What would you do
when selling your home?

Know what your agent will do—and what you’ll pay

I recommend insisting on a written cancellation guarantee and professional photography paid for by the agent. Read the cancellation conditions and any charges. Ask who will handle showings, vet buyers, negotiate inspection issues, and keep you informed through closing.

Get the total commission in writing, including what happens if the listing agent personally brings the buyer. My listing fee is 2%, with no additional buyer-side commission when I personally bring the buyer. Any payment to a separate buyer’s agent is negotiated with the offer. Commissions are negotiable. See what my listing service includes.

Find out what your home is worth before accepting an investor’s offer

How much below market value is that unsolicited cash offer? Get a free, no-obligation comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate professional. It should use recent sales of similar homes to estimate what yours could sell for on the open market in its current condition. Compare what you would receive after selling expenses under each option.

Needing repairs alone does not prevent you from listing your home. Some investors use false claims or pressure to persuade older homeowners and people unfamiliar with selling to accept less. Saving a commission is no bargain if the price reduction costs you more.

Ask for proof of funds, all fees, and whether the investor plans to buy the home or sell the contract to someone else. Have your real estate attorney explain any terms that let the buyer back out. A cash buyer competing for a listed home is a different situation from an unsolicited offer backed by pressure or false claims.

Spend on presentation with a purpose

I do not recommend installing a new kitchen just to sell. I once put a beautiful kitchen with granite countertops into a Nassau house I flipped. The buyer’s first project was ripping it out. Spending more on improvements does not guarantee a higher selling price or that you’ll recover the cost.

For a dated but working kitchen, I would usually focus on cleaning, decluttering, needed paint, and the yard. If you prefer to do no work, that is your choice, and we can work with it. It may affect the selling price, but there are buyers for homes in every condition.

Your home gets two first impressions: online and in person. If the photos make a poor impression, buyers may never schedule a visit. That is why I pay for professional photography and recommend having those photos ready before the listing goes live.

Price for the market, not your hopes and dreams

What you need from the sale does not determine what buyers will pay. I use recent sales of similar homes to support a price recommendation, accounting for differences in condition, size, and features. Homes for sale show your competition; their asking prices do not prove their value.

Overpricing can cost you buyers, time, and money. Buyers may skip your listing and choose a better-priced home. As the listing sits, interest can fade and lower offers may follow. A later reduction does not necessarily bring those buyers back.

For the fictional home in this simulator, I recommend $649,000 to attract attention and encourage competition. That recommendation is based on the sample sold homes. It is not a valuation of your property or a guarantee of a bidding war.

An offer is not money in your pocket yet

Vetting offers is one of the most important things I do for you. It takes years of experience to recognize some of the problems behind an attractive price. I assess the buyer’s finances, financing, contingencies, and ability to meet the proposed closing date.

Buyer-agent compensation is an offer term, considered offer by offer. Compare how much each offer would put in your pocket after commissions and other selling expenses. A higher offer can more than cover a requested buyer-agent payment. An offer requesting no payment can still provide less money.

The highest number is only valuable if the buyer can complete the purchase on those terms. A failed sale can cost months, ongoing home expenses, and buyers who move on to other homes.

Read the appraisal terms before relying on the price

A conventional buyer can agree to waive the appraisal contingency or cover a shortfall up to a stated amount. The commitment and its limits need to be in the contract, and the buyer’s funds need to be verified. A promise to cover a gap is not enough if the contract still lets the buyer walk away. This does not remove the lender’s appraisal requirements.

FHA protection is different. An upfront waiver cannot compel an FHA buyer to complete the purchase when the appraisal is below the amount specified in the required amendatory clause. The buyer may voluntarily pay the difference, but the seller cannot count on that promise as a binding waiver. Read HUD’s FHA amendatory clause.

If an appraisal comes in short, the seller can agree to reduce the price, the buyer can agree to contribute more, or they can share the difference. If they cannot agree, the contract determines who can cancel and what happens to the deposit.

Address defects without turning the inspection into a new wish list

I generally do not recommend a pre-listing inspection, even when an agent offers it free. Inspectors can disagree about what is a problem and how serious it is. A report can also bring information to your attention that must be disclosed. You still need to answer the required disclosure questions honestly, including new information that must be disclosed.

In my usual process, we agree on the offer terms before the accepted buyer arranges an inspection. I generally give the buyer three business days, sometimes five, to schedule it. The inspection itself usually takes a few hours.

I recommend addressing plumbing leaks, safety hazards, electrical defects, roof problems, and malfunctioning heating or central air-conditioning. An older system that works is different from a defective one. I would normally repair a small leak; for some repairs, a reasonable credit avoids disputes over the work. The inspection should address actual problems, not reopen the entire purchase negotiation.

Keep the sale moving through closing

Choose an attorney who regularly handles local real estate transactions. After inspection issues are settled, I send the offer and agreed changes to your attorney. The seller’s attorney prepares the contract, and the attorneys review and sometimes renegotiate terms.

If you need a later closing, we can negotiate that as part of the offer. Dates can shift, so coordination matters. I work through the buyer’s agent and coordinate with the attorneys and lender as needed, then keep you informed before you make new moving commitments.

Before the walkthrough, confirm which items the buyer agreed to keep and remove the rest. Separate furniture agreements should be in writing and shared with the agents and attorneys. Your closing proceeds also reflect commissions, agreed credits, other closing costs, your mortgage payoff, and adjustments such as prepaid taxes and oil remaining in the tank.