• Set your asking price based on the selling prices of similar homes in your neighborhood. Be an informed seller.
• Decide if improvements are needed to get your asking price. Make improvements that are justified by an increase in the sales price of your home. Know what you can and cannot change about your house. Prioritize those items that bring the highest rewards and ignore those that cannot be modified, or are outside your budget.
• Choose an agent. Develop an effective advertising and marketing plan with your Agent.
• Know how to best show your home. Designate the days your home will be available for viewing by prospective buyers.
• Prepare the exterior and interior of your home for viewing by prospective buyers. Spend time on the house preparation phase—you will get out 110% back from the effort you put in.
• Have a yard sale before you list. Sell, donate, or trash everything you don't need. (Extra cash and tax deductions never hurt anyone!) Consider renting a storage unit to store extra furnishings and seasonal garage “clutter”.
• Consider a professional home inspection. Find out what a buyer's inspector will say about your home, and make sure any major issues are addressed before you sell.
• Get familiar with financing options. Be at least as knowledgeable as your buyers.
• Consider offering a Seller's Home Warranty, payment of closing costs, or other items (like furnishings) to prospective buyers.
• When it is time to negotiate, learn how to deal with offers and familiarize yourself with contracts. Know what is involved at closing and settlement. Don’t be afraid to ask your realtor questions.
• Estimate how much cash you will get from the sale after the mortgage and other bills are paid.
• Make moving plans early.
• Attend the closing, then celebrate!

WHEN YOU CALL JOHN M. DURSO TO PURCHASE A PROPERTY, YOU GET:

• A full-time professional agent, one who is dedicated to working with you until you find a home.
• Over 24 years of experience in helping families find their dream home. Buying a home is the single most important purchase you will make. You need an experienced agent to guide you through the complicated and sometimes tedious process of buying a home.
• The facts - About the homes you see, about the market, about your expectations.
• Constant contact - Updates of new listings, mortgage rate information, etc., as often as you like.
• Follow-up - From the accepted offer to the closing to after the closing, John makes sure all deadlines are met,all contingencies are abided by and so forth. Many things can go wrong betwee the offer and time of closing; he makes sure the sale progresses as smoothly as possible.

• Virtual Tour: Your property will appear with a virtual tour on the following websites: www.comey.com, www.realtor.com, www.johndurso.com, www.cincymls.com/.
• TV Exposure: Comey & Shepherd is the only major Cincinnati real estate firm with a TV HOME TOUR. This show airs 7 days a week on Time Warner Cable, thus, your home will be featured via the strongest advertising medium available.
• Daily Prospecting: I prospect an average of 2 to 3 hours each day, seeking buyers for all of the properties I have listed. I've designed an effective system which delivers qualified 'leads.' The system includes: contacting realtors with prospects qualified which match your property criteria, calling residents on surrounding street, contacting former clients and friends in my sphere of influence, pursuing potential buyers who match the targeted demographics
• Team Approach: Besides myself, I have three team members. We're individually focused on specific areas of expertise, resulting in no redundancy/duplication of effort. Importantly, this enables us to focus on what we each do best! Also, all phone inquiries regarding your property are forwarded by receptionist directly to us. Who knows more about your property than someone on our team? The team members include:
• Office Coordinator: Generates marketing tools for your property, including feature sheets, newspaper advertisements, community papers, "just listed" cards to surrounding properties, etc.
• Transaction Coordinator: His responsibilities include: scheduling inspections and appraisals leading up to the closing, coordinates obtaining the payoff, and communicates with the mortage company involved and the title company.

Are you ready?

Buyer Checklist

• Get your financial picture in focus as soon as possible. The best time to work on your budget is before you move. Want to maximize your financial picture?
• Familiarize yourself with the mortgage process. Have mortgage questions? Need a few mortgage tips?
• Be aware of your credit situation and realistic about your finance options. Having your credit report in hand makes it much easier to decide which way to proceed.
• Get Pre-Approved by your preferred lender before you look for a home and shop with the power of a cash buyer.
• Familiarize yourself with the various types of housing available: Single family, townhouse, and condo.
• Determine your housing needs and wants to determine what types of houses you should be considering. Try to keep your list of “must-haves” to a minimum. Keep your options open.
• Find a reputable, experienced Agent that you trust. It is important to do this before you go rushing off looking for homes. You can compare backgrounds, experience and more.
• Make a scorecard for each house to help you keep track of the properties you've seen. Bring along your digital camera to help jog your memory of what you liked (or didn’t) at each property.
• If you haven't already done so, make a mortgage loan request.
• Familiarize yourself with how to set a value on a house. This can save you a great deal of time and helps to avoid disappointment.
• When you find an acceptable house, your realtor will write an offer. Familiarize yourself with how offers become contracts.
• Your realtor will work with you to negotiate your best deal.
• Your realtor will help you arrange for a home inspection with a qualified inspector. Protect yourself and do not skip this step!
• Learn about home warranties and what they cover.
• Compare and secure homeowners insurance. Getting the best deal here brings savings that continue.
• Still have a question about a Real Estate term or its definition? This is your last chance to ask!
• Secure final loan approval and commitment from the lender of your choice. If your paperwork is in order, this should be one of your easiest steps.
• Make all final preparations for closing with your realtor.
• Make moving plans. If you plan to use a moving company, compare prices and reserve time early.
• Do a final walk through of the house with your realtor.
• Attend the final closing and settlement with your realtor.
• Move to your new home and celebrate!