Instructions for Sellers Listing Property
Updated: Apr 29
A lot of the forms involved in listing your property are rather self-explanatory. In most cases, the seller is paying both the listing firm and the buyer’s agent's firm as you most likely already know.
Information for Sellers to Know:
Listing Period
The listing period I plan to put unless you tell me (or have told me) otherwise is for 6 months. While I don’t expect it to take that long, sometimes the price is too high without enough price reductions, something dissuades buyers that needs to be addressed, & sometimes there are multiple contracts on a property where buyers pull out for a wide variety of reasons, such as not agreeing with the seller on repairs that they’d like, having a closing scheduled out longer than the usual 30-45 days after contract ratification & then pulling out in breach of contract last minute (with you sometimes getting the EMD in that scenario), or otherwise. That said, some sellers have had bad experiences with listing agreements from deadbeat agents. If that is you, let me know, so that I can shorten the listing period. We can always extend it later by mutual agreement.
Technical Details: Agreed Up Front Closing Costs
I plan to put the agreed-upon closing cost assistance in the listing agreement to give to buyers at $0, although it’s important to note that while not typical in this market, in some cases, the best buyer will need closing cost. When that happens in this market, it's typically, but not always, between 1% and 3% for buyers. This way we are just not asking you to agree in advance to anything as far as the closing costs go, as it depends on the situation. Sometimes a home will go for above-asking price with no closing costs, whereas other times it will go for less than asking price with closing costs. It depends primarily on price, condition, and location.
Paperwork Video
Here is a video I've made guiding sellers like you through some of the listing paperwork. I'd be happy to answer any questions that the video might not cover, as it is a relatively brief overview despite its duration.
Offer Example
Here is an example form for the primary offer used in Hampton Roads, but keep in mind that these change, sometimes multiple times in a year. If you would like a more updated version, feel free to let me know. Also, offers can vary, such as the VAR offer which is different in a number of ways that is more common in places like the Richmond area and the Northern Neck.
Responsibilities & Inspector Options Spreadsheet
While not completely comprehensive (as the contract is), here is a spreadsheet of some of the seller & buyer responsibilities in a transaction. Those who have signed the Garrett Realty Partners Affiliated Business Disclosure may be provided a more updated version including hyperlinks to options for various service providers, most of whom in this case are unaffiliated with GRP where GRP gets no direct compensation for you doing business with them but where sellers often still want to know who to use.
Preparing Your Home for Listing
Here are some articles on preparing your home for listing & for photos:
Prepping Homes For Extreme Cold
The Impact of Season on Real Estate Photography
Staging Your Home One place where I would disagree with the article is where it states "Power-wash your house". I recommend a soft wash. The problem with power washing your house, unlike your driveway, is that it's very easy to do more harm than good, especially around windows. I encounter broken window seals all the time as an agent, and I wonder how many have power washing as a contributing factor since it's such a common ingredient to broken window seals. I agree with the article though that power washing your sidewalk and driveway are a good idea. That said, 24-48 hrs after power washing your sidewalk or driveway, as long as dry throughout that period, consider sealing it.
The most important functional staging elements (that I can provide if you're doing a standard listing with me rather than a discount listing for properties under $400k, with me having it available even at discount listing levels at $400k+) include:
Shoe Covers & Bin w/ Sign
Hand Towels at Sinks
Interior & Exterior Floor Mats
Toilet Paper in Each Bathroom
Soap
Trashcan(s)
Survey of Property (if available)
As long as you're not doing a discount listing (if under $600k), and as long as the property isn't as is or otherwise not suitable for snacks/drinks, I'll also be providing premium snacks/drinks with an emphasis on quality, selection, & not staining (i.e. all clear liquids). If possible, it's ideal to have a section of your refrigerator reserved for drinks, cheeses, etc. that I'll be bringing.
Maintaining Your Home During Listing
Ensure landscaping & exterior are in good order on a regular basis (grass cut, leaves removed, weeds pulled, bushes trimmed if applicable, pavement, patio, decks, walkways blown, etc.)
Ensure that no insects are visible on interior of property (Insect treatment as long before listing as possible is ideal since weeks/months after treatment some could still be alive and need additional treatment. including 24 hrs prior to listing going live, 24 hrs prior to open house (typically Sat after listing goes live on Thursday), 24 hrs prior to pictures, & after any storms).
Also look out for and seek to eliminate or move insects on the exterior if a nuisance. For instance, no need to touch a pollinating butterfly, aphid eating ladybug, or protected species that eats other bugs without causing a mess like a praying mantis. Conversely, if buyers would need to walk across an ant trail to enter the home or there's a wasp nest or mud dobber nest on the home or in the shed, take care of it.
Ensure that smells at home are positive/neutral without using air fresheners that mask smell. There should be no smell of air freshener at the home but there also shouldn't be a bad smell. If there's a strong smell, locate the source (i.e. carpet/soft furniture/pets/kitchen) and seek to eliminate it at the source.
Clean up trash on property, and if your neighbors aren't very clean, let them know that you'll be listing your property and mention the trash on their property, asking if they can clean it up. If they say no or if they say yes but do nothing, ask them if you can clean it up for them (within reason) before you list the property. In some cases, a fresh start will encourage them to keep it cleaner in the future.
If you are an owner-occupant or occasionally visit the property since you're located nearby, if you ever see the trashcans full or the snack/drink supply running low if your listing package offers that, please empty the trash into your dumpster and alert me of the need for more snacks/drinks.
Open House(s)
Most of Adam's listing packages offer 1 or more open houses, excluding discount listings under $200k, land, certain commercial property, & certain as-is properties. The first Saturday after listing, Adam typically likes to perform one. See Adam's offerings per price point and commission offered for frequency details. If you'd prefer to not do any open houses, let Adam know.