Sellers

Whether you are relocating, downsizing, upsizing, or anything in between, the team at Pat’s Realty is ready to help you sell. Let’s get started!

How We Help Sell Your Home

For more than 35 years, Pat’s Realty, Inc., has been helping people sell their homes. We understand the selling process and have designed customized marketing tools to assist you in differentiating your home from others in your area. Our friendly and professional agents will guide you through the selling process. Our Realtors will be able to expertly assess your home or property value so your return will be optimized.

When choosing a real estate agent, it’s important to make sure they understand the market, have a plan on marketing your home and getting you the best buyer possible, use proper pricing strategies, use their experience to help with staging and preparing your home to sell, have excellent negotiation techniques and a great reputation in the community and are able to handle unforeseen difficulties that may arise. At Pat’s, we pride ourselves in tailoring our services to the needs of each individual client. All our agents are able to handle anything and we work together as a team to make sure you transactions go smoothly and are on time. Everyone is different and every situation has its own challenges. We take the time to get to know you, your expectations and make sure to give you the best experience possible.

Your Home’s Current Value

When thinking about selling your home, it’s good to have an idea of what your home may be worth. While there are many free online quick and simple valuation tools, these are often not as accurate as a full valuation from a professional realtor. Local realtors, like us at Pat’s, know the area and the market and understand what makes your home special. For your free, no obligation, market valuation of your home or property, fill out our short questionnaire, stop in to the office or give us a call and one of our top local agents will help you make sure you understand the value of your home and if you are interested, what things you might do to increase its value. The information collected here is confidential and is only used to communicate with you about properties you indicate you are interested in.

Additional Resources

We know that buying and selling a property can sometimes seem daunting, but we are here to help guide you through the process. Over the years we have learned many things and want to share our insights with you. Here are a few resources we hope will help you navigate the real estate process.

Pat’s Perspectives

Our blog provides insights, ideas and sometimes just fun things that we are talking about at the office. We feature market insights, tips for what to look for when buying a home, advice about getting pre-approved for a mortgage and fun things like looking back at the history of Southern Wisconsin and some of our favorite recipes. If you have any suggestions for future things we should include, please let us know.

Step-by-Step Guide to Selling Your House

“How to Sell a House in 7 Steps ”

Selling your house and moving is a big transition to make, but it doesn’t need to be a stressful experience. Learn how to sell a house the right way with these seven easy steps!

1. Find a knowledgeable real estate agent.

Real estate agents are a dime a dozen. That’s why you don’t need just any agent. You need the right agent to sell your house the best way. Find someone who will super-serve you, negotiate the best deal, and sell your house fast! As tempting as it is to have a relative, a friend from church or your cousin’s husband’s buddy help you, always stick with a vetted professional who has experience and can sell your home for the most money in the shortest amount of time!

Can I sell my house myself?

Look, everybody loves saving money, and selling solo can seem like a great way to do just that. But is For Sale by Owner (FSBO) really all it’s cracked up to be? First of all, if you really want to sell your home—especially if you’re wondering how to sell your home fast—you need to get it in front of buyers—and lots of them. This is where an agent comes in handy.

An experienced real estate agent will give your home a much-needed online presence through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which will expose it to thousands of potential buyers. Even if it feels like homes are flying off the market in your area, that’s even more reason to have a pro by your side who knows how to get you the best deal no matter how many crazy offers, home showings or open houses come your way. Plus, an agent will develop a targeted strategy to market your house to their extensive network of buyers and agents.

Can you save a lot of money by going FSBO? Not really. Even when you sell your home yourself, you still have to pay a commission to the buyer’s agent. You’d only save the commission on one side of the transaction.

A great agent will more than make up for that cost. Consider this: The latest National Association of Realtors data shows that the average home sold by an agent last year brought in $242,000.1 In contrast, the average FSBO home went for $217,000.2 That’s a $25,000 difference!

Consider this: The latest National Association of Realtors data shows that the average home sold by an agent last year brought in $242,000.1 In contrast, the average FSBO home went for $217,000.2 That’s a $25,000 difference!

Trust us—working with a great real estate agent helps you get the most money for your home.

2. Price your home to sell.

The key is to think objectively about your home’s value. If you’ve lived in your home long enough to make memories, those sentimental ties could cloud your judgment. So, stick to the facts as much as possible when you estimate how much your home could sell for. The best way to determine your home’s value is to ask a real estate agent to run a comparative market analysis (CMA). This free report compares your home to other homes near you that are comparable in size, have similar features, are currently on the market or have sold in recent months. The comparison allows your agent to more accurately predict what buyers will pay for your home and set a competitive price that’s based on fact, not emotion. Now, you may be thinking, But in my hot market, homes usually sell above asking price. Well, even if buyers are willing to pay more than asking, your home still has to go through an appraisal once an offer is accepted. What’s an appraisal? It’s when the buyer’s lender has a professional appraiser assess your home’s value to make sure the loan amount isn’t more or less than the home is actually worth. That way, the lender gets the security they need to move forward with a mortgage application and the buyer is also protected from a seller setting an unrealistic price.

3. Set a home-selling timeline.

If you have an idea of when you want your home to hit the market, break your to-do list into manageable, bite-size pieces so you know exactly where to start when selling your house. The timeline below can get you going, but of course, you should adjust according to your own needs and personal schedule.

ASAP

    • Interview real estate agents: Take time to find a pro who has a proven track record and confidence to boot.
    • Outline a plan: Work with your agent to set priorities so you can focus on finishing one task at a time.
    • Declutter: Decide what you can live without until your home sells. Then pack it up and get it out!
2–3 Months Before Listing
    • Hire a home inspector: Identifying issues early in the home-selling process lets you work the cost of repairs into your budget on the front end so they don’t wreck your deal later.
    • Tackle repairs: Ask your agent where your fix-it dollars will do the most good.
1–2 Months Before Listing
    • Set the stage: Create an inviting space that lets buyers see your house as their own.
    • Deep clean: Scrub every surface until it shines. Hire a pro to make carpets and rugs look—and smell—new again.
    • Apply finishing touches: Get your home picture-perfect so your photographer can capture it in the best possible condition.
Again, the key to keeping stress at bay during the weeks and months leading up to putting your home on the market is to make a plan—and then follow that plan.

5. Stage your house and get it ready for potential buyers.

Once your home is in good working order, it’s time to set the stage and show off its best features. That starts with a deep cleaning. Unless you’re Mr. Clean, that probably won’t sound very fun, but a buyer isn’t going to forget if your home felt gross. Simple things like scrubbing the surfaces, a fresh coat of paint, carpet cleaning and decluttering are relatively low-cost and low-lift chores that will make a huge impact on your home’s first impression. Once you have a clean home, you can begin to stage. Keep your décor colors neutral and try to depersonalize as much as possible. Take down most of your family photos so buyers can imagine their families enjoying your house. Closets are always important to home buyers, so create the impression of spaciousness by storing away out-of-season clothing and miscellaneous gear. When in doubt, less is more. Staging also gets your home ready for professional photos for your home’s online listing. Your agent should help coordinate the photo shoot, so that’s less pressure on you. Here are a few staging tips to get your home prepared for its glamour shot:  
    • Stay organized. Again, a tidy home is non negotiable. Channel your inner Snow White and whistle while you work if you have to. Just clean up the place.
    • Add extra touches. A pair of decorative pillows or a few green plants will add life to any room.
    • Clear the counters. Throw your juicer and blender in the kitchen cabinet. The same goes for your bathrooms. Pitch those personal items in a drawer to keep them out of sight.
    • Add more lighting. Bright rooms make your home look bigger. Open the curtains, pull up the blinds, and let the sunshine in! In spaces that don’t get much natural light, a well-placed lamp can make a big difference!
    • Go easy on the rugs. Rugs generally don’t photograph well, and they can make your space look smaller. Your agent can help you decide which rugs can stay and which ones should go.
    • Put a lid on it. Your toilet, that is. Friends don’t let friends leave the lid up during a nice photo shoot.
    • Don’t forget to stage outdoors too. Clean your front porch and place nice planters near your entryway. If you have a deck, pressure wash it and add plants to give the space some life.

6. List your home and survive the showings.

Home showings are hard to juggle regardless of whether your home is empty or full of kids. If you’re still living in the home you’re trying to sell, these handy tips can help you stay sane and get your home sold.
    • Make a daily to-do list. Reduce last-minute panic by putting things away as soon as you’re done with them and creating a checklist of simple tasks to knock out before you leave every morning.
    • Find a place for your pets during showings. Leaving pets home for showings can get messy, and a yap-happy dog is just plain annoying. Take the fur babies for a joyride or send them to Grandma’s house so buyers can focus on your home.
    • Try to be flexible. If you want to make a deal, you’ve got to give buyers time and space to fall in love with your home. Be flexible about scheduling showings, and don’t make buyers step around you—or your feelings—when they visit.
    • Tackle the toys. Paring down the piles of plastic is a tough task, but it sure does make cleanup a breeze. Ask your kids to choose a few favorite toys to keep in their rooms, and then store the rest in bins.
Do the best you can, but remember, you’re only human. There will be days you just can’t get everything put away and make it out the door on time. If you get a call for a showing, tell your agent you were running behind so they can prepare the buyer ahead of time. Just don’t miss an opportunity to get your home seen!

7. Negotiate the contract and close.

Negotiations between you (the seller) and the buyer kick off with the buyer’s initial offer. Keep in mind the contract stage works differently in every state, so your agent should explain those details in terms you understand. Never sign a purchase agreement before you’re clear about what is and is not included in the offer—and how it affects you. Pay close attention to these details:
    • Purchase price
    • Closing or escrow date
    • Special allowances for personal property, home improvements and closing costs
    • Contingency deadlines for the home inspection, appraisal and buyer financing
    • Additional contingencies such as the sale of the buyer’s current home
Once you and the buyer reach a final purchase agreement, you won’t be sitting pretty quite yet. There’s still a lot to do from contract to closing, so here are some quick tips to help you manage this stage of the game:
    • Don’t wait until the last minute to pack.
    • Communicate with your buyer.
    • Keep your home insurance up to date until you’ve signed the dotted line.
    • Make a list of what to bring on closing day.
    • Remain flexible because delays can, and will, happen.

Here’s how we can help you sell your home

For more than 25 years, Pat’s Realty, Inc., has been helping people sell their homes. We understand the selling process and have designed customized marketing tools to assist you in differentiating your home from others in your marketplace. Our friendly and professional agents will personally guide you through the selling process. Our realtors will be able to expertly assess your home or property value so your return will be optimized.

Free, No Obligation, Home Valuation and Market Analysis

We will meet with you at your home and give you a good idea of what your home is likely worth as well as a feel for what it should be listed for. Our expert opinions are based on comparable sold properties in the area, our decades of experience and our understanding of the market.

Complimentary Home Staging Consultation

To get the most for your home, you want to make sure it’s looking its best! We will work with you room by room to make sure you know what you could do to make your home even more attractive to potential buyers.

Professional Photography

Great quality pictures are what helps to get people interested and through your door. At Pat’s we use professional photography to capture your home’s beauty and hide some of those not-so-pretty things like all those cords that are laying around by your tv. We also offer drone photography of your property which gives beautiful overhead shots of your home that can’t be taken with traditional photography and shows the characteristics of your lot that might otherwise be missed.

Marketing/ Digital Advertising

Targeted digital marketing on Facebook is something we do over and beyond what your typical real estate firm will do. We can place enticing ads in front of likely home buyers and current homeowners within a certain number of miles from your home. This helps to create a ‘buzz’ and gives your home added exposure and increases the likelihood that your home will sell fast and at a higher price. We also create beautiful brochures to be placed in your residence for potential buyers to take with them to remember your wonderful home. These can include many of the small details which sometimes can be important to buyers like an updated roof, new furnace, remodeled kitchen; things that are attractive to buyers and point out the special details of your property.

Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

The local MLS (multiple listing service) is THE main database of real estate listings in our local market. It is crucial that your home is listed here because once it’s in the database it’s seen by hundreds of local agents and trickles to sites around the region and country.

Syndication Across Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, Redfin, etc.

To make sure you get as many potential buyers interested in your home as possible, it needs to be seen by as many people as possible. To do this, we need to make sure to have your property show up where people are looking, like Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia and other online platforms. At Pat’s, if you list with us, we make sure your listing is also on all these common websites, increasing its exposure and helping it to sell faster.

Your Home Listing Placed on Local Real Estate Company Websites

We work with many agents in the South Central WI region and have ‘broker reciprocity’ which means we share each other’s listings to help increase exposure of available properties.

Eye-Catching For Sale Sign

For sale signs were the first form of advertising homes for sale and are still effective today. People can’t miss the eye-catching bright yellow Pat’s Realty For Sale signs. These are high quality metal signs that stay in place and won’t fall over in the wind… they can withstand any storm, just like our agents!

Central Showing Service

We use a centralized service called “Showing Time” to help arrange showings of your home. Buyers agents go through the portal to request appointments to see your home based on the instructions you give us. We can also track your home’s showings and feedback. We know that letting people into your home can sometimes cause an uneasy feeling. This is why we use electronic lockboxes that track every person that enters and how long they are there. This is an added level of safety for you as well as a professional means of entry for those with appointments.

Contract Negotiations

Real Estate negotiations are just about the price of your home. There are many other important terms to a contract, such as an inspection, closing dates, earnest money, items included in the sale, closing costs, dealing with multiple offers and more. We help to deal with all this for you. We make sure inspections are taken care of, appraisals come through, loan commitments are made, and all the other tedious but important steps to closing the sale of your home. We are experienced negotiators with good reputations and the ability to work professionally and expeditiously with others in the real estate business.

Transaction Management

We want you to feel confident throughout your selling process. We are here to make sure you understand the next steps and what to expect. For us, transaction management is more than just paperwork. We make sure the title of your property is transferred seamlessly to the new owner. We work closely with local and trusted title companies that help to facilitate the transfer, taking one less thing off your plate.​