The first fourteen days decide it
A number you can defend, and a plan for the launch
Overpricing is not a strategy you can correct later. The first two weeks bring more traffic than the whole rest of the listing, and a price reduction never gets that attention back. So we get the number right, and we get it right in front of you, with the comparables on the table.
- 01
We show you the comparables we used
All of them. Including the two that argue for a lower number than the one you want.
- 02
A net sheet before you commit
What actually lands in your account after payoff, prorations, fees and any concessions.
- 03
Feedback after every showing
Including the unflattering kind, which is the only kind that changes anything.
- 04
No pressure to accept
Our fee is the same whether you take an offer on day four or day forty. That is deliberate.
Where the money actually is
Six things worth doing, and roughly what they cost
Almost none of this is a renovation. It is paint, light, and removing things. The reason it works is that it changes the photographs, and the photographs are what decide whether anyone books a showing at all.
Paint, in one colour
$800 – $2,400The cheapest square-foot-for-square-foot change there is. One warm neutral throughout reads as larger and newer than three good colours.
Declutter to about 60%
A weekend and a storage unitBuyers are measuring the room, not your things. Empty shelf space is what tells them there is enough of it.
The first eight seconds
$150 – $600Front door, house numbers, doorbell, mulch, one good plant. Almost nobody recovers a bad first impression later in the tour.
Light
$40 – $200Matched warm bulbs in every fitting, every one working. Mixed colour temperature is the single most common reason a room photographs badly.
The three obvious repairs
VariesThe sticking door, the running toilet, the cracked outlet cover. Each one costs you more in the inspection negotiation than it does to fix now.
Pre-listing inspection
$450 – $700Optional. It removes the biggest source of mid-deal renegotiation, and in North Carolina you have to complete a Residential Property Disclosure Statement either way.
Start to finish
What selling actually involves
- 1
1 visit
A walk-through and an honest number
We come and look at the actual house, not the tax record. Then we show you the comparables we used and how we got to the number, including the ones that argue against us.
Worth knowing Overpricing costs more than money. The first two weeks carry the most traffic a listing will ever get, and a price correction later never recovers that attention.
- 2
1–3 weeks
Prepare — the cheap work first
Almost none of it is a renovation. It is paint, light, decluttering, and fixing the three things a buyer will notice in the first eight seconds.
Worth knowing A pre-listing inspection is optional but it removes the biggest source of mid-deal renegotiation. In North Carolina you must complete a Residential Property Disclosure Statement either way.
- 3
3–5 days
Photography and launch
Professional photos, a floor plan, and a listing description that describes the house rather than shouting about it. We go live on a Thursday, because that is when the weekend gets planned.
Worth knowing Your listing syndicates from the local MLS to the portals through IDX. What buyers see on those sites comes from the MLS entry, so its accuracy is the whole game.
- 4
1–3 weeks
Showings and the first weekend
You will need to leave the house at inconvenient times, and it will be worth it. We will send you feedback after every showing, including the unflattering kind.
Worth knowing Days on market is the number every buyer’s agent looks at first. It is the reason the launch price matters more than the list price you would like.
- 5
Days
Offers, and reading them properly
The highest number is not always the best offer. We will lay them side by side — financing, due diligence fee, closing date, what they are asking you to pay.
Worth knowing A cash offer removes appraisal and financing risk. A conventional offer with 25% down and a large due diligence fee is often just as reliable and frequently pays more.
- 6
2–4 weeks
Their due diligence, your patience
They will inspect, and they will come back with a list. Some of it is fair, some of it is a negotiation. We will tell you which is which.
Worth knowing Seller concessions — money credited toward the buyer’s closing costs — often close a gap more cheaply than a price reduction, because they cost you less than the number suggests.
- 7
One morning
Closing, and the keys
You sign, the attorney records, the money moves. Bring the garage remotes, the appliance manuals and the name of whoever services the HVAC — new owners always want that one.
Worth knowing Your proceeds are the sale price less the payoff, prorated taxes, attorney fees, any concessions, and commission. Ask us for a net sheet early so there are no surprises on the day.
Who prices your house
Marcus Whitfield
Broker · sellers and North Raleigh · lives in North Hills, Raleigh
Marcus spent eleven years as a residential appraiser before he got his broker licence, which is why his listing presentations are mostly numbers and why he will tell you when your house is not worth what the internet says. He lives in a 1961 ranch he has been slowly un-renovating.
Asked constantly
Six questions from sellers
How do you decide on a price?
We look at what actually sold nearby in the last ninety days, adjust for condition, size, lot and finish level, and then show you the whole comparison — including the comparables that argue for a lower number. If we cannot show you the arithmetic, we have not done it properly.
Should I renovate the kitchen before selling?
Almost never. A full kitchen renovation rarely returns what it costs when you are about to leave, and it delays the listing by months. Paint, hardware, lighting and decluttering return far more per dollar. The exception is a kitchen so dated it makes the whole house unfinanceable, which is a different conversation.
What is a net sheet?
A line-by-line estimate of what you actually walk away with: sale price, less the mortgage payoff, prorated property tax, attorney fees, any agreed concessions, and commission. Ask for one before you list, not after you accept an offer. We produce it as a matter of course.
Is the highest offer the best offer?
Frequently not. A slightly lower offer with a large due diligence fee, a strong lender, 25% down and a closing date that suits you can be worth more than a higher number that is fragile on financing or asks you to move out in two weeks. We lay them side by side with the risks named.
What are seller concessions and should I offer them?
A credit toward the buyer’s closing costs. They often close a gap more cheaply than a price reduction, because the buyer values the cash at closing more than the equivalent shaved off the price. Whether to offer one up front depends on your price band and how the first two weeks go.
How long will it take?
Across the homes on our board that have sold, the average was 11 days on market before going under contract, then a further three to five weeks to close. Preparation is the part with the widest range — a week if the house is ready, six if it is not.
Sold, then bought
Someone who did both
Britta and PaulDownsizing · sold a four-bedroom first“She talked us out of the first condo we loved, and she was right.” North Hills 9 weeks 5 homes seenRead the whole storyCloseWe had been in the same house for twenty-six years and the stairs had stopped being a joke. Rosalind sold that house in eleven days and then spent two months helping us work out what we actually wanted next. She talked us out of the first condo we loved because the reserve study was thin and the building had a roof coming due, and she was right — the assessment landed the following spring. The one we bought has an elevator, no stairs at all, and a fee that covers things we used to do ourselves.
Worked with Rosalind Alvarez · Broker · downsizing and relocation