From determining your home's value to closing day, learn more about the home selling process.

What's the difference between selling your home successfully and falling short? The details. Selling a home in today’s market can be complex, but rest assured - exceptional homes are sold every week in our area. Thank you for trusting the Buckspan & Deering Team to guide you through this important process. Our expertise, strategic approach, and commitment to white-glove service ensure that your expectations are not only met - but exceeded.

RE/MAX Shoreline is committed to service excellence. We achieve this through partnerships.

We partner with agents. RE/MAX Shoreline is over 80 agents working together to achieve service excellence for all clients throughout Maine and New Hampshire. Our positive, supportive, collaborative environment helps agents succeed. A team concept leads to improved results. When you work with a RE/MAX Shoreline agent, you are assured of the best possible outcome.

We partner with clients. Our clients deserve the best experience. There is always a solution. We are here to help find it. With headquarters in Portland, Maine, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, RE/MAX Shoreline is the combined local expertise of over 80 agents with the global reach of the RE/MAX brand. Give us a call or stop in today to schedule a consultation with one of our agents.

We partner with communities. RE/MAX Shoreline helped more than 900 families and businesses make their move in 2021, and RE/MAX Shoreline-sponsored events and programs raised over $185,000 for local Maine and New Hampshire nonprofits in 2021. We support the communities in which we serve with the purpose of seeing a better tomorrow and knowing that we helped make it happen. When you work with a RE/MAX Shoreline agent, you help make it happen, too!

We love what we do. Our team specializes in local home buying and selling. We effectively coordinate the purchase and sale of real estate properties: Residential homes, commercial properties, townhomes, condos, new construction, and land, based on our clients’ needs.

Now that you know who we are, let’s talk about what we want to do for you. We want to sell your home…

• At the highest possible price.
• In the shortest amount of time, or within the timeframe you specify.
• With the most favorable terms for you.

We’re all in the same boat. When we come on board, your goals become our
top priority.

In the beginning stages, we’ll work with you to prepare your home for showings, as well as coordinate the signing of necessary documents to list your home.

Once your home is listed, we'll provide periodic updates about recent activities and open houses. Buyer feedback can offer valuable insight into our marketing strategy, and it will allow us to adjust our strategy if needed.

All offers received will be presented to you for review, and we will discuss our negotiation strategy with you before responding. Once we decide on an offer, we will keep you informed about repair requests, milestones, and deadlines.

Throughout the process, we are always just a call, text, or email away. We are here to help, so feel free to share concerns or ask questions.

Our proven method can be boiled down to the 3 P’s:

Price — A complete and thorough market evaluation will ensure your listing stands out, gets high traffic, and sells faster for the best price. It is extremely important to price a home correctly because a house stagnant on the market attracts few buyers. We utilize intelligent pricing and complete extensive research so your home is priced right.

Presentation — We’ll prepare your home to highlight its best attributes, inside and out. First impressions are crucial, so we coordinate professional photography, landscaping, handiwork, and house cleaning. Many buyers start shopping online, so we aim to make the best possible impression and spark as much interest as possible. Of course, you have final say on what we can and can’t do to prepare your property for sale, but it’s important to understand that our recommendations are drawn from our combined experience in what works.

Promotion — Increasing the number of buyers who see your home in the first ten days will result in higher and better offers to purchase. Our marketing strategy is based on our own research, experience and innovation. We are statistically ahead of the curve in this department, and are always refining our methods to be more effective. A key part of our marketing strategy is to promote your property on social media.

The “Window of Opportunity” is the period in which your home will receive its maximum exposure — typically when your home is new on the market.

In order to capitalize on this window, it is crucially important that your home is ready for sale: priced at Fair Market Value, prepared to showcase its features and attributes, and a marketing strategy is implemented to further increase its exposure.

Pricing your home correctly yields measurably better results. This chart shows how many buyers will see your home at different price levels.

Sellers often view their homes as special which, tempts them to put a higher price on the home, believing they can always come down later, but that’s a serious mistake.

Overpricing prevents the very buyers who are eligible to buy the home from ever seeing it. Most buyers shop by price range, and look for the best value in that range.

Statistically, by pricing at or near fair market value, more buyers will see your home and more competitive offers to purchase will be submitted. The first two weeks of marketing are crucial to selling the property. In that time, the home is fresh and exciting to buyers and their agents. It is important that your home is priced correctly from the beginning so that more people will consider it in their search.

This is how we arrive at the recommended list price for your home. It is a personalized profile of what is happening in your neighborhood’s real estate market, and how it affects the price of your home.

The market value of your home is commonly determined by comparing it to the value
of other homes that have recently sold in the area, or are currently listed on the market. It is both an art and a science.

The Science — Using information that is available to me as a real estate agent, we find comparable homes by number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, lot size, and an untold number of additional features. Then, using the information about how much those homes have sold for, or are being listed for, we determine what your home’s fair market value is.

The Art — Decisions must be made about how to adjust the value of your property as compared to other homes. If an active listing is being used for comparison, and has been on the market for over 90 days, it’s safe to assume it’s overpriced and that people won’t pay that much for your home unless it’s in better condition or has more premium features. If your home is the only one on the block with a remodeled kitchen, your value goes up as compared to the others.

In order to be as accurate as possible, we evaluate your home for its condition and how it fits into the neighborhood. By drawing accurate conclusions from an accurate set of data, your home will be priced to sell for the highest and best price.

The real estate market is forever changing, but one thing that remains the same is the key role that marketing plays in the selling process. We strive to succeed in creating the most efficient marketing strategy possible to get your home sold with the most favorable terms.

Did you know that for 95% of people the first step in the home buying journey is looking for homes online? That’s why we make it a priority to feature your home on every online avenue available, through syndication sites and advertising.

Your home will have maximum exposure by being displayed on multiple online syndications sites, making it easy for agents and their clients to find your home.

Here are just a few:
• ME MLS
• Remax.com
• Homes.com
• ShorelineAgents.com
• Zillow
• Realtor.com
• Trulia

• Multiple Listing Service
• Syndicated Sites
• Landing page or single-page listing website
• Exclusive Broker Network
• Zillow.com/Realtor.com: featured listing, featured open house announcements
• Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, boosted social media marketing with appropriate target audiences
• Listing announcement to our extensive network
• REMAX.com – more than 50 million visits annually
• Custom brochure, targeted mail, additional advertising opportunities
• Customized print materials as needed
• Open house strategy

Since most home searches start online, professional, high resolution photos are the best way to make a great first impression. It is important that we provide numerous high-quality photos for people to view. Higher quality photos and marketing will translate to more interest in your listing.

We always hire professional photographers at my own expense. They have the relevant experience in the field to know what makes your home look appealing. We will accompany them when they arrive for their photography appointment and work with them to ensure your home looks its best. Our photographers will edit the photos to make sure they look consistent, bright, and emphasize the best qualities of your home.

Getting ready to put your home on the market requires some preparation.

The less clutter that is around your home, the more appealing your home will be to anyone that views it. Even if you can’t move yourself out before your home goes on the market, you can still pack or store your less essential items. You should also secure any valuables.

Depending on the situation, a professional stager can make a difference in how fast and how favorably your home sells. If your home is vacant, a stager can bring in furniture that emphasizes the space and layout of your home and makes it easier for potential buyers to view themselves living there. If you plan to live in your home while it’s on the market, consider minimizing your furniture. Some stagers will help to arrange your home to show with the furniture you own. Staging sells; statistically, homes that are staged sell for more money in less time.

It is important that you move all family photos, trophies, and unique furniture that has a sentimental association out of sight. When someone comes to view your home, they should imagine themselves living there, not someone else. Also, personal items often distract buyers, and slow down their tour.

If you are living in your home while it’s on the market, you need to be ready to show at a moment’s notice, even if you request advanced notice. People want to view the property without interference or scrutiny from the current owners. Therefore, it is important that you not be there when an agent makes an appointment to show your home. This checklist has some quick things you can do to get your home ready and assumes that your home is already relatively clean and depersonalized.

Once an offer is submitted on your home, we will:

• Review the Purchase and Sale Agreement with you.
• Advise and represent you in all negotiations.
• Get you the highest and best terms possible.

Once an offer has been accepted by both parties, we will:

• Keep you updated on all timelines and milestones.
• Verify that escrow funds are received.
• Follow up with buyer’s agent for their timeline obligations, including inspection date/time (if applicable).
• Advise and represent you in all further negotiations.
• Facilitate all appointments and work orders.
• Verify buyer’s loan approval and lender timelines, including appraisal.
• Ensure that contractual deadlines are met and that your overall experience is as smooth and stress-free as possible.

Closing is when you sign over ownership and give the new homeowner the keys to their new home! Typically, closing takes four to six weeks. During this time, purchase funds are held in escrow, where the money is held safe until the transaction is complete.

The buyer will do a final walk of the home within 24 hours of closing to check the property’s condition. This final inspection takes about an hour. They will make sure any repair work that was agreed to be done has been completed.

Who will be there:
 • Real estate agents
 • The buyer
 • Title attorney & notary
 • Buyer’s loan officer

 • Government-issued photo ID
 • Checkbook (just in case!)

Congratulations! You’ve officially closed and can walk away with a check for the proceeds of your sale!

As a top producing team in the Greater Portland market, we are tapped in to every facet of this market area, how to negotiate the best price on your property, and how to utilize our listing & marketing strategies to both receive and navigate multiple competitive offers. 

When repairs or changes in price need to made, we will be your guide and handle negotiating repair requests, appraisal issues, title issues, and any one of the countless other bumps that occasionally pop up during the selling process.

Selling a home involves many types of documentation. We have the experience and knowledge to navigate even the most complicated real estate contracts. Ensuring that nothing is overlooked, and that you truly understand what a paper means before ever signing on the dotted line.

A seller’s agent will represent your best interests. With a pulse on the local market and a sound understanding of how various amenities affect the value of a home, we will make sure we get the best offer for your needs.

Working daily in neighborhoods with inspectors, contractors, and negotiating with sellers, we have the market knowledge you need to get the best results from your purchase. Understanding the local real estate market will go a long way when it comes time to list.

We will work hard to protect all of your interests and take on any issues that may arise throughout the entire process. Selling your home should be a fun and stress-free process.