Planning on selling? Your agent needs to price it properly, market it effectively and negotiate it aggressively!
If you want to see why our seller clients choose us, then you’re in the right place.
In our combined 30+ years working in real estate, we’ve learned a lot about what to do – and what not to do!
Below you’ll find the process we follow for our sale listings, and underneath that, you’ll find links to the articles we’ve written on the various aspects of selling real estate.
Let’s get into it!
Our process
The Refined Seller Checklist
We follow a detailed, evolving process to make sure our clients sell their homes in the shortest amount of time, for the most amount of money, and with the least amount of stress. Here’s how that looks.
01 Property Review Understand the home, the seller’s goals, and the likely buyer pool.
- Review property type
- Review neighbourhood
- Review lot, layout, and condition
- Review recent comparable sales
- Review current competition
- Identify likely buyer objections
- Discuss timing and seller goals
- Decide whether preparation work is needed
02 Pricing Strategy Build the pricing plan before the property goes public.
- Review comparable sold properties
- Review active listings
- Review expired or unsold competition
- Consider days on market
- Review buyer demand
- Discuss market direction
- Consider offer-date strategy
- Choose the listing price
03 Paperwork Make sure the legal and listing documents are accurate.
- Prepare listing agreement
- Review RECO Information Guide
- Complete FINTRAC requirements
- Confirm seller legal names
- Confirm ownership details
- Confirm inclusions and exclusions
- Review schedules and clauses
- Confirm signatures and initials
04 Property Preparation Get the home ready before buyers see it.
- Repairs
- Painting
- Cleaning
- Window cleaning
- Decluttering
- Staging
- Landscaping
- Pre-list inspection, if useful
05 Listing Calendar Coordinate the schedule so the launch does not fall apart.
- Book cleaners and trades
- Book staging
- Book photography
- Book video and floor plans
- Schedule sign installation
- Set MLS launch date
- Plan open houses
- Set offer timing, if applicable
06 Marketing Package Create the materials buyers and agents will actually see.
- Professional photos
- Video or virtual tour
- Floor plans
- Feature sheets
- Social media material
- Agent outreach material
- MLS photo selection
- Photo order and presentation
07 MLS Launch Get the listing live cleanly and accurately.
- Check price and address
- Check taxes and measurements
- Upload photos and floor plans
- Add virtual tour link
- Confirm showing instructions
- Confirm offer instructions
- Check Realtor.ca display
- Send live links to the seller
08 Showing Management Make the home easy to show without making the seller’s life miserable.
- Set showing windows
- Confirm notice requirements
- Set lockbox instructions
- Manage pets, alarms, lights, and access
- Track showing requests
- Handle cancellations
- Manage second showings
- Collect showing feedback
09 Feedback Tracking Read the market instead of guessing.
- Review showing activity
- Review buyer feedback
- Review agent feedback
- Watch new competing listings
- Watch recent sales
- Identify repeated objections
- Separate useful feedback from noise
- Decide whether changes are needed
10 Promotion and Outreach Keep the listing in front of buyers and agents.
- Public open houses
- Agent open houses
- Brokerage promotion
- Email promotion to agents
- Social media promotion
- Direct outreach to active agents
- Follow-up with showing agents
- Weekly seller updates
11 Strategy Adjustments Respond when the market gives an answer.
- Review price strategy
- Update photos, if needed
- Revise MLS remarks
- Improve showing access
- Refresh marketing materials
- Increase agent outreach
- Follow up with previous showings
- Relist, where appropriate
12 Offer Review Look beyond price and understand the full offer.
- Purchase price
- Deposit amount
- Closing date
- Conditions
- Inclusions and exclusions
- Buyer financing risk
- Clauses and deadlines
- Negotiation strategy
13 Conditional Sale Track the deadlines until the deal is firm or falls apart.
- Confirm deposit receipt
- Track financing condition
- Track inspection condition
- Track status certificate review, for condos
- Schedule inspections or appraisals
- Confirm waivers or notices of fulfillment
- Prepare amendments, if needed
- Prepare mutual release, if needed
14 Sold Firm to Closing The sale is firm, but the work is not finished.
- Mark property sold
- Send paperwork to lawyers
- Confirm lawyer details
- Arrange purchaser visits
- Organize keys, fobs, and remotes
- Prepare for vacant possession
- Track closing date
- Confirm closing instructions
15 After Closing Finish the file properly after the property changes hands.
- Confirm the transaction closed
- Confirm funds were received
- Save final documents
- Reconcile expenses
- Send transaction summary
- Update client records
- Follow up after the move
- Keep copies of closing documents
A good sale is not one big task. It is a chain of smaller tasks, and each one affects the next. The goal is to reduce mistakes, manage the stress, and keep the seller informed from the first conversation to closing.
We regularly turn the questions we get from our seller clients, as well as the experiences we have in selling homes, into detailed articles. Below are links to those articles, so browse through them and click on any that catch your interest!
Keep reading
View All Selling Articles
More Articles About Selling
Selling well usually comes down to pricing, timing, preparation, negotiation, and avoiding avoidable mistakes. Here are some more articles that go deeper into those parts of the process.
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