The Home Seller's Guide

1. Meet with your agent. We talk about your goals and timeline, then tour your home together and discuss any repairs, upgrades or staging worth doing before you list.

2. Determine the price. Your home's value rests on the current market, comparable listings, its location and neighborhood, its age and condition, and the improvements you've made. The amount you'd like to get, and the amount you've spent on the home, don't set its market value.

Price matters more than almost anything else. A well-priced home creates interest, attracts buyers, generates showings and produces offers. An overpriced home usually shows lack of interest, few showings, no offers, a long time on the market and sometimes price cuts, which look bad to buyers. An underpriced home may sell quickly, but it can leave money on the table and make buyers wonder what's wrong with it. A lower price brings more showings, but it doesn't mean the home will sell, and it may not meet your financial goal.

3. Prepare your home. Photos are a buyer's first impression, and most buyers shop online first. Getting the home photo-ready also gets it ready for showings. The curb appeal and preparation lists below help.

4. List and market the home. Your home goes on the MLS, where agents searching for their buyers can see it, and on websites like Zillow and Realtor.com. A lockbox goes on your door so agents can bring buyers through, and it's best for sellers not to be home during showings. A For Sale sign goes up, and open houses are scheduled to draw attention. See selling your home for how I market a listing.

5. Receive offers and negotiate. The highest price isn't automatically the best offer. Look at who pays closing costs, the contingencies, and the closing date. A contingency is a condition that must be met for the buyer to go forward, such as financing, inspections or the sale of their own home. A cash offer at a lower price can be simpler than a higher offer that depends on a loan, so weigh your timeline and finances.

6. Inspection and appraisal. When you're under contract, the buyer's lender orders an appraisal to confirm the home is worth the loan amount. The buyer's inspection may lead to repair requests, and both sides have to agree on what gets repaired, what doesn't, and whether the price changes. Before closing, the buyer does a final walkthrough to confirm the agreed repairs are done and nothing has been removed from the home.

7. Closing. Both sides sign the documents, funds are disbursed and ownership transfers to the buyer. Sellers' closing expenses can include the title insurance policy, a home warranty, real estate agent commissions, recording fees, your share of property taxes, the remaining balance on your mortgage, and any unpaid assessments, penalties or claims against the property.

• Overpricing "to test the market." Interest and showings come early. A home priced above the market can sit, and price cuts follow.
• Ignoring buyer feedback in the first two to three weeks. That feedback tells you whether the price, the presentation or the marketing needs to change.
• Skipping preparation or staging. Buyers decide from photos before they ever walk in.
• Reacting emotionally to offers. A low offer is the start of a negotiation, not an insult.
• Choosing the highest offer without looking at the terms. Contingencies, closing costs, timeline and financing can change what an offer is really worth.

My role is to help you make decisions from the data, not from emotion, so you walk away confident in the result.