Selling a house is a sequence of about six decisions, and almost every seller who feels out of their depth is really just unsure which decision is in front of them. So this page is the whole process in the order it happens, including the parts that cost you money and the parts where you can still change your mind.
- 01Find out what it is worth
- 02Choose your route
- 03Prepare what earns it back
- 04Go to market
- 05Review the offers
- 06Escrow and close
That is the whole shape of it. Everything below is the detail behind one of those six steps.
BEFORE YOU SPEND A PENNY
Find out what it is worth first.
The most expensive mistake in selling is doing work before you know what the house is worth, and then doing work a buyer was never going to pay for. Start with the number, and the comparable sales behind it, so you can check the reasoning rather than take a figure on faith.
Two things to know about that number. It is a licensed agent’s opinion of value prepared for marketing purposes, not an appraisal, and under California law an appraisal has to be prepared by a licensed appraiser. And no analysis can promise what a buyer will pay. Anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing with confidence.
THE DECISION THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
List it on the open market, or sell it as it stands.
These are genuinely different sales and they suit different situations. Listing puts your home in front of every buyer working in the area, and competition between buyers is the only real price discovery there is. It also asks for repairs, cleaning out, paint, staging, and a house that has to stay presentable for as long as it takes.
Selling as it stands means one buyer, and one buyer cannot bid against themselves. That number is normally lower than a strong listing would bring, and the gap is the price of speed and certainty. Both routes are legitimate. The mistake is picking one without knowing what the other would have paid.
WHAT IT ACTUALLY ASKS OF YOU
The list nobody puts on a flyer.
- The preparation, which lands before you get paid. Repairs, paint, cleaning, and clearing out years of belongings.
- The showings. Strangers walking through your home, sometimes at short notice, for as long as it takes.
- The waiting. A house that is priced right still takes time, and a house that is priced wrong takes longer.
- The holding costs, which are the largest number in most sellers’ arithmetic and the one missing from the comparison.
- The decisions that arrive with deadlines: repair requests, appraisal issues, and terms you may be asked to change.
WHERE SELLERS ACTUALLY LOSE MONEY
Almost always one of these three.
- Pricing it where you want it to be rather than where the sales support it. A house that sits gets stale, and stale costs more than the price you held out for.
- Doing the wrong work. A full kitchen renovation before selling usually returns less than a clean, decluttered, working house that shows well.
- Being unprepared for the timeline. Sellers who need to be out by a date often accept a worse deal than sellers who can wait, and the date is usually known months in advance.
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK AT THIS POINT
Straight answers, including the ones that cost me money.
What do you actually do that I could not do myself?
Pricing the house correctly, presenting it properly, and negotiating an offer once one arrives. The pricing decision is where most of the money is won or lost, and it is the part sellers most often get wrong because they are pricing the house they love rather than the house a buyer is comparing. The rest is coordination: photography, showings, disclosures, inspections, deadlines and paperwork, done for you rather than by you.
How are showings handled?
Buyers come through with their own agents, on a schedule that is agreed with you in advance. You will not be asked to sit through them, and you can decline any that do not suit you.
What happens if my house does not sell?
We look at why, not just at the price. Sometimes it is the price, sometimes it is the presentation, sometimes it is a condition issue a buyer needs solved before they will commit. Then we agree on a change, and if the honest answer is that the market disagrees with us, I will say so.
Can I sell and stay in the house until I have somewhere to go?
Often, yes. A rent-back can be part of the negotiated terms, which means you sell first and stay for an agreed period afterward. It is negotiated in the contract rather than assumed, so it is worth asking about early.
What if I also need to buy my next house?
That is the normal version of this, and it is why I handle both sides. The two transactions have to line up, which usually means agreeing on the sale first and keeping your options open on the purchase. I work through that sequencing with you before you commit to anything.
Sending the form or reading this page does not create an agency relationship with Kevin or with Windermere Signature Properties. That happens only under a written agreement that you sign.
WHEN YOU ARE READY
Find out what your house is actually worth.
Send the address and a couple of details. You get the number, the comparable sales behind it, and the honest answer about which route suits you. Nothing is committed by asking.