When you’re selling a house with a Realtor, you immediately have a common goal: sell the property in the least amount of time, for the most money possible. Whether you’d like to be extremely hands-on during this process or need your Realtor to take the reins a little more, you’ll find success as partners in this journey. “I tell my sellers that we are a team, and if they’ll do their part, I’m going to do my part,” says Brandi Abram, a top-selling real estate agent in Lawrence, Kansas. You and your Realtor both bring critical insights to the table. As the property owner, you know your house better than anyone. Meanwhile, your Realtor has market knowledge. They can recommend key updates, advise you against unnecessary expenses, and market the home based on an expert assessment of local market conditions. Still, working with a Realtor can be a new and confusing experience if you’ve never done it before. Consult this guide on how to sell a house with a Realtor and you’ll be sure to make a great team. A Realtor is not exactly the same thing as a real estate agent, though they’re similar. A real estate agent is someone who’s been licensed by the state to help transact real estate. A Realtor is a member of the National Association of Realtors. Realtors are almost always real estate agents, but not all real estate agents are Realtors. No sports team drafts new players without first evaluating their talent, statistics, and performance record. Unfortunately, too many homeowners fail to do the same due diligence when hiring the Realtor who’ll help them sell their most valuable asset. In fact, 82% of recent sellers hired the first agent they met. That’s a risky move, considering there are over 1.5 million active Realtors in the U.S. and a huge difference in outcomes from top agents compared to average agents. In fact, HomeLight data shows that the top 5% of agents across the U.S. help clients sell their home for as much as 10% more than the average real estate agent. If you’re wondering how to sell a house with a Realtor look for someone with these experiences: You can use HomeLight’s Top Agent Match Tool to find agents well-suited for your individual needs. HomeLight uses factors like their actual transaction history and past client reviews to get you a great match. From there, you can interview your agent matches before choosing the one. And don’t feel bad for interviewing other Realtors. They want to make sure you’re doing your due diligence! Abram even makes sure to ask her clients if they’re interviewing other agents in a questionnaire. “I’m glad because sellers need to trust and feel comfortable with the agent they choose,” she shares. In your interviews, listen for signs that your Realtor consistently goes the extra mile for clients, like Abram recently did: “I told my seller that their house was priced right in the pocket, so plan to be busy with showings the minute the listing goes live. But they didn’t believe me, so the house wasn’t clean or ready to show,” she shares. “I helped them clean the house that very day — which I’m glad we did, because we got a full price offer on the house that night.” During an initial walkthrough of your home, you’ll have the chance to give your Realtor a guided tour, and they’ll have the chance to make suggestions and comments with an objective lens. Your Realtor may suggest areas of the home that need some attention before buyers come through. Come ready to take notes and be prepared to discuss: From there, you can lock down a timeline that accommodates any necessary updates and repairs. Your agent should also provide an overview of the entire sales process so you’re ready for next steps. “I’ll even walk them through sample offers so that they understand the process before they’re called on to make that major financial decision,” Abram says. Sample offers give you a chance to discuss what a perfect offer might look like for you. You can discuss your goals when selling your house with a Realtor to determine how they would translate into an offer. Your Realtor will be able to help explain different non-monetary contract terms that might help sweeten a deal, including: Often, sellers are so comfortable living in their homes that they’re blind to its live-in condition. That’s where your Realtor’s suggestions for updates come in. Keep in mind that these are just suggestions, but they don’t come from nowhere. Your Realtor will suggest updates if they think they can help you get the most value for your house. Abram provides her sellers with a must-do list for the house. In her experience, when they commit to getting them done, their house sells much quicker. “I recently listed a house for a client that had previously been on the market for a solid four weeks. He completed the to-do list I gave him, and as his teammate, I arranged for professional photography to show off his hard work,” Abram comments. “The very first day it was re-listed with me, he had 10 showings and by the end of the evening we had a full price offer.” This must-do list covers tasks like: While your Realtor comes up with smart ways to update your property based on what buyers are looking for, you have the experience of living in your home, which allows you to find unique selling points. Write down all of those great features your house has, like the beautiful woodwork, the big backyard, or the convenient layout. Don’t forget to include all the things you love about the neighborhood too, including the schools, parks, stores, and restaurants. Your agent may not be able to include it all, but the longer your list, the more creative they can be when writing your listing description. As part of their listing services, your agent will conduct a comparative market analysis (CMA) to suggest an asking price for your home. Their analysis will take into account recently sold properties in the area that are similar to yours in size, layout, and condition. They’ll increase the price based on what adds value, like your new stainless steel appliances or your hardwood floors. But they’ll also subtract value for negative factors like your positioning near a power line or aging roof. “Understanding pricing strategies can be difficult for sellers,” explains Abram. “Which is why we personalize our CMAs so that sellers can understand what buyers are buying, and how much they’re willing to pay for it.” Agents use this data to help you focus less on what you think your home is worth and more on how your house compares to the competition before you settle on a list price. They do this by: However, if you feel at odds with your Realtor on price, don’t be afraid to ask more questions. They’re there to walk you through exactly how they arrived at that number. Keep in mind that your personal stake in this sale and emotional ties to your house could cloud your judgment and lead to overpricing, which some agents say has been common in the recent seller’s market. Your Realtor will also break down the list of expenses and credits to clearly explain your final sales price and your net proceeds. And if you’re not ready to sell your house with a Realtor just yet but are curious about the value of your home, try HomeLight’s Home Value Estimator tool. In order to have the best online listing possible, your Realtor will likely suggest professional photos. Many Realtors work closely with photographers who they can bring in for photos at no extra cost. They’ll walk you through how to stage your home, or how to get it ready for the photos. Many photo companies can even stage your photos digitally. Your Realtor’s marketing plan will likely lean heavily on digital promotion. They will upload your property details and photos into the MLS, which will syndicate your listing to other online listing sites, and post about it on Facebook and Instagram if they’re active there. Your Realtor will also spread the word about your listing to their local agent and broker networks who just may have a buyer looking for a house like yours. Once the listing is live, you can also share it online and with your inner circle, which Abram notes is super important. “You never know when sharing the listing with a friend of a friend or co-worker will lead you to your buyer,” she notes. Your Realtor will get notified whenever a buyer is interested in touring your home. It’s their job to orchestrate showings based on your schedule — since you’ll need to leave the house for them. To make your lives easier, establish some ground rules and make sure your agent knows which days of the week and times of day will — and will not — work for you to accommodate buyers. Ensure you have a preferred means of communication for showings requests, whether it’s via text message, email, or phone calls. Meanwhile, your role is to make sure the house is tidy for the showing and that all family members and pets are out of the house. Work out a system that’s least disruptive for your family and allows you to clean up in a pinch. An imperfect showing is often better than no showing at all. After you accept an offer on your house, there will be a period of negotiations over the contract and, later, any issues that come up in the inspection report. You’ll need to rely on your Realtor to fight for your best interests. (They have to, as your trusted fiduciary!) Educate yourself on negotiation tactics to help better understand your Realtor, like: If your buyers request a laundry list of repairs based on the home inspection report or the home appraisal comes under contract value, things can get tense. However, now’s the time to stay calm and work with your Realtor on next steps. This is a big reason why you hired them! With any appraisal issues, your Realtor will be able to explain your options, whether that’s negotiating with the buyers to make up the difference in the contract price or reviewing the appraisal report to ensure there weren’t any issues. Bottom line is, a Realtor will help you overcome any roadblocks to closing. “Great agents act as teammates throughout the entire sales process, including closing day, so that their sellers are prepared for the transition,” says Abram. “I’ll even help my sellers make arrangements with movers, or schedule a donation pick-up with the Salvation Army — anything that’ll make the process easier for them.” When you’ve got a teammate willing to go the extra mile for you like that, it’s only right to celebrate the sale with them, like by cracking open a bottle of champagne together on closing day. It’s even acceptable (and much appreciated!) to give your agent a gift, as long as it’s appropriate. Examples include: If you’ve never done this before, knowing how to sell a house with a Realtor might seem like a long and arduous process. But remember, they’re there to make the process of selling your home easier! Even if you don’t know proper gifting etiquette or how to perfectly respond to offers, your Realtor has your back. They’ve worked with plenty of first-time sellers in the past and had great relationships with them, too. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Realtors in your area and see if they could be a perfect fit.Find a great Realtor to sell your house
Develop a plan to achieve your selling goals
Make recommended indoor and outdoor updates
Identify and highlight your home’s strongest features
Develop an effective pricing strategy
Stage, photograph, and market your home
Coordinate showings
Field offers and negotiate with buyers
Communicate through the inspection and appraisal
Close the deal and celebrate the collective win
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