What We Do For You

As Owner/Broker of OakTree Home & Loan, I set the standards for making sure that all our Professional Full Tme Realtors® follow the proven steps to sell your home for the most money!

The Extensive Preparation Before I Meet With You to List Your Home:

1. Order a Preliminary Report from the title company so that all legal and tax information is available.
2. Research all comparable properties that are currently listed, those that have sold in the last six months, and those properties that have been listed/didn’t sell/were taken off the market.
3. Call agents, if needed, to discuss activity on the comparable properties they have listed in the area.
4. Prepare reports and graphs to show you exactly what the homes are selling for in your neighborhood.
5. Determine what changes in the neighborhood will affect the sales price of your property.  (Are there a lot of Short Sales/Foreclosures, will a new school or shopping center open soon, etc?)
6. I will ask you to gather information about what you like about your home, what you have done to improve the property and if you have concerns about lack of the quality of some of the features of your property.
7. I will tour your home to determine what makes your home unique – upgrades you have put in, your cul-de-sac yard is larger than others, or you live next to a freeway or train track.
8. From the research I will determine the very best price to get your home SOLD in the least time, for the highest possible price and with the least hassle.
9. I will complete a “Home Seller’s Net Sheet” showing seller expenses, closing costs and net proceeds so that you will be fully aware of the net amount you will receive at the close of escrow.
10. Above all, I will access your immediate concerns about the home selling process and make sure that you understand all the elements involved.
11. My motto is, “No Surprises.”  I want you to be the most well informed seller in the area.


The Listing Appointment:

12. I will explain all the necessary paperwork that is required to protect you as you are selling your home and after the sale is closed/completed including State of California mandated (SPDS) Seller Property Disclosure Statement that you will complete and that will be presented to the buyer of your home
13. We will discuss whether it is in your best interest to have a professional appraisal, a pest inspection, and/or purchase a home warranty for the duration of the listing so that you would know what value an appraiser is going to give your home when a buyer gets a loan, what termite work might need to be completed and how much it might cost before escrow could be closed, and to protect you from having to fix a water heater that might go bad during the sale/escrow period.
14. We will then agree on the Listing Price for your home and sign documents.  You will receive copies of all documents.  At this point, you need to set-up a file for all the documents you will accumulate for the sale process.  Keep all documents to show your tax preparer at tax time.
15. We will do a walk through your home and I will make suggestions about changes to your home to make it the most appealing listing in your neighborhood/price range.
16. I will provide home showing guidelines so that each time a prospective buyer visits your home with his/her agent, they will be impressed by the lovely atmosphere of your home and yard.
17. I will collect 2 sets of keys – One set of keys will be inserted in the lockbox; the other set will be kept at the Berni Teams office in case there is ever a problem with the first set.
18. Install hi-tech lockbox to allow agents to show your home conveniently.
19. Electronically submit your home listing information to the Sacramento/El Dorado/Placer Multiple Listing Service for exposure to over 3,000 active real estate agents in the California Multiple List Service Area.


Marketing:

20. Contact neighbors within a one mile radius, who may know of a friend or family member who may be interested in your home.
21. Prepare Marketing Materials such as the flyers, order Walk Through Tours and take full color digital photographs of the inside and outside of your home for marketing flyers, advertisements and the Internet, etc.  See “How We Market Your Home”  http://www.jillberni4homes.com/how_we_market_your_home.htm
22. Keep You informed of market changes, sales trends or anything that may affect the value and marketability of your property.
23. Search the MLS System for REALTORS® most likely working with interested and capable buyers matching your home, then fax or email copies of your home listing information for them to review immediately.
24. Target market to determine who are the most likely buyers willing to pay the highest price.
25. Use other marketing techniques; such as offering free reports to multiply chances of buyers calling in, discussing, pre-qualifying for and touring your home.
26. Submit a crisp, clean digital montage of photos complete with personally written remarks detailing your home - available to hundreds of millions of people via my websites and linked to several other sites.
27. Deliver copies of advertisements and marketing material of your home to you for your review.
28. Log in all home showings to keep record of marketing activity and potential purchasers.
29. Follow up with all the agents who have shown your home to address any concerns.
30. Provide Open Houses at your request (note: these are not very effective).
31. Handle paperwork if price adjustment needed.


The Purchase Contract and Escrow:

32. Receive Offer (if coming from another agent) and review important details of contract to determine best negotiating position.
33. Educate & explain all aspects of the legal sales contract, all counter offers, lead based paint, Water Testing, Septic inspection, open Escrow, verify buyers
34. Prequalification, verify earnest money deposit.
35. Negotiate highest price and best terms for you and your situation.
36. Our highly trained office staff is on hand to process & track entire closing process.
37. Coordinate scheduling of appraisal and supply comparable sales if needed.
38. Coordinate scheduling termite inspection.
39. Coordinate scheduling of Home Inspection with other REALTORS® and handle contingencies if any.
40. Coordinate and review with you any buyer requested repairs and assist cooperating agent with any problems that may arise relative to the inspections.
41. Coordinate closing and possession to help ensure a smooth closing.
42. Set up Final Walk through of your home for buyers and their agent.
43. Assist in scheduling the signing of closing papers.
44. Arrange transfer of home (keys, warranties, garage door openers, community pool keys, mail box keys).
45. Help you relocate out of area with highly experienced agents across the globe - you are sure to have the highest quality agent to help you on both sides of your move to make it worry and stress free.

Is there any question why The Berni Team often sells homes for 100% of asking price? You can see why this process is so effective.