Getting Your Home On the Market

Now that your home is on the market, we have a lot of work already completed. Your agent has put together all the listing information for the MLS, taken and uploaded pictures, written descriptions, and done everything to set up the marketing campaign for your home. Now you have some work to do as well – namely, detailing and staging your home to give you the best possible chance of making a great impression on buyers.

Now you’re on the market. You may feel that the hard part is over, since you’ve gotten all your documents signed and your agent has done all the work to get your home on the market.

Getting on the market, though, is just the start. It’s like when you go on a long car ride: the first half hour is exciting and fun, and everyone’s jabbering and listening to music and excited about the trip. And the end of the trip is exciting and fun, because you finally made it and the trip is over.

But that part in the middle? Not fun. That’s the part where everyone gets bored and starts to nod off, except hopefully the driver, and eventually you start hearing the refrain “are we there yet???”

Selling a home is the same way.

You get keyed up in the beginning, because you’ve finally made the decision to sell, signed agreements, and you’re excited about getting the home sold. And you’ll be energized at the closing too, because the whole process will be over, and you’ll be eager to start the next part of your life.

But that part in the middle? Not fun. That’s the part where you have to do some work getting the place into showing condition, and then keeping it that way so that you’re prepared for last-minute buyer appointments. That’s the part where you have to endure constant showings, allowing buyers and their agents to traipse through your home. That’s the part where you have to keep on top of what’s happening in the market, so that you can respond to any changing conditions. And just like the long car ride, you’ll start to get impatient if you don’t get an immediate offer, which does not actually happen very often. Instead of “Are we there yet?,” you’ll be asking your agent “Do we have offers yet?” It’s not easy. So be prepared.

What’s your agent doing at this point in the process? Your agent might be scheduling broker or public open houses, sending out direct mail or email campaigns, or engaging in other marketing activities. Your agent should also be sending you weekly email updates on what’s happening with the market and an analysis of the impact of our online marketing campaign. And your agent might be coordinating showings, getting feedback, and hopefully fielding and discussing offers with you.

So what should you be doing during this time? Essentially, your role right now is to be the custodian and manager of this property that you are trying to sell. You’re the one on site every day, not the agent, so you should keep an eye out to make sure that the property stays in the same great shape it was on the first day it hit the market. You should also be staying in consistent contact with your agent, and reading your weekly email updates so you can track what’s happening in the market.

Conclusion: Staying Positive

Being on the market can be a very difficult time, so we want you to be prepared for it. Despite your agent’s and your best efforts, you might not get a lot of showings, which is depressing. Or you might get lots of showings, which is exciting but exhausting with all the cleaning up, the strange people in your house, and the forced conversations. No one knows how long you will be on the market. Homes with professional, active agents that are priced right and look great still sometimes sit for longer than the sellers would like.

With that in mind, this Orientation Guide is all about trying to give you the best chance possible to get your home sold quickly, and the best experience possible during the occasionally anxious and stressful time that you’re on the market.