Seller FAQs

We create a step-by-step plan for your success, so all the projects are done in the most efficient, cost-effective order. Let us help by recommending a well-vetted and experienced team. After nearly 20 years in the business, we have a reliable stable of professionals.

• Inspectors – identify mandatory repairs and lower-level deficiencies so we can be transparent to buyers. Our inspection team is thorough so buyers can feel confident. This increases your likelihood of receiving solid, contingent-free offers.

• Contractors, painters, haulers, landscapers and more – make repairs and upgrades to transform the property for sale

• Stagers – dress up the home to show potential, attract buyers and make your home memorable

• Our internal team – schedule inspections, coordinate vendors, and generally oversee a smooth experience when you list your property with us

• Transaction coordination team – handles paperflow start to finish, wrangles forms and signatures

Our process is engineered for the fastest sale with the highest price. Every step we take triggers the next. We can work faster and smarter because all team members sync up with our program. Periodically meeting with and maintaining relationships with our vendors also gives us an advantage—they help us anticipate and solve problems. 

In turn, we send more business their way. And they provide our clients superior work and better prices. Many vendors say we’re their biggest client so we get priority on their schedule. 

My team can resurface (paint, refinish floors, etc.) and stage a home in 5 to 8 business days. Then we collect multiple offers on the bid date. In just a matter of weeks, escrow closes. Try that with a large corporate agency.

There’s a big difference in philosophy on pricing properties. We price to sell, meaning we set a reasonable price that will attract a lot of buyers to see your home. That’s how we encourage buyers to compete and bid against one another to win your property.

We examine the last 4 to 6 homes with similar attributes that sold in your area. Ignoring the listing prices and basing it on their final sale price, we calculate a realistic average dollar per square foot range, adjusting for the homes’ condition, location and other attributes.  

You can use this live, current market data to estimate your home’s value per square foot. When it’s time to set your home’s listing price, we’ll recommend a well-deliberated number, based on your neighborhood data and aimed at bringing in a crowd of buyers to clamor for the privilege of owning your home.

Frankly, it’s when the home is prepped and you’re ready to put it on the market. 

Forget the conventional wisdom that you need to avoid Thanksgiving, cold weather or Labor Day. Realtors are constantly telling the seller you can’t. We’ve sold many homes on Christmas Eve, July 4th and around New Year’s.

Here’s how we create success for you:

• we prepare your property properly

• we clearly define and market to the buyer demographic willing to pay the most for your home 

• we inspect, then resurface and market the home to attract that target audience

• We do it all year long!

I can only tell you how much time it takes us to sell a house. A good rough estimate is 4 weeks, but some steps work better when we start earlier (such as getting you lined up on vendor schedules).

Our calendar includes about two weeks for home preparation, resurfacing and staging. Then two weeks on the market followed by a bid date.

When would you like to close escrow and receive your payment? We work backwards from that date. The schedule also depends on the type of property, the price segment of your home and its location. 

By performing all inspections early, we eliminate uncertainty and give buyers the comfort they need to make their highest offers. You also project strength when you fully disclose your property’s condition. These up-front expenses typically pave the way for more offers and higher sale prices.

As a seller, knowing the condition of your home early in the process reveals more about the price you can expect, and it dictates your budget for repairs, resurfacing and upgrades.

I strongly recommend you not leave the inspections to a buyer and their agent. If the buyer discovers flaws you didn’t know about, you look less than forthright. And you’ve given the buyer reason to renegotiate. 

You’ll benefit from having our professional inspectors conduct them. With the inspection reports in our hands, we can choose whether to simply disclose everything or repair the critical items and disclose the rest. Either way, that kind of transparency creates a lot of goodwill with buyers. 

Almost every home benefits from some resurfacing—whether it’s as simple as applying new bathroom caulk, upgrading to LED lights or transforming with a pristine coat of paint. I bring expert opinion and a fresh set of eyes to help you get the highest price possible.

That’s why I like to art direct the buyer’s experience. I want to gift them with an unobstructed view of the kitchen, for example, without hanging lights cluttering the  space. We often replace hanging fixtures with recessed lights to create more visible breathing room.

And if you have a beautiful pool outside sliding doors or an expansive skyline vista, we’ll highlight that view. Views add dollars to your sale price.

Our ROI strategy is to make your home shine and bring you the highest price. We’ll let you know which upgrades let you spend a little to get back a lot. We recommend projects that offer a 250% to 500% return. 

Yes, in most cases, we can arrange for interest-free financing until the close of escrow.

• Make everything consistent – start with a design theme and carry it throughout, including a consistent paint theme and flooring. If it’s mid-century modern, make everything follow. 

• Don’t ignore the garage or yard – inside, outside, even the storage room and laundry area should look cohesive, neutral and well cared for. One seller had operated a barber shop from the garage and buyers were not impressed by the barber pole and chair. 

• Tell the story of home – make it clear how a buyer can enjoy the home and the lifestyle it offers. Stage it to show how it works for relaxing, for entertaining, for daily life. 

• Finish it quickly – 5 to 8 business days from start to finish is ideal.     

• Lighting – dark and drab doesn’t sell.

• Color cues – cool colors are current, stay away from brown, taupe, tan, yellow and gold. Move toward ice blue, silver, grays and cooler hues.

• Kitchen and baths – spend time and money on these important areas. A large wall-mounted mirror is always welcoming in a bathroom. Kitchens should be clean, bright and uplifting.  

Yes, absolutely! All areas of the home (including yard, balcony and front foyer) should be staged to attract our desired target market segment. Great staging will help buyers better relate to the home’s lifestyle potential . Staging always contributes to the bottom line and solidifies the seller’s position of strength.

While virtual staging can look attractive online, it creates a big disappointment when buyers visit the property. Only one person wins—the virtual staging vendor.