Buy, Sell, or Rent Homes

Click the MASERPLAN™ icons for detailed info about each step from Start to Sold.

First, let’s say hello. 

During a quick and friendly intro, we’ll get a sense of the property you’re considering selling, and your needs, so we can provide you with an accurate value of your home. Online or in person, our agent will take a look around at the property details, including unit and building condition, upgrades and style, views, location, natural light, and more. 

At the same time, we’ll familiarize you with how we work. There is no pressure to partner with us and no commitment required at this time. The idea is to make sure you have all the information you need to make a smart decision about your sale, and your broker. 

Before we start, let’s identify the red flags that may affect your value. 

Things like property defects, homeowner association financial challenges, city code violations, mold problems, and more can negatively affect your value. Identifying these issues early, before a buyer begins their due diligence, can make the entire process run more smoothly, and save you thousands of dollars. 

With over 20 years of experience selling condos, we know exactly what to look for, and how to navigate these challenges before they can blow up a deal.  

In order to minimize buyer negotiations during the escrow process, we recommend our sellers hire a third-party, licensed and bonded inspector to complete a general inspection, as well as fireplace, mold/moisture, and termite inspections, if needed. We will advise you based on what we see, and can recommend a qualified inspector.

Why Inspect?

The goal of a seller inspection is to help prepackage your sale, so the seller and buyer know exactly what the deal looks like in advance. Once a buyer makes an offer, they will receive a package that includes a seller inspection disclosing any current issues their inspector may find. They will also receive a disclosure of any items that have been corrected, thus minimizing their ability to negotiate for large unforeseen credits after an accepted offer.

Below is an example of a general inspection report.

This is where we prep your property for sale and get ready to shoot some beautiful professional photos.

We can advise you on upgrades that will get you a return on investment, from a fresh coat of paint, to new countertops or flooring. With over 400 renovations under our belt and hundreds of professional staging jobs, we will cost-effectively manage any and all work for you.

Why Prep for Sale?

The goal is to make you the most money possible. Often, that means investing a nominal amount to renovate parts of your condo or townhome before listing, so you can attract more buyers, and command higher offers. 

Whether you list your property with us or not, The Condo Experts can manage your renovation process from start to finish. We can help you spend the least amount of money while maximizing the value of your home.

Over the 20 years we’ve spent renovating and upgrading homes on the Westside of LA, we’ve built a network of accountable, trustworthy and reliable contractors who know how to get the job done right.

Our complimentary renovation management includes:

• In-unit consultation with smart design concepts
• Recommendations on simple, inexpensive ways to add value
• Access to our most trusted contractors and vendors
• Renovation supervision from beginning to end

Take a tour with Leticia Nobell around 733 Marine St. to see how an incredible renovation and staging can lead to a record sale.

Check one of our recently managed renovation projects:

1425 Stanford St. #12, Santa Monica

The Condo Experts managed a complete cosmetic renovation from start to sold—including the design, selecting all of the finishes (tile, floors, custom cabinet design, stone, lighting, staging, etc). The buyer purchased this property for $830,000 with the intent of doing a full-quality renovation. The buyer invested $140,000 or about $100 per square foot. Overall, this was a 3-month project converting the unit from its original condition. We listed it for $1,199,000, and it SOLD for $1,370,000 in 7 days—$171,000 over asking price. Our client made a $350,000 profit … after all closing costs.

Our professional photographers will complete a photo shoot, which includes a 3D Virtual Tour of your property. This allows buyers and agents to virtually walk through your property and see all the details as if they are there in person.

In these times of Covid-19, safety is our highest concern. The 3D shoot helps minimize unnecessary person-to-person contact, and encourages contact with only serious buyers.

See a Recent 3D Shoot

We’ll get all the paperwork done in advance, so there are no surprises for the buyer to react to. 

Working with our trusted escrow officers and transaction coordinator, we’ll gather all the necessary documents—from the needed HOA documents (meeting minutes, financials, insurance, assessments, legal issues, rental restrictions), seller disclosures (what you disclose to the buyer in writing to protect your liability), order title, city reports, and more—so we can close the sale quickly once escrow is open. 

What Is a Buyer Package?

The Buyer Package gives buyers a chance to review all the necessary paperwork before you open escrow, allowing both parties to ask questions and air concerns before committing to one another. Fewer surprises mean fewer issues that can arise during your sale. This info will be provided on our website for buyers to review on your property page.

Our seller-centric strategy attracts the most buyers by making your home available to every buyer’s broker in the world.

We’ll create a complete listing page for your sale that includes a 3D virtual tour, walkthrough video with your broker advisor, beautiful professional photos, and compelling sales language to attract buyers. These materials will show up on all the big digital real estate platforms, including Zillow, Redfin, Trulia, and the MLS, giving you maximum exposure.

We spend, on average, $7,800 of our own money on custom marketing campaigns that will make sure every possible buyer will see your home. This includes a Westside digital and print ad campaign, plus email and social marketing, custom postcards, and personal invitations for neighbors.

Are you ready for the world to see your property?

The MASERPLAN™ gets you the most exposure for your property.

Within hours, anyone on the planet looking for a property like yours will be notified or be able to see your home in all media formats.

We’ll screen out “looky-loos” and save time and effort by letting buyers first “walk” the property through a 3D tour. Then, we set up Covid-safe in-person walkthroughs for serious, interested buyers.

See the how-to video of our 3D virtual tour below:

We invite buyers to review all sales paperwork before they even step into your home.

This shortens buyers’ contingencies, minimizes the buyer’s ability to renegotiate a deal once offers are accepted, expedites closing, and allows a faster sale, for more money.

The sales documents we gather include the HOA documents (meeting minutes, financials, insurance, assessments, legal issues, rental restrictions), seller disclosures (what you disclose to the buyer in writing to protect your liability), order title, city reports, and other essentials.

What Is a Buyer Package?

The Buyer Package gives buyers a chance to review all the necessary paperwork before you open escrow, allowing both parties to ask questions and air concerns before committing to one another. Fewer surprises mean fewer issues that can arise during your sale. This info will be securely provided on our website for buyers to review on your property page.

We have implemented safety features like virtual showings, covid-safe private viewings, top to bottom cleanings, and more. Our goal is to keep everyone involved safe and comfortable during every interaction. 

Below is our Covid-safe Video:

This is where we engage serious buyers and begin reviewing offer details.

During this process, we are looking to see how serious these buyers are about your property, and where they are in their buying process. We’ll explore their excitement level, understand their financial situation, address all their questions and concerns, and make sure they know all the factors that make your property a great fit and a solid value.

We are looking at body language, trying to assess if they will be challenging or easy to work with. We’ll also want to see how experienced their agent is. With all these details understood, we can make a smart choice on who to sell to.

This is the process where we review and counter the offers presented to us by buyers.

We are looking at the price and terms that a buyer has offered in a formal purchase agreement.

We know what to review and what the standards are for these transactions. We will look to see how the offer matches up with your goals and needs, so we can recommend a response.

This is where we negotiate terms and accept an offer.

We’ll respond to buyers with terms that make you feel comfortable and fit your goals and needs. Remember, this is your property to sell, and your needs come first.

Our Role

We will provide you with our professional opinion based on all the information we’ve gathered throughout the process, but you are the boss. We’ll make sure your voice is heard, and that we land the deal that satisfies what you want.

During this step, we will look to address any questions and concerns that could affect the transaction. We will provide the buyer with any seller inspection reports, seller disclosures, address any questions regarding the homeowners association, etc. The goal is to head off any issues in advance, so once we start the deal, we’ve already eliminated the hurdles that could cause complications.

Buyers will re-review all the inspection reports we have provided and bring in their own inspectors to confirm what has been disclosed.

We typically give buyers seven days to complete their physical inspection process. It is common for a buyer to bring in their own general inspector, who will inspect all major systems, including electrical, plumbing, appliances, windows, doors, heating, air, etc. They may also bring in mold and moisture inspectors, fireplace inspectors, a contractor, and anyone else who can help determine issues and future upgrade costs.

What's next?

Buyers will review all the additional information they receive and typically send the seller what is called a request for repairs (asking for certain items to be repaired prior to closing or financial credits to cover future costs). All of this is negotiable. The goal is to make sure all parties are satisfied before signing off on next steps.

The buyer’s lenders will very often require access to the financials and insurance of the homeowners association. They may require a condo certification to confirm renter/owner ratio, HOA dues, and what type of insurance is covered.

What's next?

The bank will schedule a third-party appraiser, who we will meet with and provide an appraisal package to if requested. This will show all recent comps, confirming the agreed-upon purchase price. This process may take 17-30 days to complete, depending on the lender.

Once the buyer has removed all contingencies, the seller will correct any agreed-upon fixes or credits, and we set to close.

This can sometimes be a stressful stage of a sale, but don’t worry. We have every resource to assist you in making corrections and repairs if needed. Our trusted contractors will make sure your place is ready to go, and we will be happy to manage the process from start to finish if you prefer.