Dawna Davies and her assistant Jodi Blanchard did an exceptional job in helping us sell our home in San Luis Obispo. Dawna’s intelligence and knowledge of the business made the whole complex process easy for us to understand and navigate. What seemed like counter-intuitive advice at the start—that we should be extremely thorough in discovering any possible problems with the forty year old house and present them in advance—turned out to streamline the final transaction by building trust in potential buyers and removing the possibility of unpleasant surprises and uncertainty for us. Her contacts with a wide range of local business people who carried out many preparatory operations quickly and economically offered another unique benefit. Her tact and amiability made our numerous interactions pleasant rather than wary. And Jodi’s work in converting the box full of documents from our files into a coherent house-maintenance-history binder meticulous and creative. From start to finish our involvement with Davies Company was personally as well as financially rewarding.
- Details. Tell your agent everything you know about your property and neighborhood. Your trusted agent needs a chance to look objectively at the information and decide how to present the property to the general market.
- Property loan & financing particulars. To prepare an accurate estimate of your sale proceeds, your current loan terms (amount, interest rate, payment, maturity date, etc.) are important. This can also affect marketing. If you have no loan on your property, you may be able to carry the financing for a qualified buyer. This may give the buyer an opportunity to save thousands in the purchase of your property with lower closing costs, potentially increasing a price they pay.
- How was the property acquired? (i.e. gift, exchange, second home, investment plan, etc.) This helps your agent address your investment goals and determine a strategy for selling.
- Financial and legal impact of sale. Talk to your tax planner, financial advisor, and attorney about the consequences of the sale. Many sellers are not aware of the variety of large costs of selling a property, both in the short term and long term. Also, if the property is part of your estate planning, there may be family and legal ramifications disposing of the property.
- What outside influences are there with your decision to sell? (Health changes, 3rd party influences, national news, pandemics, etc.) Most transactions have little or nothing to do with the actual property. Some properties are put on the market simply because the owners want change. Depending on circumstances, it may be best to not sell, and instead, look at other alternatives for keeping the property until you can sell. Knowing the personal story behind the need to sell will help your agent market the property while making progress on your personal objectives.