Seller's GUIDE
Hello!
I AM SHAWN RUSSELL
nicetomeetyou!
A lifelong Mainer, I grew to love western Maine upon attending the University of Maine at Farmington. After graduating in 2016, I decided to stay in the area, and I’ve been here ever since.
My wife Brittany and I live in Rangeley with our son Henry. Brittany also works at Morton & Furbish on the vacation rental side, though she also has her real estate license.
I always have had a knack for hard work - I value doing whatever it takes for my clients to reach their goals, and I attribute that to my success. I am thrilled to be in this career and help guide people in reaching their goals. Let’s get to work!
MEET THE
Team
OVER 100 YEARS OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE!
Our ADVANTAGE
Top Agency for sales in Rangeley and Franklin County
Morton & Furbish Agency has been the top producer in the Rangeley region for over 25 years, and was the top agency for volume sold for all of Franklin County in 2023
Experienced Agents
All of our agents live locally and 95% of our business is in the Rangeley region. Four of our agents were in the top 10 for volume sold in Franklin County in 2023 out of over 100 agents. Many of our agents have over 20 years of experience.
In-House Rental Agency
We have 300+ properties that we rent, so our best exposure is the steady stream of renters who come into the office each day. They have chosen Rangeley to spend their vacation, so they make great potential customers.
Downtown Office
Our office, conveniently located in the heart of downtown Rangeley, is open 7 days a week, and sees a steady flow of foot traffic from renters, homeowners, tourists, and other folks curious about real estate.
Professional Photograghy
All of our residential listings have photos taken by a professional photographer, making your home look the best it possibly can to online buyers, which is where most buyers start their home search.
Our ADVANTAGE
Display Boards
We have display boards showing all of our current listings inside our office, outside of our office, and the Oquossoc Grocery Displaying our listings at all of these locations gives us a powerful advantage for our region
Brochure Holders
We attach brochure holders to all of our signs at our listings, giving people the ability to take a brochure, and / or scan a QR code to get more information about a listing on their own accord, which many buyers appreciate.
Open Houses
We routinely host open houses at the most opportune times, allowing buyers to tour our listings without pressure, getting people in homes to see them in person. We also blast our open houses on social media in advance, and place signs with balloons at each junction
Advertising
As mentioned, we have the widest net of local advertising, powered by our inhouse rental agency and display boards at our downtown office and the Oquossoc Grocery We also advertise in the Rangeley Highlander, Daily Bulldog, and other local news publications Our digital presence includes our website, Facebook, Instagram and MLS, which pushes our listings to the popular online home search sites including Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, Homes.com, and many more. Plus, our local agents are the best representatives for your property, talking about it at all the local establishments with locals and tourists alike.
1
HOME SELLER'S Roadmap
2
3
4
Discuss your needs Research CMAs
Set a competitive list price MEET WITH YOUR AGENT
5
Focus on curb appeal PREPARE TO LIST
Deep clean & declutter
Make needed repairs
6
SHOWINGS
Ensure home is ready for showings
Receive feedback from agents
Schedule open houses
9 R E P A I R S
Some repairs might need to be made after inspections, depending on negotiations.
Review my list of recommended vendors if needed
RECEIVE AN OFFER
•Each offer is presented and we will discuss the benefits & risks of each offer
Professional photo session
Professional video session
Professional drone session IMAGERY MARKETING
Online marketing
Social media Signage
Flyers
7 NEGOTIATE
Many offers require negotiating before and after inspections I will negotiate on your behalf
You can accept, counter, or deny an offer
8 INSPECTIONS & APPRAISAL
I will work with the buyer's agent to coordinate and schedule an inspection & appraisal These are both ordered by the buyer
10
Sign closing documents Provide keys to buyer C L O S I N G
Final walk-through
STRATEGY Listing
PRICING STRATEGY
Takingacloselookatthemarketanalysisinyourarea,wewill priceyourhomecorrectlythefirsttimesothatitwillsellquickly.
Ifyourhomeispricedatfairmarketvalue,itwillattractthe largestnumberofpotentialbuyersinthefirstfewweeks
Ifahomeisoverpriceditwillattractthefewestnumberof buyerslookingtopurchaseahome Themajorityofhome buyerslookatmanyhomesandquicklygetafeelfortheprice rangethathomessellforinagivenconditionandlocation
PROFESSIONALPHOTOGRAPHY
In today’s market, home buyers are searching online first It is imperative that the photos of your home are of the best quality to catch the buyers attention and stand out from the competition Having more eyes on your home is the fastest way to get it sold and sell for top dollar
AGENTMARKETING
Morton & Furbish is the top producing agency in Franklin County as of 2023, so putting your listing in front of our own agents is a valuable tool. We are also deeply connected with with all other agents in the region and the county, providing horsepower for getting your listing in front of eager buyers.
ADVERTISING&MARKETING
Correctly marketing a property is imperative to a successful sale Our presence on social media and print materials is vast, and we work hard to do everything we can to get your listing in front of as many eyes as possible
Marketing
NETWORKING
Alargepercentageofrealestatetransactions happenwithco-operatingagentsintheregion andwithiinourownoffice
SIGNAGE
Asignwillbeplacedinyouryardaswellas pointersandopenhousesignsbeforeanopen house Thesewillbeplacedatthemost opportunetimestogainthemostexposure
SUPERIOR ONLINE EXPOSURE
Buyersintoday’smarketfirststarttheirsearch online.Wewillmeetyourpotentialbuyer wheretheyare-online!Notonlywillyour homebefeaturedinourlocalMLS,itwillalso besyndicatedtoliterallyhundredsofother listingsites Yourhomewillbefeaturedonour companywebsite,andsocialmedia
OPEN HOUSES
Wehavediscoveredaprovenopenhousesystem thatattractsseriousbuyersandhelpsyourhome achievemaximumexposuretopotentialbuyers
SHOWINGS
Whenwelistyourhome,wewilladdavailable timestoshowonanappcalledShowingTime. Thisallowsotherbrokerstoscheduleshowings withbuyersthroughtheapp,andalsoprovides anoptionforfeedbackaftershowings
PLAN
EMAIL MARKETING
Anemailwillbesenttoourcurrentbuyerdatabaseof thousandsofbuyerssearchingforpropertiesonour website
PROPERTY FLYERS
Highqualitypropertyflyerswillbedisplayedinside yourhomeandinbrochureboxesattachedtosigns Thesehelppotentialbuyersrememberthekeyitems anduniquefeaturesofyourhome.
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Wepracticeregularsocialmediamarketingon today’stopsocialsiteswhichincludeandarenot limitedto:Facebook,Instagram,andYouTube.
Realestatephotography
A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS
Havingprofessionalphotosofahomeisimperativeinthesellingprocess High-quality photoscanshowcasethehome'sbestfeatures,attractmorepotentialbuyers,and ultimatelyleadtoaquickersaleatahigherpricepoint.Mostbuyersarefindingtheirhomes onlineandphotosarethefirstimpressionofyourhomeAsyouragent,Iwillensurethat yourhomewillbeshowninitsbestlight.AtMorton&Furbish,wehaveprofessional photographersworkingforuseveryday,takingphotosofourrealestateandrentallistings.
QUALITY PHOTOS
ENJOY 118% MORE
ONLINE VIEWS
PROFESSIONALLY SHOT
LISTINGS CAN SELL FOR UP TO 19K MORE
POTENTIAL BUYERS LOOK AT PROFESSIONALLY SHOT PHOTOS 10 TIMES LONGER THAN NON PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS
photography AERIAL
USING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN REAL ESTATE CAN SHOW BUYERS A MUCH MORE ACCURATE DEPICTION OF WHAT THE PROPERTY IS TRUELY LIKE.
BENEFITS OF HAVING AERIAL PHOTOS
PROVIDES VIEWS OF THE ENTIRE PROPERTY & LAND
THE CONDITION OF THE ROOF AND OTHER PROPERTY FEATURES
THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND SURROUNDING AREA, INCLUDING THE HOME’S PROXIMITY TO SCHOOLS & AMENITIES
DEVELOPMENTS OR LOCAL DISTRICTS THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY THE BUYER’S PROPERTY TAXES
Offers
Priceisjustoneofmanyconsiderations whendecidingwhichofferisbestforyour home Herearesomeoftheotherfactorsto consider
CONTINGENCIES
Thefewercontingenciesonanofferthebetter Shortertimeperiodsarealsovaluable
ALL CASH BUYER
Acashofferisusuallymoreappealingthana financeofferasthesellerdoesn’tneedtoworry aboutthebankapprovingtheloan
PRE-APPROVAL
Assuresahomesellerthatthebuyercanget theloantheyneed
LOAN TYPE
Aconventionalloanisoftentheleast complicated Thisisanappealingchoicefor sellers AnFHAloancancausedelaysbecause theyrequirecertainapprovals
CLOSING TIMELINE
Youmightneedtoclosequicklytomoveonto thenextadventure,oryoumightneedto extendtheclosingdatetoallowtimeforyour nexthometobeready Choosingtheofferwith theclosingtimethatfitsyourneedswillbe mostattractivetoyou
CLOSING COSTS
Sometimesanoffercomesinhigh,butthe buyerasksyoutopayapercentageofthe buyer’sclosingcostsorsomespecificclosing costs
BUYER LETTER
Abuyerletterisusuallyasortofintroduction tothebuyer(s)andhelpsthesellergetto knowthebuyerwithanyspecificstotheir situation.
REPAIR REQUESTS
Ifyourhomeis"turnkey"orrecently remodeled,theremaybelittletonorepair requests Somerepairrequestscanbe expensive It'simportanttoknowwhatis bestforyou
OFFER PRICE
Ofcourse,pricematterstoo!Ifahighoffer willcostyoumoreinclosingcosts,repairs, orotherfactors thenitprobablywon’tbe thebestofferforyou
Negotiations
WE CAN:
ACCEPT THE OFFER
DECLINE THE OFFER
Iftheofferisn’tclose enoughtoexpectationand thereisnoneedto negotiate
COUNTER-OFFER
Acounter-offeriswhen youoffertoacceptthe buyersoffersubjectto differentterms
ACCEPT THE COUNTER-OFFER THEBUYERCANTHEN:
DECLINE THE COUNTER-OFFER
COUNTER THE COUNTEROFFER
Youcannegotiateback andforthasmanytimesas neededuntilyoucanreach anagreementorsomeone coptsout
OFFERISACCEPTED:
Signthepurchaseagreement andyouarenowofficially undercontractandinescrow! Thereareusuallyseveral contingencyperiodswhilein escrow
Nowinspections,appraisals, oranythingelsebuiltinto yourpurchaseagreement willtakeplace
ClosingTHESALE
WHATTOEXPECT
Closingisthepointinthetransactionwhenthebuyer,seller, andallparticipatingpartieshavefulfilledtheirlegalobligations tooneanother Theclosingagentwilllookoverthecontractto determinewhatpaymentsareowedbywho,prepare documentsforclosing,performtheclosing,&makesureall payoffsarecompleted Nowthebuyer’stitleisrecordedand youreceiveallpayoffsthatareduetoyou
YOUR COSTS
SELLERCOMMONLYPAYS:
Mortgagebalance&penalties(ifapplicable)
Anyclaimsagainstyourproperty
Unpaidassessmentsonyourproperty
Realestateagentcommission
TitleSearch
Titleinsurancepolicy
Homewarranty
WHAT TO BRING
SELLERSNEEDTOBRINGTO CLOSING:
AgovernmentpictureID
Housekeys
Garagedooropeners
Mailboxkeys&anyothersparekeys
AFTER CLOSING
KEEPCOPIESOFTHEFOLLOWING FORTAXES:
Copiesofallclosingdocuments
Allhomeimprovementreceipts
