Sell your home in Surprise and the West Valley

I'm Teigh Wade, REALTOR® with HomeSmart Elite Group, HomeSmart. My mission is simple, and it's in my own words: “Getting The Sale” is NOT my mission. Helping people navigate through every process of Real Estate is. Selling a home involves a lot of moving pieces, and my job is to explain each one, keep the deadlines on track and stand up for your interests from the first walkthrough to the day the keys change hands.

Here's what working with me looks like:

1. A mobile listing consultation. I come to you. We walk through the home together, talk about your goals and your timing, and I answer every question you have before you sign anything.
2. Pricing with a CMA. I prepare a comparative market analysis using recent sales, pending sales and active competition near your home.
3. Preparation and staging. I give you a room-by-room plan and help put it into action.
4. Photos and marketing. Your home goes on the MLS with photos and a description that show it at its best.
5. Showings. I coordinate showings and pass along buyer feedback.
6. Offers and negotiation. I walk you through every offer, term by term, and negotiate on your behalf.
7. Inspection, BINSR and appraisal. I help you respond to the buyer's requests and work through any appraisal issues.
8. Escrow to closing. I stay in contact with the title and escrow company, the buyer's agent and the lender so you always know where things stand.

Price is the single biggest decision you'll make as a seller. A comparative market analysis, or CMA, compares your home with homes that have recently sold, homes under contract and homes currently for sale nearby. I look at size, age, condition, updates, lot, pool, garage space, HOA and location, then adjust for the differences.

Values vary by home and by market, so I won't quote a number until I've seen your property. Online estimates can be a starting point, but they can't see your remodeled kitchen or the roof that needs work. If you want to know where your home stands today, request a no-obligation consultation on my what's my home worth page.

The price we choose together should reflect what buyers are paying for similar homes right now. I'll show you the data behind my recommendation, and the final decision is always yours.

Buyers decide quickly, often from the first photo. Preparation is about removing reasons for them to hesitate. I'll suggest which repairs are worth doing before you list, which ones to leave alone, and where a little cleaning, decluttering or paint can make the biggest difference.

I also do home staging, and staging help is included for my listing clients. Depending on your home, that might be a room-by-room plan, hands-on styling with your own furniture and decor, or full staging with my furniture and decor for a vacant home. In the West Valley, I pay special attention to desert landscaping, the back patio, the pool and keeping the home cool and comfortable for showings during the hot months.

For a full to-do list, see my home selling checklist.

Most buyers meet your home online first. Your listing goes into the MLS, which feeds many home search websites, including the property search on this site. Strong photos, an accurate description and the right details (HOA, pool, solar, upgrades, lot features) help the right buyers find your home and decide to see it in person.

Once you're on the market, I coordinate showings around your schedule as much as possible. After showings, I follow up with buyer's agents for feedback and share what I hear with you, good or bad. If the feedback points to a pattern, we talk about whether to adjust anything. You can see my current and past listings on the my listings page.

Most residential resale homes in Arizona are sold using the Arizona Association of REALTORS® (AAR) Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract. When an offer arrives, price is only one part of it. I'll walk you through the full picture:

• The type of financing and the buyer's loan status
• The earnest money deposit, which is held by the escrow company
• The close of escrow date
• Any request for seller concessions toward the buyer's costs
• Contingencies, such as a buyer needing to sell another home first
• Requests for a home warranty or personal property

You can accept, reject or counter. If there are several offers, I'll help you compare them side by side. I negotiate for you, but I won't pressure you. It's your home and your decision.

After you accept an offer, the buyer has an inspection period to have the home inspected and investigate anything that matters to them. Under the AAR contract, that period is 10 days after contract acceptance by default, unless the contract sets a different length.

If the buyer wants repairs or has concerns, they send the Buyer's Inspection Notice and Seller's Response, known as the BINSR. You then have a set number of days to respond (five days by default under the contract). You can agree to the requests, refuse them or offer something different. Under the contract, not responding in time counts as a refusal. If you don't agree to everything, the buyer then has a short window to decide whether to move forward or cancel.

This is one of the most important negotiations in the whole sale. I'll help you sort the reasonable requests from the rest and think through the options, such as making a repair, offering a credit or holding firm. For any legal questions about the contract, talk with a real estate attorney.

If the buyer is using a loan, the lender orders an appraisal. The appraiser's job is to give the lender an opinion of value. When the appraisal comes in at or above the contract price, the sale usually moves on.

If it comes in low, the AAR contract includes an appraisal contingency that gives the buyer a limited time after notice of the appraised value to cancel and get their earnest money back, unless the contract was written differently. A low appraisal often opens a new conversation: the buyer may bring more cash, you may lower the price, you may meet in the middle, or we may challenge the appraisal with better comparable sales. I'll help you weigh each path.

In Arizona, closings are handled by a title and escrow company. Escrow opens when the contract is accepted, and the escrow officer holds the earnest money, orders the title commitment, collects documents and signatures, and makes sure funds are distributed correctly at closing. The AAR contract serves as the escrow instructions.

Before closing, the buyer usually does a final walkthrough to confirm the home's condition and any agreed repairs. You'll sign your closing documents with escrow, often at their office or with a mobile notary. Once the sale records with the county, the home is officially sold and keys are handed over as the contract provides.

One important reminder: wire fraud is a real risk in real estate. Never send money based on emailed instructions alone. Always confirm wiring details by calling the escrow company at a number you know is correct.

Every sale is different, and I can't promise how long yours will take. What I can do is show you the order things usually happen in, so nothing catches you off guard:

1. Consultation and CMA. We meet, talk goals and set a price strategy.
2. Preparation. Repairs, cleaning, staging and photos.
3. On the market. Showings, feedback and open communication.
4. Offer accepted. Escrow opens and the buyer deposits earnest money.
5. Disclosures. You deliver the SPDS and other required disclosures.
6. Inspection period and BINSR. Inspections, requests and your response.
7. Appraisal and loan approval. The buyer's lender completes its process.
8. Final walkthrough and signing. Closing documents are signed with escrow.
9. Close of escrow. The sale records and ownership transfers.

The close of escrow date is negotiated in the contract. If you need a specific move date, tell me early so we can build it into the terms.

Arizona sellers have a duty to disclose known facts that materially affect the value of the property. In most resale transactions, sellers do this with the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement, or SPDS, an AAR form that asks detailed questions about the home's ownership, systems, condition, utilities and environmental issues. Under the AAR contract, the seller delivers the SPDS within three days after contract acceptance.

The SPDS must be completed by you, not by me, because you're the one who knows the home. Answer honestly and completely. If you're unsure about something, say so rather than guessing. Other disclosures may also apply, such as an insurance claims history and, for homes built before 1978, lead-based paint disclosures. If anything changes after you deliver your disclosures, you need to update the buyer. If you have questions about your legal obligations, an attorney can help.

Your net proceeds depend on your sale price, your loan payoff and the costs of the sale. I'll prepare an estimated net sheet for you before you list and again for each offer, so you can compare them on real numbers rather than guesses. Common seller costs include:

• Your mortgage payoff and any other liens, such as a home equity line or a financed solar system
• Brokerage compensation, which is negotiable and agreed to in writing
• Title and escrow fees, divided according to the contract
• Prorated property taxes and HOA dues
• HOA fees tied to the sale, such as disclosure or transfer fees, if your community charges them
• Repairs or credits agreed to during the BINSR
• Seller concessions or a home warranty, if negotiated
• Moving and preparation costs

If you have questions about taxes on the sale, talk with a tax professional.

You can sell a home without an agent in Arizona. Some owners do it successfully, especially when they already have a buyer in mind. If you go that route, you still deal with the same pieces: pricing, disclosures, the purchase contract, the inspection period, the BINSR, the appraisal and escrow.

What a listing agent adds is experience with those pieces, access to the MLS, marketing, showing coordination and someone negotiating on your behalf who isn't emotionally attached to the house. I'd rather you make an informed choice than a rushed one, so if you're on the fence, call me. I'll explain what I'd do for your home and you can decide.

Many sellers also need their next home. There are a few common ways to handle it, and the best one depends on your finances and your comfort with risk:

• Sell first. You know exactly what you have to spend, but you may need a temporary place to stay.
• Buy first. You move once, but you may carry two homes for a while. Talk with a lender about whether this works for you.
• Make your purchase contingent on your sale. This protects you, though some sellers prefer offers without that condition.
• Negotiate the timing. A longer close of escrow or a written agreement to stay in the home for a short time after closing can bridge the gap.

Because I represent buyers too, I can coordinate both sides of your move. Read more on my buy a home page, or call or text me at 480-550-2871 to talk it through.