From Prep to Closing:
10 Proven Steps To Get Your Home Sold

A Practical Guide for 2026–2027 Sellers

Selling a home is not just about putting a sign in the yard and waiting for an offer. In the 2026–2027 market, preparation, pricing, presentation, and realistic expectations matter.

Here are 10 practical steps to help you move from “thinking about selling” to SOLD.

1. Hire the Right Local REALTOR®

Start by asking people you trust for a referral to an experienced local REALTOR®. Interview your options and choose someone who understands your neighborhood, current market conditions, and how to manage the entire process—not simply put your home in the MLS. They also need to understand your needs through this process.

Things to verify: What does their service include? Cleaning, staging, inspectors, professional photography, communication plan, etc.

2. Establish Your Timeline and Start Decluttering

If you have a firm deadline for moving, work backward from that date.

Your REALTOR® can help you factor in current average market time, preparation, inspections, marketing, escrow, and your eventual move.

Then start decluttering early. Moving is much easier when you are not making every decision under pressure. In some cases it may serve you to delay long enough to be done with decluttering before professional photos are taken.

3. Consider Pre-MLS Inspections

In California, many sellers choose to complete property and termite inspections before going on the market.

This gives you an opportunity to evaluate repairs before buyers do and decide whether to make improvements or sell with deferred maintenance and be prepared to negotiate these issues. In most cases, pre-MLS repairs boost or bolster up your asking price.

Remember: many buyers strongly prefer a home that feels move-in ready. Deferred maintenance may still be perfectly acceptable, but it should be reflected in your pricing and expectations.

4. Let the Market Help Determine the Price

Your REALTOR® should evaluate three things:

Comparable sales. Current competition. Current market conditions.

Your asking price should be based on what buyers are actually purchasing—not simply what you would like your home to be worth.

Beware of what I call “Castle Syndrome”: the natural tendency to believe our own castle is worth more than everyone else's.

The market gets the final vote.

5. Complete Disclosures and Gather Your Records

Begin your seller disclosures early.

At the same time, collect invoices, receipts, warranties, permits, and documentation for major repairs, remodeling, equipment replacement, or improvements.

Good documentation helps buyers understand how the property has been maintained and can make the transaction smoother later.

6. Make the Home Show-Ready

Presentation matters. Pretend you're having guests over for a dinner party.

If the home is vacant, have it professionally cleaned and strongly consider staging.
Empty rooms often lack definition, and without furnishings, buyers may focus primarily on imperfections.

Your goal is to create an emotional connection.

The home should feel clean, inviting, bright, organized—and yes, it should smell good too. Buyers experience a property with all their senses.

7. Review and Negotiate Offers

When offers arrive, your REALTOR® should help you evaluate much more than price.

Financing, contingencies, closing timelines, credits, buyer qualifications, and other terms can materially affect the strength of an offer.

From there, you can accept, reject, or design a counteroffer that better serves your goals.

8. Prepare for the Buyer's Inspections

Even if you completed pre-listing inspections, buyers will often perform their own.

They may then submit a request for repairs or ask for a financial credit.

This is where sellers should try to remove emotion from the decision.

Ask yourself:

“Would another reasonable buyer probably ask for this too?”

Before rejecting a request—or blowing up an otherwise good transaction—consider the cost, your timeline, and your larger goal of getting the home sold.

9. Be Moved Out Before the Final Walkthrough

If you still live in the home, plan to be substantially or completely moved out by the buyer's final walkthrough. Typically this occurs within the last 5 days of escrow.

Storage units and moving pods can help.

If the property was vacant and staged, arrange for the staging and remaining personal property to be removed before the walkthrough whenever possible.

Buyers should be able to see clearly what they are receiving at closing.

10. Close Escrow and Turn Over the Home

Once the deed records and escrow confirms closing, the sale is complete.

Turn over the keys along with any useful manuals, warranties, remotes, codes, appliance information, pool equipment instructions, or other property-related paperwork.

Then comes the best part:

Congratulations—you sold your home! 🏡

The strongest home sales rarely happen by accident. They are usually the result of good preparation, realistic pricing, strong presentation, professional negotiation, and keeping your larger goals in mind throughout the process.

In today’s more challenging real estate market—one that many newer agents have never experienced—it matters who you hire. You want a veteran REALTOR® who understands how to position, market, negotiate, and sell homes in your neighborhood under changing conditions.

With 27 years of experience, Thomas J. Nelson has shared 10 practical steps to help you prepare your home, avoid common mistakes, and get it successfully sold. If you are considering selling in the next 18 months, feel free to contact him for a pressure-free consultation. "I'll share great info and tips no matter what."
~ Thomas J Nelson [email protected]