The home seller's guideSelling well, on your terms
Selling a home in Utah with Mark Hansen: pricing from recent sales, your net, preparation and staging, the launch campaign, offers, the contract deadlines and closing.
By Mark Hansen
Introduction
Selling well comes down to a real price, a home shown at its best, a launch that reaches buyers, and offers judged on what they leave you. This is Mark Hansen's own plan, step by step, with the tool for each step.
Free to read, with no sign-up. Every figure names its source.
Chapter 01
Marketing Analysis & Pricing
Price from recent sales near you, not an online guess. Utah does not publish sold prices, so your agent studies the sales, visits the home and walks you through a price and the reasons for it.
- A real market analysisYour agent studies recent sales near you and walks you through a price, not an online guess.
- Your marketing strategyA written plan and seller presentation for your home, built in Marquee before we list.
Chapter 02
What will you walk away with?
Your net is the sale price less your loan payoff, the commission you agree, title and escrow fees, any HOA transfer fee, credits you give the buyer and prorated property tax. Work it out before you list, so every decision after it is made with your real number.
Commissions are not set by law and are fully negotiable; yours is agreed with you in writing before you list.
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Chapter 03
Home Preparation & Staging
Fix what buyers will notice and what an inspection will find; leave what will not pay you back. Then show each room at its best.
- Preparation and staging adviceWhat to fix, what to leave, and how to show each room at its best.
- Room cards inside your homeQR cards in each room: a buyer scans one and reads that room's story on their phone while they walk through.
Chapter 04
Marketing & Showings
A planned launch, not a sign and a wait: every piece approved before it goes out, open houses that follow up with every visitor, and a weekly report to you.
- A 30-day launch campaignEvery piece on its day across 30 days, approved by your agent before anything goes out.
- A 15-second reelA short video reel of your home's best features, made from its story cards, for social media and your home's page.
- Social postsPosts and stories for Facebook and Instagram that sell your home's rooms and best features.
- PrintA premium printed flyer for showings and open houses.
- Your home's own pageA page on our website with every photo, the video and the story of your home.
- Open houses that workRun on our four-phase Open House Protocol: neighbour invitations, QR sign-in at the door and a follow-up with every visitor.
- Feedback after every showingWe ask each buyer's agent how the showing went and pass it on to you, so you hear what buyers think.
- Weekly seller reportsEvery week: views, visitors, feedback and what we are doing next.
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Chapter 05
Offers & Negotiation
Compare what each offer leaves you with, not the headline price: credits, financing strength, deadlines and conditions.
- Offer reviewEvery offer laid side by side: price, terms, financing and timing.
- NegotiationWe negotiate for your price and your terms, including after the inspection.
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Rather talk it through?
Pick a time that suits you, and we will walk through your own numbers.
Chapter 06
Contract & Paperwork
Once you accept, the Utah Real Estate Purchase Contract's deadlines run: the seller's disclosures, the buyer's due diligence, financing and appraisal, then settlement.
- Contract to closeDeadlines, disclosures and paperwork handled and tracked, with updates to you at each step.
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Chapter 07
Closing & Beyond
Closing is signing and the keys; after it, plan the next home, and keep the papers for your taxes.
- After you moveClosing day, the keys, and we stay in touch long after.
Chapter 08
Why you want your own agent
Selling your home means signing a binding contract with a buyer who has their own agent working for them. Your own agent protects your price, your timeline and you after closing.
- The buyer's agent works for the buyerThey must be honest with you, but their job is the best deal for their client. Without your own agent, no one in the negotiation is working for you.
- Your disclosures protect youUtah sellers disclose what they know about the home's condition on the seller property condition disclosure, and homes built before 1978 need the federal lead-based paint disclosure. Clear, complete disclosures delivered on time help protect you from claims after closing. Your agent makes sure the right forms go out by the Seller Disclosure Deadline.
- Not every offer is what it looks likeThe highest price is not always the strongest offer. Your agent weighs the buyer's loan and pre-approval, earnest money, appraisal risk, deadlines and conditions, so you choose the offer most likely to close.
- Deadlines run both waysOnce you accept, the Utah purchase contract sets your deadlines as well as the buyer's. Your agent tracks them, answers the buyer's inspection requests and negotiates repairs, credits or a low appraisal.
- Pricing and marketingA list price from recent sales and the homes you compete with, your home on the MLS where every agent and their buyers see it, professional photos and video, and showings handled for you.
- Protecting your proceedsWire fraud targets sellers too. Your agent and the title company confirm payment instructions with you directly before closing.
This is general information, not legal advice. For a legal question about a contract, talk with a Utah real estate attorney; we can help you find one.
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Your checklist
Home seller's guide: what to do
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Asked and answered
Questions
How do you decide the price for my home?
Your agent studies recent sales of similar homes near you, visits your home, and walks you through a price and the reasons for it. Utah does not publish sold prices, so a real price needs an agent, not an online guess.
How long will it take to sell?
It depends on the price, the condition of the home and the street it is on. Your agent shows you how long similar homes near you took to sell before you decide anything.
Do I need to fix everything before I list?
No. We tell you which repairs and touches are worth it, which are not, and how to show each room at its best.
What does it cost to sell?
Commissions are not set by law and are fully negotiable; yours is agreed with you in writing before we list. Your agent also shows you the other usual costs, such as title fees and any HOA transfer fee, so you know what you take home.
Will you hold open houses?
Only if you want them. We run them on our four-phase Open House Protocol: neighbour invitations, QR sign-in at the door and a follow-up with every visitor.
How will I know how it is going?
Buyers react to your home room by room after their tour, and you get a report every week with the views, visitors, feedback and what we are doing next.
Can I buy my next home at the same time?
Yes. We plan both sides together so the timing works, and we can show you the usual ways to do it before you decide.
Your next step
Thinking about selling?
Mark Hansen answers personally. Tell us where you are and what you want to do next.
Or send us a message, and we will answer personally.
