Step 1 in Selling Your
Northern Virginia Home or
Washington, D.C. Home: 

Get the Ball Rolling

Summary:
To start the process of selling your home, we need to meet face-to-face. At a time convenient to you, we’ll meet at your home to review the sales process, comparable market data for recent sales of homes like yours, discuss the commission you're willing to offer, and sign the listing agreement that says you’re hiring me as an agent of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. to help you sell your home. You are in control of the entire process and can decide how and when you'd like your home listed for sale, marketed, and at what price.

Detail:
At the listing appointment, I will need to know where you are going to move and when you need to be there. "A move across town when you find the right house" is a very different timetable than "moving to California to start a new job." Since I'm licensed in both Virginia and Washington, D.C., if you're moving to another home within the greater Washington area, I can help you find that new home, letting us better coordinate the closing on both homes to ensure that the transition from your existing to your new home is a smooth one. If you’re moving out of the area, Long & Foster maintains an extensive network with qualified real estate companies across the country which we can use to find you a great agent in your new hometown.

Finally, you'll need to decide whether you want dual representation, designated representation, or neither. Dual representation is where the same agent represents both the seller and buyer simultaneously. I don’t believe that a single agent can effectively negotiate on behalf of both clients since their goals are opposite one another, i.e., the seller wants the highest price while the buyer wants the lowest price. Therefore, I do not practice it.  Designated representation, however, I do agree with. "Designated” simply means that two different Long & Foster agents are involved in the transaction; I would be representing you as the seller and a different Long & Foster agent representing the buyer. As Long & Foster is the largest real estate brokerage in the area, not allowing designated representation could mean we lose a significant part of the buying public because a Long & Foster agent wouldn't be allowed to show your home.