Seller's Guide - Shawn

Seller's GUIDE

Hello!

I AM SHAWN RUSSELL

nice to meet you!

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!

Team

MEET THE

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.

HOME SELLER'S

Roadmap

1

2

3

4

MEET WITH YOUR AGENT

PREPARE TO LIST

IMAGERY

MARKETING

Deep clean & declutter

Professional photo session

Online marketing

Discuss your needs

Make needed repairs

Professional video session

Social media

Research CMAs

Focus on curb appeal

Professional drone session

Signage Flyers

Set a competitive list price

5

6

7

8

SHOWINGS

RECEIVE AN OFFER

NEGOTIATE

INSPECTIONS & APPRAISAL

Ensure home is ready

•Each offer is presented

Many offers require

I will work with the buyer's agent to coordinate and

and we will discuss the

negotiating before and after

Receive feedback from

benefits & risks of each

inspections. I will negotiate

schedule an inspection &

agents

offer

on your behalf

appraisal. These are both

You can accept, counter, or

ordered by the buyer

for showings

Schedule open houses

deny an offer

9

10

REPAIRS

CLOSING

Some repairs might

Final walk-through

need to be made after

Sign closing documents

inspections, depending

Provide keys to buyer

on negotiations.

Review my list of recommended vendors if needed

Listing STRATEGY PRICING STRATEGY Taking a close look at the market analysis in your area, we will price your home correctly the first time so that it will sell quickly.

If your home is priced at fair market value, it will attract the largest number of potential buyers in the first few weeks.

30%

*MV

60%

-10%

75%

-15%

90%

ACTIVITY LEVEL

10%

+10%

in the market

+15%

% OF BUYERS

compared to market value

ASKING PRICE

If a home is overpriced it will attract the fewest number of buyers looking to purchase a home. The majority of home buyers look at many homes and quickly get a feel for the price range that homes sell for in a given condition and location.

WHEN MOST OFFERS ARE RECEIVED

123456789101112

*MV = Market Value

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY 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.

AGENT MARKETING 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.

WEEKS ON MARKET

Marketing PLAN NETWORKING A large percentage of real estate transactions happen with co-operating agents in the region and withiin our own office.

SIGNAGE A sign will be placed in your yard as well as pointers and open house signs before an open house. These will be placed at the most opportune times to gain the most exposure.

SUPERIOR ONLINE EXPOSURE Buyers in today’s market first start their search online. We will meet your potential buyer where they are - online! Not only will your home be featured in our local MLS, it will also be syndicated to literally hundreds of other listing sites. Your home will be featured on our company website, and social media.

OPEN HOUSES We have discovered a proven open house system that attracts serious buyers and helps your home achieve maximum exposure to potential buyers.

SHOWINGS When we list your home, we will add available times to show on an app called ShowingTime.

This allows other brokers to schedule showings with buyers through the app, and also provides an option for feedback after showings.

EMAIL MARKETING An email will be sent to our current buyer database of thousands of buyers searching for properties on our website.

PROPERTY FLYERS High quality property flyers will be displayed inside your home and in brochure boxes attached to signs.

These help potential buyers remember the key items and unique features of your home.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING We practice regular social media marketing on today’s top social sites which include and are not limited to: Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Real estate photography A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS Having professional photos of a home is imperative in the selling process. High-quality photos can showcase the home's best features, attract more potential buyers, and ultimately lead to a quicker sale at a higher price point. Most buyers are finding their homes online and photos are the first impression of your home As your agent, I will ensure that your home will be shown in its best light. At Morton & Furbish, we have professional photographers working for us every day, taking photos of our real estate and rental listings.

POTENTIAL BUYERS LOOK

QUALITY PHOTOS

PROFESSIONALLY SHOT

ENJOY 118% MORE

LISTINGS CAN SELL FOR

SHOT PHOTOS 10 TIMES

UP TO 19K MORE

LONGER THAN NON

ONLINE VIEWS

AT PROFESSIONALLY

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS

INTERESTING FACTS

AERIAL

photography 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 Price is just one of many considerations when deciding which offer is best for your home. Here are some of the other factors to consider.

CONTINGENCIES The fewer contingencies on an offer the better.

Shorter time periods are also valuable.

ALL CASH BUYER A cash offer is usually more appealing than a finance offer as the seller doesn’t need to worry about the bank approving the loan.

PRE-APPROVAL Assures a home seller that the buyer can get the loan they need.

LOAN TYPE A conventional loan is often the least complicated. This is an appealing choice for sellers. An FHA loan can cause delays because they require certain approvals.

CLOSING TIMELINE You might need to close quickly to move on to the next adventure, or you might need to extend the closing date to allow time for your next home to be ready. Choosing the offer with the closing time that fits your needs will be most attractive to you.

BUYER LETTER A buyer letter is usually a sort of introduction to the buyer(s) and helps the seller get to know the buyer with any specifics to their situation.

REPAIR REQUESTS If your home is "turn key" or recently remodeled, there may be little to no repair requests. Some repair requests can be expensive. It's important to know what is best for you.

CLOSING COSTS

OFFER PRICE

Sometimes an offer comes in high, but the buyer asks you to pay a percentage of the buyer’s closing costs or some specific closing costs.

Of course, price matters too! If a high offer will cost you more in closing costs, repairs, or other factors—then it probably won’t be the best offer for you.

Negotiations

WE CAN:

THE BUYER CAN THEN:

ACCEPT THE OFFER

ACCEPT THE COUNTER-OFFER

DECLINE THE OFFER

DECLINE THE COUNTER-OFFER

If the offer isn’t close enough to expectation and there is no need to negotiate.

COUNTER-OFFER A counter-offer is when you offer to accept the buyers offer subject to different terms.

COUNTER THE COUNTEROFFER You can negotiate back and forth as many times as needed until you can reach an agreement or someone copts out.

OFFER IS ACCEPTED: Sign the purchase agreement and you are now officially under contract and in escrow!

There are usually several contingency periods while in escrow.

Now inspections, appraisals, or anything else built into your purchase agreement will take place.

Closing

THE SALE

WHAT TO EXPECT Closing is the point in the transaction when the buyer, seller, and all participating parties have fulfilled their legal obligations to one another. The closing agent will look over the contract to determine what payments are owed by who, prepare documents for closing, perform the closing, & make sure all payoffs are completed. Now the buyer’s title is recorded and you receive all payoffs that are due to you.

YOUR COSTS SELLER COMMONLY PAYS: Mortgage balance & penalties (if applicable) Any claims against your property Unpaid assessments on your property Real estate agent commission Title Search Title insurance policy Home warranty

WHAT TO BRING SELLERS NEED TO BRING TO CLOSING: A government picture ID House keys Garage door openers Mailbox keys & any other spare keys

AFTER CLOSING KEEP COPIES OF THE FOLLOWING FOR TAXES: Copies of all closing documents All home improvement receipts