign various legal documents, such as the sales contract and the title transfer documents, to complete the sale.

  2. Paying closing costs: The buyer will pay closing costs, which may include things like title insurance, lender's fees, and real estate agent commissions. The seller may also be responsible for paying some closing costs, such as transfer taxes.

  3. Transferring the title: Once the closing documents have been signed and the closing costs have been paid, the title to the property will be transferred from the seller to the buyer. This is typically done by a title company or attorney.

  4. Disbursing funds: The funds from the sale of the property will be disbursed to the appropriate parties, such as the lender (if the buyer has a mortgage), the real estate agents (if applicable), and the seller.

  5. Recording the sale: The sale will be recorded with the local county clerk's office, which will update the official records to reflect the new ownership of the property.

It's important to note that it is advisable to hire a real estate attorney to help you with the closing process, especially if you are unsure of the process and the legal documents that will be involved.

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With an exceptional real estate experience, The Smeenge Group aims to make transactions fun, inviting, and seamless for everyone involved. We had cultivated a deep understanding of the buying, selling, and local marketing processes that guarantee a positive experience for every one of our clients.