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Seller's Guide

Everything you need to know about putting your home on the market, accepting an offer, and closing on your home.

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 team of real estate agents 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 team of real estate agents once you choose one so they 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 team of real estate agents is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. A team of real estate agents 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

We 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. Our 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. We 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 we deem the offer is acceptable, we 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 team of real estate agents.

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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. We 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, we 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. We 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 team of real estate agents 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.

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.

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Testimonials

Read what our clients have to say about working with us.

"We can't speak highly enough of our experience with Lyle and Grace when looking for our dream home. Lyle and Grace were outstanding and helped us to find the perfect home. The process was quick, efficient, and very preprofessional. Lyle Caddell was extremely helpful and very knowledgeable in the real estate market area, he provided excellent services by answering our questions and by making sure we are ready for closing, we are very fortunate to have Lyle as our agent and we were totally happy with the services he provided. Lyle and Grace's team did a fantastic job during the entire process of home buying, communication was superb, and they were consistently available to reach out to and ask questions with. We recommended Lyle and Grace to others. Thanks Lyle and Grace!"
"We can't speak highly enough of our experience with Lyle and Grace when looking for our dream home. Lyle and Grace were outstanding and helped us to find the perfect home. The process was quick, efficient, and very preprofessional. Lyle Caddell was extremely helpful and very knowledgeable in the real estate market area, he provided excellent services by answering our questions and by making sure we are ready for closing, we are very fortunate to have Lyle as our agent and we were totally happy with the services he provided. Lyle and Grace's team did a fantastic job during the entire process of home buying, communication was superb, and they were consistently available to reach out to and ask questions with. We recommended Lyle and Grace to others. Thanks Lyle and Grace!"
Moe & Alice
"These two are the best Realtors in California! They guided us through the process and prepped the house for solid showings. They helped with all aspects of the transaction and found us the best buyers."
"These two are the best Realtors in California! They guided us through the process and prepped the house for solid showings. They helped with all aspects of the transaction and found us the best buyers."
Steven G.
"Professional, knowledgeable and a great realty group to work with. Selling our home of 20 years was made easy! The escrow process went smoothly, and we got more than our listing price after multiple offers."
"Professional, knowledgeable and a great realty group to work with. Selling our home of 20 years was made easy! The escrow process went smoothly, and we got more than our listing price after multiple offers."
Marian H.
"Lyle was extremely attentive and knowledgeable. He made the process very smooth for everyone involved. By the end of the sale I had no added stress and would recommend their services to anyone looking to sell or buy a house."
"Lyle was extremely attentive and knowledgeable. He made the process very smooth for everyone involved. By the end of the sale I had no added stress and would recommend their services to anyone looking to sell or buy a house."
Brian W.
"Lyle and Grace were a pleasure to work with! I would highly recommend them to everybody!! They were very knowledgeable and honest. Since I was not familiar with the area, they lined up all the services that I needed for my new home."
"Lyle and Grace were a pleasure to work with! I would highly recommend them to everybody!! They were very knowledgeable and honest. Since I was not familiar with the area, they lined up all the services that I needed for my new home."
Shae B.
"Lyle and Grace Caddell are the best in the business! They brought us a qualified buyer and made sure every detail was handled with absolute professionalism. We highly recommend Lyle and Grace to anyone who is in the market to buy or sell a home."
"Lyle and Grace Caddell are the best in the business! They brought us a qualified buyer and made sure every detail was handled with absolute professionalism. We highly recommend Lyle and Grace to anyone who is in the market to buy or sell a home."
Bryan S.
"Lyle didn’t waste any time in helping us with the single story home with horse space, when the house we originally want got sold on the very first hour and day it was shown. We were frustrated but Mr. Lyle kept his promise that we will get what we are looking for."
"Lyle didn’t waste any time in helping us with the single story home with horse space, when the house we originally want got sold on the very first hour and day it was shown. We were frustrated but Mr. Lyle kept his promise that we will get what we are looking for."
Deanna R.
"I’m very happy with Lyle and Grace. I think they are very accommodating and tried to do the best thing they could for us. They found us a good buyer and wonderful people. Buying a house in East County particularly in Steele Canyon, you’d be out of luck unless you use Lyle and Grace. They’re awesome!"
"I’m very happy with Lyle and Grace. I think they are very accommodating and tried to do the best thing they could for us. They found us a good buyer and wonderful people. Buying a house in East County particularly in Steele Canyon, you’d be out of luck unless you use Lyle and Grace. They’re awesome!"
Thomas and Macia R.
"A good friend of mine was a realtor here in San Diego, and she was the President of the Realty Association here in San Diego years ago and knew Lyle and Grace very well. She thought if anybody could sell my house and sell it well, it would be Lyle and Grace. The second I met them, I knew they were the couple to sell the house."
"A good friend of mine was a realtor here in San Diego, and she was the President of the Realty Association here in San Diego years ago and knew Lyle and Grace very well. She thought if anybody could sell my house and sell it well, it would be Lyle and Grace. The second I met them, I knew they were the couple to sell the house."
Debbie C.
"The Best realtor I ever worked with. From the beginning Lyle was working hard to find my wife and it is a great house. We had very very very specific wants, and a 5-month-old baby that we had to bring along. Lyle did a great job. Within weeks, we found the house, and Lyle helped us negotiate a great price. You cannot find a better realtor in the area."
"The Best realtor I ever worked with. From the beginning Lyle was working hard to find my wife and it is a great house. We had very very very specific wants, and a 5-month-old baby that we had to bring along. Lyle did a great job. Within weeks, we found the house, and Lyle helped us negotiate a great price. You cannot find a better realtor in the area."
Ed H.
"We would recommend Lyle and Grace for any and all real estate deals. They worked with us to purchase a house with a particularly difficult seller. Lyle, Grace and all of their associates and staff were always professional and responded immediately to our questions and concerns. I would use them for any real estate transaction without hesitation. "
"We would recommend Lyle and Grace for any and all real estate deals. They worked with us to purchase a house with a particularly difficult seller. Lyle, Grace and all of their associates and staff were always professional and responded immediately to our questions and concerns. I would use them for any real estate transaction without hesitation. "
Mindy S.
"Our experience with Lyle Caddell could not have been any better. He is knowledgeable, professional, and easy going, but very on point. He is aware of what it takes to sell a home of our size in this area. He is very dedicated to his clients, that is evident by the results he produces. We really appreciate everything that he and his staff did to make this a great experience for our family. We will definitely recommend him to our family and friends! "
"Our experience with Lyle Caddell could not have been any better. He is knowledgeable, professional, and easy going, but very on point. He is aware of what it takes to sell a home of our size in this area. He is very dedicated to his clients, that is evident by the results he produces. We really appreciate everything that he and his staff did to make this a great experience for our family. We will definitely recommend him to our family and friends! "
Tamaara N.
"Lyle did a wonderful job selling our house quickly and professionally - he really knows real estate and priced our house at a highly competitive price point. Lyle did a great job communicating with us throughout the process, so we always knew exactly what to anticipate next. I would like to add his staff was excellent to work with as well. Lyle made selling our home a seamless process, and we would highly recommend Lyle & Grace for all your real estate needs. "
"Lyle did a wonderful job selling our house quickly and professionally - he really knows real estate and priced our house at a highly competitive price point. Lyle did a great job communicating with us throughout the process, so we always knew exactly what to anticipate next. I would like to add his staff was excellent to work with as well. Lyle made selling our home a seamless process, and we would highly recommend Lyle & Grace for all your real estate needs. "
Annette
"I would like to thank Lyle and Grace for their professional service. I had the opportunity to work with them in the recent sale of my parents’ house after they both passed away in a short period of time. I am not from the area, so I need realtors that new the area and could take care of everything that I needed to get done(and there was a lot!) Not only did they save me Thousands of dollars, they got us a whole lot more than we were expecting. Their knowledge and professionalism far exceeded my expectations. If you are looking for absolutely the best agents in San Diego I would recommend Lyle and Grace for all of your real estate needs."
"I would like to thank Lyle and Grace for their professional service. I had the opportunity to work with them in the recent sale of my parents’ house after they both passed away in a short period of time. I am not from the area, so I need realtors that new the area and could take care of everything that I needed to get done(and there was a lot!) Not only did they save me Thousands of dollars, they got us a whole lot more than we were expecting. Their knowledge and professionalism far exceeded my expectations. If you are looking for absolutely the best agents in San Diego I would recommend Lyle and Grace for all of your real estate needs."
Carolyn P.
"Do not hesitate to call Lyle Caddell to buy or sell your home or property. After watching several of our Jamul neighbors try several realtors before hiring Lyle and Grace to finally sell their home, we knew there was Only 1 Realtor we wanted to sell ours. We had an amazing home on a challenging property, but with fantastic marketing, exceptional professional photography and a knock your socks off drone video, the right buyers found their new home in ours! Extra thanks goes to Grace for her experience and knowledge when a hiccup occurred with our solar lease company near the end of escrow. Her efficiency and tenacity with our solar company, made sure they got it done on time for close of escrow. Hands down, Lyle and Grace are the best in all of S.D. County! Call them First, call them last, but trust us, Just call them! Thanks for everything."
"Do not hesitate to call Lyle Caddell to buy or sell your home or property. After watching several of our Jamul neighbors try several realtors before hiring Lyle and Grace to finally sell their home, we knew there was Only 1 Realtor we wanted to sell ours. We had an amazing home on a challenging property, but with fantastic marketing, exceptional professional photography and a knock your socks off drone video, the right buyers found their new home in ours! Extra thanks goes to Grace for her experience and knowledge when a hiccup occurred with our solar lease company near the end of escrow. Her efficiency and tenacity with our solar company, made sure they got it done on time for close of escrow. Hands down, Lyle and Grace are the best in all of S.D. County! Call them First, call them last, but trust us, Just call them! Thanks for everything."
Bill and Wendy R.

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