Selling Your Home

Selling your home — especially if you've never done it before — can be surprisingly time-consuming and emotionally challenging. You need to determine a marketing strategy, price the house to attract buyer’s interest, plus many more details.

Strangers will come into your home and poke around in your closets and cabinets. They will criticize a place that has probably become more than just four walls and a roof to you, and then, to top it all off, they will offer you less money than you think your home is worth.

With no experience and a complex, emotional transaction on your hands, it's easy for first-time home sellers to make lots of mistakes, but with a little know-how, many of these pitfalls can be avoided altogether.

The home selling process is the same whether you are selling for sale by owner or hiring a listing agent. The question is – whether to sell your home yourself or hire a professional.

  • Main points to consider when selling

    Main points to consider when selling


    Choose a Listing Agent - A listing agent will represent you and have a fiduciary responsible for looking out for your best interests.


    Find Out How Much Your Home Is Worth – A seller's biggest mistake is to overprice a home.


    Get Your Home Ready for Sale – Prepare your home for sale by cleaning, decluttering and improving curb appeal.


    Market Your Home – You or your agent should identify the sizzling selling points and choose advertising words to sell.


    Show Your Home – If you're wondering about lockbox vs. appointments, you will get more showings if you let agents use a lockbox.


    Receive Purchase Offers and Negotiate – Make certain that buyers use the right form for writing a purchase offer.


    Open Escrow and Order Title – Your agent or transaction coordinator will open escrow and order a title policy.


    Schedule Appraiser Appointment – Clean the house the day before the appraiser arrives.


    Cooperate with Home Inspection – Get ready for the home inspector.


    Obtain Seller-Required Inspections – If your contract calls for a roof certification, hire a reputable company to conduct the inspection.


    Deliver Seller Disclosures – All homes in the United States are subject to lead-based paint disclosures, not just those built before 1978. If you are aware of material facts, disclose them.


    Negotiate Request for Repair(s) – Ordinarily, sellers do not need to accept a buyer's request for repair; however, buyers can also cancel the contract.

Ask Buyer to Release Contingencies:
  • In California, for example, contracts default to 17 days, at which time, the buyer must release contingencies.
  • If you do not demand a release, buyers are not obligated to provide it.
  • If buyers do not provide a release, in California, sellers have the right to cancel the contract.
Sign Title and Escrow Documents:
  • In southern California, you will sign escrow documents shortly after opening escrow.
  • In northern California, you will sign escrow documents near closing.
  • Bring a valid picture identification.
Close Escrow:
  • Your property deed, reconveyance and deed of trust will record in the public records.
  • The title company will notify you and your agent when it records the deeds.
  • Depending on buyer's possession rights specified in the contract, you may be required to move on the day the home closes or prior.

Partner with Aiello & Associates to guide you through the entire selling process with confidence. We will work together to come up with best possible strategy to get your home sold!