How to sell for what it’s worth.

1. 01

   Check your numbers 2-OF-5-YEAR TAX RULE

   Equity, taxes, and timing, before the yard sign.

   Start with what you’d walk away with: estimated sale price, minus your mortgage payoff, selling costs, and moving expenses. Then check the tax picture.

   • Request a payoff quote from your lender. It differs from your balance.
   • If you’ve lived in the home 2 of the last 5 years, up to $250k of gain ($500k married) is typically tax-free.
   • Plan the overlap: selling and buying at once takes bridge planning.
   • Know your local market’s seasonality before picking a list date.

   Watch out for: Basing plans on your neighbor’s asking price. What matters is recent sold prices for homes like yours.

2. 02

   Pick your listing agent & plan FEES ARE NEGOTIABLE

   Marketing, pricing, and fees, all on the table.

   Interview agents like you’re hiring for a job, because you are. Compare their pricing logic, marketing plan, and track record in your specific neighborhood.

   • Ask each candidate for a written marketing plan: photos, listing copy, syndication, open houses.
   • Commissions and terms are fully negotiable. Ask directly.
   • Ask about their average days-on-market and sale-to-list ratio.
   • Selling yourself (FSBO) saves fees but adds pricing, legal, and negotiation work. Go in informed.

   Watch out for: Choosing the agent who quotes the highest price. Some “buy the listing” with flattery, then push price cuts later.

3. 03

   Price it right, day one WEEKS 1 to 2 MATTER MOST

   The first two weeks decide your leverage.

   Buyers see new listings instantly and judge fast. A price aligned with recent comparable sales creates early traffic, and early offers create competition.

   • Study your agent’s comparative market analysis (CMA) closely.
   • Price to the market, not to what you’ve spent on the house.
   • If showings are quiet in week one, react quickly. Waiting compounds the problem.
   • Slightly under-pricing can produce multiple offers in hot markets.

   Watch out for: Overpricing “to leave room to negotiate.” Stale listings sell below market after price cuts, the opposite of the plan.

4. 04

   Prep, repair & stage PAINT = TOP ROI

   Small money, big first impression.

   Buyers decide in minutes. Declutter, deep-clean, and fix the small stuff (fresh neutral paint, working fixtures, tidy landscaping) before spending on big renovations.

   • Declutter and depersonalize. Buyers need to picture their life, not yours.
   • Prioritize curb appeal: entry, lighting, mulch, house numbers.
   • Consider a pre-listing inspection to surface surprises on your terms.
   • Big renovations rarely pay back at sale. Clean and functional beats new and expensive.

   Watch out for: Masking problems instead of fixing or disclosing them. Buyers’ inspectors will find them, and trust, once lost, costs more than the repair.

5. 05

   List, market & disclose

   Great photos, honest paperwork.

   Nearly every buyer meets your home online first. Professional photos and accurate, complete listing details do the heavy lifting; required disclosures protect you legally.

   • Insist on professional photography and shoot in good light.
   • Complete your state’s property disclosure forms fully and honestly.
   • Make showings easy. Restrictive schedules cost you buyers.
   • Have your agent pre-screen for preapproval letters with offers.

   Watch out for: Being home during showings. Buyers linger, open closets, and speak freely when the owner isn’t hovering. That’s what you want.

6. 06

   Review offers & negotiate PRICE IS 1 OF 5 TERMS

   The highest number isn’t always the best offer.

   Weigh each offer’s whole shape: price, financing strength, contingencies, earnest money, and timing. A clean, well-financed offer often beats a higher, fragile one.

   • Verify the buyer’s preapproval and down payment size.
   • Fewer contingencies = fewer ways the deal dies.
   • Negotiate with counteroffers rather than rejecting outright.
   • Need time to move? Ask for a leaseback after closing.

   Watch out for: An aggressive price from a thinly financed buyer. If their appraisal or loan falls through, you’ve lost weeks of market momentum.

7. 07

   Clear contingencies & close 1 to 3% + AGREED FEES

   Stay responsive; keep the file moving.

   The buyer’s inspection, appraisal, and financing run on a clock. Respond quickly to repair requests, keep the home in contract condition, and prep your own move.

   • Respond to repair requests fast. Credits are often cleaner than repairs.
   • Budget seller closing costs: agreed compensation plus roughly 1 to 3% in taxes, title, and fees.
   • Keep utilities on through the final walkthrough.
   • Cancel insurance only after the deed records; forward mail the same week.

   Watch out for: Emptying the house of things the contract includes: fixtures, appliances, window treatments. The walkthrough checks exactly that.

Educational content adapted from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Buying a House resources and National Association of REALTORS® consumer guidance, reviewed July 2026. This is general information for every U.S. state, not financial, legal, or tax advice. Free, HUD-approved housing counselors are available at consumerfinance.gov .

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