Selling a Home Checklist

The agent who quotes the highest price to win your listing is usually the one who costs you the most. Pick the one whose math is tightest, not the one whose number is biggest.

Ask each agent to defend the range with specific adjustments for square footage, condition, and location. A confident agent welcomes the pressure. A weak one flinches.

Your proceeds are NOT the list price minus commission. Commissions, transfer taxes, prorated property taxes, title fees, seller concessions, loan payoff, and closing costs all come out first.

Spring typically brings more buyers than fall. Late December and holidays are slow. A three-week delay for a better launch window is often worth more than rushing onto a slow week.

Know your mortgage balance, prepayment penalties (if any), and what the payoff will look like on the closing date. You can't net without this number.

The $250K/$500K primary-residence exclusion (2-out-of-5-year rule) isn't automatic. Investment properties, recently converted rentals, and high-appreciation sales all have nuances that cost real money if missed.

Note everything that will photograph poorly, show poorly, or be flagged by a buyer's inspector. Make a short pre-listing fix list.

Peeling paint on pre-1978 homes, active roof leaks, missing smoke detectors, non-functional GFCI outlets, bad porch steps, broken windows. All of these either fail an appraisal condition or trigger a repair request.

Countertops mostly cleared, closets halved, garage organized, personal photos down. Strangers need to see the house, not your life.

Inside the oven, the vent hood, behind appliances, baseboards, ceiling fans, window tracks. Buyers open every cabinet and check every corner.

⚠️ Phone photos cost you real dollars. The first photo a buyer sees is the single highest-ROI dollar of the entire sale. A 3D tour (Matterport or similar) is increasingly standard for scheduling showings.

Over-disclose rather than under-disclose. Transparency strengthens your position — under-disclosure is a post-close liability that outlives the sale.

Buyers, their agents, cleaners, photographers, stagers, and inspectors will all be in the house. Assume anything left out could disappear.

⚠️ Errors in the MLS follow the property forever. Square footage, bedroom/bathroom count, heating/cooling type, lot size — verify every number against a defensible source.

Buyers use the 3D tour to decide whether to schedule a showing. Missing it on launch day is a leak at the top of the funnel.

Social ads, single-property landing page, email blast to cooperating brokerages, email to the agent's buyer list, print or direct mail if applicable. Get specifics in writing.

Lockbox hours, advance-notice window (1 hour, 2 hours, 24 hours), pet arrangements, lights and music preferences, and what stays on during showings.

Your agent should pull it from buyer agents and share weekly themes. Three showings in a row saying "dated kitchen" is the market telling you something specific.

A first-month price adjustment is smart. A second-month one signals weakness. The sooner you respond to clear market signals, the less the listing ages.

Price is the headline. Terms are the mechanics (closing date, earnest money, inclusions, concessions). Contingencies are escape hatches. The buyer's financial profile is what actually closes the deal.

⚠️ The offer form shows a number. Your net sheet shows what you actually walk with. Always know the net before responding — a $5,000 higher offer with a $10,000 concession request nets less.

A cash offer $10K under ask with a 10-day close and a waived appraisal often nets more at the table than a full-price financed offer with a long contingency list and shaky financing.

Higher EMD = more buyer skin in the game. A 3% EMD on a contingent offer is meaningfully stronger than a 1% EMD on the same offer.

Silence is not a response — it's a rejection the buyer can withdraw past. If you need more time, request an extension in writing.

⚠️ Wire instructions are the #1 fraud target in real estate. If EMD doesn't arrive on time, the contract language tells you what recourse you have. Don't let it slide unaddressed.

Accommodate reasonable access for inspectors, appraisers, and any contractors the buyer is pricing. Don't take their findings personally — they're doing their job.

A $2,000 credit that keeps a strong contract alive is almost always better than losing the deal over who was technically right. Count dollars, not points.

If it comes in low, your options are to agree to a price reduction, wait for the buyer to cover the gap, negotiate a middle ground, or refuse and trigger the contingency. Know your alternatives before responding.

Earlier title orders mean earlier problem discovery. Most title issues are routine (an unrecorded mortgage release, a missing spousal signature on a prior deed) — but some require real time.

⚠️ If the payoff expires before closing (most are good for 10–30 days), you need a new one. That's a multi-day delay you don't fully control.

Schedule shutoff or transfer for the day AFTER close. A buyer can't complete a proper final walkthrough in a dark house with no running water — and they'll raise it at the closing table if they find it.

All agreed repairs complete, all included items (appliances, fixtures, window treatments) still present, no new damage from moving. If something isn't right, expect the buyer to raise it before closing.

Sellers typically sign fewer documents than buyers: the deed, the settlement statement, tax forms, and a few affidavits. Read each one before you sign.

You'll need the settlement statement and any 1099-S at tax time. Keep the full file for at least 7 years after the sale for IRS and capital-gains support.

USPS forwarding, bank, employer, driver's license, voter registration, subscriptions, insurance policies, and the IRS. Missed mail gets expensive.