Following a Seller, Part 1: Before It Goes Online

Selling a home is a partnership

The first thing I tell every seller is that this is a partnership. There are jobs only I can do: pricing, marketing, photography, the sign, and negotiating. And there are jobs only the sellers can do: getting the house ready, clearing it out, completing the disclosures, and keeping it show-ready. When both sides do their part, the house presents well and sells. When either side doesn't, it shows. It sits on the market longer, buyers start to wonder what's wrong with it, and that usually ends in a price reduction.

From "home" to "property"

At the listing presentation, we covered pricing, marketing, the timeline, and who does what. I also say something every seller hears from me at this stage: from here on, this is the property, not "our home".

That's easier said than done. Many sellers find it hard to see a home they've lovingly lived in as a property, even after the sign goes up. That's completely natural. But buyers won't see your memories. They'll see rooms, condition, and price, and they'll compare it with every other house they saw that day. The sooner you can look at it the way they will, the easier every decision gets: what to fix, what to put away, and how to respond to an offer.

What to fix, and what to leave alone

Every house has a list. The skill is knowing which items are worth doing before you list and which aren't.

Fix what a buyer will notice in the photos or in the first five minutes of a showing, and anything an inspector will flag that would end up as a request for a repair or credit anyway. If a problem will cost you a concession later, it's usually cheaper to deal with it now, on your terms.

Leave the projects that are a matter of taste. Updating a kitchen or a bathroom is personal. The next owner will want to choose their own finishes, and you rarely get back what you spend.

For this property, the prep list included:

• Stretching the carpet. Carpet naturally loosens over the years, and it's one of the first things buyers notice when they walk in.
• Seven light fixtures, including one hanging too low in a bathroom. A handyman can work through them in a day.
• Cleaning, then staging. The order matters: handyman first, then the cleaners, then the staging, so nobody undoes anyone else's work.

If it's coming with you, take it out now

Anything you plan to take with you, whether it's a light fixture, a mirror, curtains, or a piece of furniture that looks built in, should not be in the photos, and ideally not in the house when people tour. Even if your disclosure says it isn't staying, a buyer who fell in love with it in the pictures will ask for it, and it becomes a point of contention right when you least need one. Take it down, replace it if needed, and the question never comes up.

The paperwork nobody thinks about

Before a house goes on the market, the sellers complete a Seller's Property Disclosure Statement. It covers what they know about the property: the roof, the plumbing, HVAC, and what stays with the house.

If there's an HOA, there's a second form: the Community Association Disclosure. It lists HOA dues and any initiation or transfer fee a buyer pays to join. Get those numbers right. If the real figure is higher than what's on the form, the seller is responsible for the shortfall at closing. I had a client lose $800 because one email to the HOA never got sent. One email.

Booking the camera

Most buyers will meet this house on a phone screen, so the photos are the first showing. I booked my photographer for a full shoot: photos of every room, a few of the neighborhood amenities, floor plans, and a drone aerial shot.

The sellers' to-do list for photo day is the same one I give everyone:

• Turn on every light, including lamps and under-cabinet lights.
• Match the bulbs in each room. Don't mix daylight and warm bulbs in the same room, even in different fixtures. The camera picks up the difference, and the room looks patchy.
• Ceiling fans and TVs off.
• Blinds and curtains open.
• Counters clear, with one simple accent at most.
• Odd numbers when you style. Three books on a table, not two or four. It looks more natural.
• Put away personal items: photos, mail, chargers, remotes, pet things, and especially medication and jewelry. That goes for every showing too, not just photo day.
• Make beds, ideally in white, and leave fresh white towels in the bathrooms.
• Cars off the driveway, bins out of sight.
• Every toilet lid down. (You'd be amazed.)

Coming Soon, timed for Halloween

The sign goes up with a Coming Soon rider at the end of the week, just before Halloween. That timing isn't an accident. On trick-or-treat night, more neighbors walk past that sign than at any other time of the year, and neighbors are often the first people to tell a friend who's looking.

"Coming Soon" has rules. Until the listing is live on the MLS, no one can see it. It can feel tempting to let one keen buyer in early, but it's not fair to everyone else, and it breaks the rules agents work under. So the message to anyone who asks is the same: I'll let you know the moment it lists.

Where things stand

• Listing presentation: done.
• Repairs and prep: underway.
• Disclosures: completed and with the sellers for review.
• Photos, floor plans, and drone: booked.
• Sign: going up with a Coming Soon rider.

What I'd take from this

• Selling is a partnership. The house only shows well when the agent and the sellers both do their part.
• Start seeing it as a property. Buyers will.
• Fix what will cost you a concession anyway, and what shows in the photos and the first five minutes.
• Leave the taste projects, like a new kitchen or bathroom, to the next owner.
• If it's going with you, take it out before the photos.
• Get the HOA fees right on the Community Association Disclosure. A shortfall comes out of your proceeds.
• One bulb color per room, odd numbers when you style, and nothing personal on display.
• Coming Soon means coming soon. No early showings.

Next time

The photos, going live, and the first week on the market.

Thinking about selling this winter or next spring? Get in touch. The first step isn't a number. It's a walk-through.