Sell with Leng

If you’re looking to sell a home with me, here’s my process!

I’m going to assume you want to sell your home.

But you should know what the numbers look like before you decide to start doing anything.

Step 1.1: Sales Data

Before listing our home, we should know what similar homes in the area have sold for, so we have a rough idea of what our home should sell for.

If similar homes have recently sold for only $500,000, it’s a bit hard to sell ours for $1 million.

What does “similar homes” mean in this scenario?

A difference is home square footage of 10% or less.
- So if it’s 3000 square feet, we try to focus on sales of homes 2700 to 3300 square feet.
Homes that sold in the past 6 months. Preferably 3 months. The more recent, the more weight.
Homes in the same neighborhood or subdivision. Within 1 mile of our home if data is lacking.
Similar or exact number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and garage spaces.
Same style of property. Single Family Home vs Condominium vs Townhome etc.
Exact number of floors. 1 story vs 2 story vs 3 story etc.
Built within 1 year of our property. So if it’s a 1990 home, then we go for homes built between 1989 and 1991.
If our home has a pool or not, we try to look at homes that match as well.
Similar condition. If our home is upgraded, or needs a lot of work, we try to look for data of a similar condition.
Similar sale type. Traditional Sale vs Short Sale vs Foreclosure vs Probate vs Auction etc.

What else do we look at before determining our estimated sale price?

For the similar homes we’re looking at, we also look at:
- How fast did it sell? If it sat on the market for a while after being priced high for too long, it may sell for less than average since buyers tend to lowball homes that sit for longer than 30 days.
- What kind of financing did the buyer use? Cash purchases are often a little cheaper.
- Where is the home positioned? Is it on a corner? Cul-de-sac? Golf course view? Top floor penthouse? These factors matter and should be compared.
We also look at market trends. Is it going down? Up? Steady?

After all this research, we can figure out a likely estimated sales price or range.

Step 1.2: Estimated Profit / Net Sheet

Once we get an estimated sales price, we can see how much profit you might make by selling.

Here are the numbers we need to calculate our estimated profits

Estimated sales price
Estimated commission
- On average, I see commission ranging from 2% to 3% for each agent.
- So around 4 to 6% total, but it’s negotiable.
Estimated closing costs. Average is 1% total and includes:
- Transfer Taxes (0.51% of the purchase price)
- Owner’s Title Policy (usually $1-3,000 and adjusts based on the price.)
- Escrow Fees (usually $400+ per side and adjusts based on price.)
- HOA paperwork order fees (usually $250-400 depending on the HOA, if any)
- Document recording fees (usually less than $100)
- Signing fees (usually less than $100, more if you have the notary person drive somewhere outside the title company office)
Current existing loan to payoff
- If you have no loan on the property, great!
- But the title company / escrow company will coordinate to pay this debt off when you sell the home.

Here’s an example:

Sales Price: $500,000
Commissions: 5% or $25,000
Closing costs: 1% or $5,000
Existing Loan: $350,000
Total Fees and Payoff Amounts: $380,000
Total Estimated profit: $120,000

If the numbers work for you, we can move on to the paperwork.

Next, we have some paperwork to sign!

Step 2.1: Duties Owed

This form basically says that as a real estate agent, I have certain duties to the public.

Honesty, integrity, professionalism, etc.

And it also says I have extra duties to whoever my clients are. Including:

Keeping their information confidential
Using reasonable skill and care to carry out my duties to the client
Advise the client to seek expert advice when it’s outside my scope

I’m required to have you sign these before you start signing other paperwork, because you should be informed of what’s legally required of me as a real estate agent.

Step 2.2: Listing Agreement

This form spells out the terms of our agreement.

It goes over things like:

The price you want to list at
When you want to start listing the home for sale
When the listing ends if you choose not to extend it
The commissions
What you want to include in the sale
What you want to exclude from the sale
What happens in different scenarios
Any other terms we agree to add in
How to cancel (I make it easy. Just text or e-mail me haha)

After we sign this, we can start preparing the home for showings and advertising.

So if we have a good home and it’s priced fairly, the next step is to get the right people to come look at the home.

I am a practitioner of both thoroughness and transparency.

If a home has some negative features, I will try to disclose that up front.

But if it has positive features, I want to showcase every single one of those as well.

Step 3.1: Show off the space

So we need to show off the space.

This means we try not to distract too much from the physical space that the home offers.

If there’s too much stuff, we can’t see the floor or walls or any other features.

So first, we declutter.

What is decluttering?

Decluttering to me is removing anything that makes the home look smaller or makes the home look uglier.
This can be too many knick knacks, giant plants or decorative items, toys all over the ground, etc.
If the item blocks too much floor or makes it hard to relax or walk through the space, I try to remove it.

Next, we stage the space.

What is staging?

Staging is adding or arranging the furniture and decorative items to give the viewers an idea of how the space looks when it’s furnished.
When we walk through an empty space, we often imagine our furniture bigger than it actually is.
Adding furniture and positioning it well can help the buyer imagine living in the home in a realistic way.
If you don’t have furniture there or don’t want to pay for staging, that’s okay.
But if there’s furniture available or this is an expensive home, staging may be worth it.

Next, we depersonalize if necessary.

What is depersonalizing?

This means removing anything that can trigger the buyer to remember that this is definitely someone else’s home.
So we remove personal photos, name plaques, etc from the space and put it away in boxes somewhere.
Why depersonalize? You might say, “This is my home! People live here!”
- Exactly. Our goal is to let the buyer imagine that this could be their home.
- We want them to stay as long as possible and fantasize about their future here.
- So if they’re sitting on the couch chatting for 20-30 minutes, and one of them walks around and notices your family vacation photo, it shatters that illusion. They’ll quickly remember they’re guests in someone else’s home, and rush to go to the next home. We don’t want that.
We should also make sure the home is clean and smells decent. Nothing too strong. No smell is better than a smell that turns people off. Even if the smell is a nice candle that you like.

Lastly, I take thorough photos and add labels when necessary to have the buyers familiarize themselves with the floorplan and details of the home.

If I take a photo of an open space with lots of doors or pathways, I add labels to show what goes where.
I take close up photos of details such as the flooring, cabinetry, and counters.
If it’s not clear what something is, I label the location as well.

Why so many labels on the photos?

People don’t really read descriptions until they’ve fallen in love with the home’s photos.
So I insert as much useful information as possible in the photos.
I often hit the limit on photos for MLS (The Realtor Multiple Listing Service), which is 99 photos at this time in April 2026. I often shoot 150-200 different photos per home and do my best to narrow it down to the 99 most important photos.
I want the buyers to have a very clear idea of what the space feels like and what the details are.
This ensures they do not skip the property if it’s a good fit for them.
It also ensures we don’t get the wrong client coming to the home and giving us false hope.

Step 3.2: Make them stay as long as possible

After the space is set up to make it easy for the buyer to imagine their life there, we want them to stay as long as possible.

Why?

The longer they stay, the more they imagine their furniture and their life in this space.

The longer they stay, the more comfortable they get.

And the more comfortable they get, the more it feels like their home.

Selling a home to a buyer is deeply psychological.

We need to have a practical match, of course.

But, people often make decisions emotionally, and justify them logically.

So how do I get them to stay as long as possible?

First, we give them space.

We don’t hover around and try to sell them on every upgrade we’ve done or the stories of how we got this souvenir in Paris in 1995.
Neither the agent or the seller should hover or act like a used car salesman.

Second, we minimize time constraints:

If you live there, when they schedule appointments, we try to give them at least an hour to be safe.
If you rush back in 15 to 30 minutes, they won’t get to immerse themselves.
And if they’re running 10 minutes late, they’ll feel even more stressed when they arrive.
We don’t want them stressed.
Relaxed home buyers make more offers.

Third, we do our best to make sure there’s no other reason they should leave early. How?

Remove the need to find a bathroom.
- I make sure there’s plenty of toilet paper, hand soap, towels, etc.
Remove the need to find food or drinks.
- I make sure that there are plenty of different snacks and drinks for our buyers.
- I try to make sure there are options for everyone. Sweet. Savory. Vegan. Healthy. Unhealthy. Nuts. Protein. Etc.
- For drinks, I try to include water, Starbucks coffee, Unsweetened Tea, Sparkling water, Coke, Diet Coke, etc.

The following photos are for a listing I had in Spanish Trail. It was a 1 story and we were targeting retirees. So I tailored the snacks for senior citizens. 😂

After all these preparations, we can make the listing go live online!

Step 4.1: Going live

When we’re ready to list the home for sale online, I’ll input all the necessary data and upload the photos.

I’ll also include:

HOA fees
Measurements
A description that shows off the home’s features

The listing will automatically be shared to the Realtor Multiple Listing Service, Zillow, Redfin, etc.

Any buyers that are on an auto-search with their Realtor will get an e-mail if our property matches their criteria.

I’ll also need one of your house keys and will put an electronic lockbox on the property.

The electronic lockbox holds a key
I can attach it to a door handle, gas meter, or railing.
This lockbox requires an app and Realtor credentials to access.
Each time a Realtor opens the box, I receive their contact information and a time stamp.

Finally, I make sure the home has the following before we go live:

Signs that tell the Realtor to turn off the lights before leaving, if we want them to.
Shoe covers / booties and a sign asking the buyers to remove their shoes or use the shoe covers.
- When buyers are required to remove their shoes, they are being asked to respect the home.
- And as long as we’ve kept it well maintained, the buyers subconsciously recognize that the seller must also take care of their home. It maintains a consistent narrative.
A sign that tell the buyers to enjoy the snacks and drink.
Printed brochures with photos of our home and the major features that we want to highlight.

Step 4.2: Scheduling showings

If you live there and a buyer wants to schedule a showing, their Realtor should reach out first to schedule an appointment with you.

If you live there, I recommend not cooking anything beforehand that would leave a strong smell during the showing.

It also helps if you turn on the lights and let light into the home to show off the space.

Lastly, please leave the home at least 10 minutes before their expected showing time, just in case they come early.

If they catch you going out, they put a face to the seller and it can distract from the house itself.

We want them to be completely immersed in the idea that they could be moving in here soon.

If you don’t live there, I can let them view anytime.

Step 5.1: Receiving offers

When offers come in, they’ll be sent via e-mail to me.

They’ll also include one of the following to show they can pay for the home:

A preapproval letter from a lender
Or a financial statement showing they have enough cash

I will review the terms including:

Price
Fees (and who pays what)
Timelines
Contingencies
Any other items written in the offer

After getting an accounting of the terms, I can estimate your net proceeds and we can discuss where to go from there.

Step 5.2: Responding to Offers

What happens if I don’t like the offer?

You can send a counter offer.
You can also just reject the offer.

I’ll help you negotiate any of the terms.

What if we get multiple offers?

That’s ideal. If this happens, we can send out a “multiple counter offer”

When we send out a multiple counter offer, we can either:

Send unique counter terms to each buyer
Send the same counter terms to all buyers
Or ask all the buyers to send their “highest and best” offer by a certain deadline.

In each case, none of the offers are considered “accepted” until you as the seller make a final decision based on the responses of each buyer.

What happens if I like an offer?
You can choose to accept an offer as-is if you’re happy with the terms.

How do I sign offers and counter-offers?
In most cases, I will send you an e-mail to sign the responses electronically.
If you prefer signing papers in person, that can be arranged.

Step 6.1: Starting Escrow

After accepting an offer, we “start escrow.”

Starting escrow means we work with a neutral third party company called a Title Company that helps us sell the home properly.

What does a Title Company do for us?

They will handle the money and make sure everyone does what they’re supposed to do.
They make sure the seller is actually the current owner. This makes sure the buyers are at ease.
And they make sure everything the seller owes is paid off at the end.
They also collect all the money required from the buyer according to our offer.

At the beginning of escrow, they also collect an “earnest money deposit” from the buyer. This money is collected so if the buyer takes too long to cancel and wastes the seller’s time, the money is forfeited to the seller.

If they cancel within a “contingency”, they get a refund of the earnest money deposit.

I’ll go over those scenarios in FAQ below.

Seller information

At the beginning of escrow, the title company will ask for some information from the seller.

They’ll ask for contact information, social security numbers, and current loan information.
They’ll need the social security information to report the sale to the IRS.
They’ll need the loan information so they know who and how much to pay off.
I’ll connect you to the title company for this communication.

Step 6.2: HOA documents

If you have no HOA, skip this section.

If you have an HOA (Homeowner Association), this is important.

When you own a home in a HOA, they have control over certain aspects of the property

When you sell the home, the buyer has to follow the same rules.

So the buyer needs an opportunity to review the current rules before completing the sale.

The title company can help us get a copy of the updated rules.
It usually costs around $300 to get the documents for each HOA.
Some homes have a master plan community and a smaller HOA inside that community.
Usually the seller pays for these fees, but it’s a negotiable term in every offer.

There are 2 types of documents we need from the HOA.

The first is called an HOA demand.

An HOA demand is basically a current statement of what the seller owes, and what the recurring fees are.
If the seller owes money, it will need to be paid off from the sale money.
The title company will coordinate that.

The second document is called an HOA resale package.

A resale package is basically a set of all the current rules, bylaws, and budget.
It’s often a few hundred pages.
These documents are usually e-mailed to us within 10 days of ordering them.

Then they’re forwarded to the buyer.

The buyer has 5 days after receipt to cancel and receive a refund of their Earnest Money Deposit.

Step 6.3: Inspection & Repair Requests

At the beginning of escrow the buyer usually hires an inspector to inspect the home as well.

What can an inspector do?

The inspector is not allowed to rip open walls or otherwise damage the home in the process of inspecting it.
If something is not plugged in, they usually don’t plug it in as well.
Just in case an appliances would leak or create damage if they plugged it in, they don’t want to be liable for creating issues.

How should I prepare for an inspection?

When the inspector is scheduled to visit, I recommend leaving the home.
If you want the inspector to check something works so the buyer is at ease, make sure to plug it in before leaving the home.
If you have pets or children that roam the home, please cage or take them with you. Don’t cage the child. That’s a joke 😂

What happens next?

Inspectors are licensed and insured. They usually have the same lockbox access as Realtors as well.
So we don’t usually need to open the door for them.
They will usually take 2 hours or so to inspect the home.
Often a buyer will visit the home with their agent after the inspector has completed their inspection.
The inspector will often give a summary of their findings to the buyer.
It’s important to allow both of them privacy during this time.

What if I want to follow the inspector around?

If you’re following the inspector around and arguing with them or overexplaining things that they find, they’ll get annoyed.
If you start arguing with the inspector in front of the buyer, you also end up scaring the buyer.
The buyer will see you as someone who doesn’t take care of the property and doesn’t take accountability.
This can cause them to cancel for a full refund of their deposit before even considering asking for repairs or moving forward.

After their inspection, the inspector should get a pdf with photos and details by the next morning. The buyer and their Real Estate agent will usually discuss and send a formal request for repairs if they deem it necessary.

How do I respond to this request?

If a repair request comes in, it’s usually accompanied by the inspection report as a pdf.

When buyers send a repair request, there are usually 3 types of requests.

Type 1: The bare minimum

If they send a very short list of only important safety issues, such as repairing active leaks, broken roof tiles, or inoperable major HVAc systems, they’re usually very reasonable.

I recommend agreeing to repair everything or providing a credit. I say this because almost every buyer will ask for these items. If they cancel and we wait for another offer, that buyer will ask for these things as well.

It’s not worth losing the sale unless we have a much stronger backup offer.

Type 2: Some little extras

If they send a longer list of the important items above as well as a lot of little cosmetic fixes, this requires a little more nuance.

I would usually recommend agreeing to repair or provide a credit for the items that everyone would ask for, since we can’t avoid.

For the smaller cosmetic items, I can get a quote for those items.

If it’s not too expensive and you just want a quick and easy close, then I would recommend repairing those or providing a credit. If we feel like they’re just fishing for free stuff, but they really want the home, we can decline addressing the small cosmetic items.

Type 3: They ask for everything and want a brand new home.

If they’re this type of buyer or if the buyer’s agent is inexperienced, this will take even more nuance.

First, I only recommend addressing every little thing if the offer is extremely high or you’re in a desperate situation and just want to sell and get it over with.

If you’re not trying to hold on to this offer for dear life, as the agent, I would double check the experience of the buyer’s agent.

If they’re new, I’ll explain to them:

This is not a brand new home and there will be wear and tear.
If they take this approach for every purchase, they will be rejected often and their buyers will likely get unfavorable responses.

If the agent is not new and the buyer is either fishing for free repairs or free money, then I’d recommend only agreeing to the super important repairs.

We do not negotiate with terrorists.

Step 6.4: Appraisal

An appraisal is a report written by a Licensed Real Estate Appraiser.

They review recent sales data, as well as visit the home to verify basic safety and functions.

Usually, the buyer’s lender will receive an appraisal report if it’s not a cash offer.

If the appraisal report comes back “at value” or higher, it means the bank would lend money for this purchase at the price we’ve agreed upon.

If the appraiser has “conditions”, it means they found some items that need addressing.

We usually should fix these because most lenders will need these things fixed.
If you want to wait for a lower cash offer, then you can ignore this and the purchase would be cancelled and the buyer would receive a refund of their deposit.

If the appraisal value comes back “low”, it means the bank will only lend up to a certain amount to purchase this home.

What can I do if it comes back “low”?

You can try to fight the appraisal value by providing sales data the appraiser might have missed.

What if the appraisal value is solid, but still low?

You can either:

Do nothing
Negotiate the price and terms with the buyer
Or, adjust the price to match the appraisal value

Option 1: Do Nothing

If you will not budge on the price, the buyer can choose to pay the difference out of pocket or cancel.

So if the purchase price is $100,000, and the appraisal value is $90,000, the buyer would need to pay an extra $10,000 on top of their down payment.

If you choose to not budge on the price, make sure you’re willing to wait for a cash buyer or someone using a different financing type.

If the buyer is really in love with the home and has extra money, they might be okay with it. Otherwise, many buyers will cancel.

Option 2: Negotiate the price and terms

If the buyer is comfortable paying above the appraisal value but not our original price, we can try to negotiate a price in the middle somewhere.

Option 3: Adjust the price to match the appraisal value

If the buyer is not willing or able to pay above appraisal value, and you just want a fast and smooth sale, you should drop the price to match the appraisal value.

Step 7.1: Moving things out

We’re in the home stretch now.

It’s important to make sure the home is ready for the buyer.

How clean does the home need to be?

The home should be “sweep clean.”
It doesn’t need to be professionally cleaned, but it shouldn’t need more than a sweep or mop. There shouldn’t be trash everywhere.

What about keys?

Please leave the keys on the kitchen counter or in a drawer.
This includes the front door key, bedroom keys, garage remotes, gate remotes, etc.
Afterwards, please send a photo of the keys to me.
You can also leave a piece of paper with notes indicating what each key is for.

What about utilities?

A few days before the close of escrow or completion of the sale, you can schedule these utilities to be out of your name after the close of escrow date.

You should take the following out of your name:

Power (NV Energy)
Gas (Southwest Gas)
Water (Las Vegas Valley Water District)
Trash (Republic Services)

I have a link to the utilities here: Utilities

After scheduling the utilities out of your name, please let me know 🙂

Step 7.2: Signing

Before we finish the sale, the title company needs to make sure the real seller comes in and okays everything.

So I’ll schedule an appointment with the title company for you, the seller, to come in and sign.

You’ll need to bring your ID, and preferably, a smile 🙂

What if I’m not in town?

If you’re not available to visit the title company in person, we can try to arrange a signing appointment wherever you are.
A notary (signing agent) will come to meet you and bring copies of the paperwork.
This service usually costs around $200-300 but may vary based on location and number of signatures.

What am I signing?

During a closing signing, you’ll be reviewing and signing documents such as:

A grant deed / warranty deed – which transfers ownership from the seller to the buyer
A settlement statement – which breaks down all the financials. What money is coming in, and where it’s going.
Mortgage payoff statement – this allows the title company to use the money from the sale to pay off your existing mortgage
1099-S Tax Form – this form tells the IRS about the sale (I know, but we gotta)
A form that asks how you’d like to be paid. Pick up a check, have it mailed, or have it wired to you. Wire is usually easiest.
A form that asks how you want to receive all the finalized paperwork. It can be mailed or picked up. I can also pick it up for you if you’re busy.

There may be a few other documents, but these are the most common.

Whoever is facilitating the signing will help answer questions if you have any.

If I’m available, I should be there as well.

After this signing, you’ve likely done everything on your part to complete the sale.

When do I get my money?

If the buyer has signed all their paperwork, and their down payment and loan money comes in, then the title company will send the paperwork to Clark County for recording title.

Recording Title means to officially give the buyer ownership.

Once Clark County confirms they’ve changed the official ownership, we are officially “closed.”

Then the title company will send you your money in whichever way you asked for during your signing.

You’ll also receive your closing package.

After you receive your money and paperwork, you’re pretty much done!

Congratulations!! You’ve sold your home!

After you sell your home, if you were happy with your experience, please write a quick 2-3 sentence review on Zillow!

Link here: https://www.zillow.com/profile/lengsellsrealestate

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How long does the selling process take?

It varies depending on the market. But if we price well and market thoroughly, on average it takes around 30-60 days to find a buyer. Then we go into “escrow” which takes about 30 days on average to complete the sale.

What do I need to do before our first appointment?

It helps if you make an inventory of the issues in the home that you’re aware of.

Anything that’s broken or you’re concerned might scare away potential buyers.

How do we decide the actual listing price?

I provide you with market data, and recommend a price to attract buyers.

But in the end, you get to decide the price.

If I believe it’s a bit too unrealistic to try and sell it at that price, we can either agree to drop it x amount per week that we don’t get a fair offer (based on sales data), or we can decide you shouldn’t list the home with me.

What happens if my home does not sell quickly?

If it’s fairly priced, and buyers are visiting and giving good feedback, I would recommend waiting.

If you’re priced high, or we’re getting no offers or only low offers and complaints, we should likely drop the price.

How often will you update me?

For each seller, it’s different.

Some sellers only want an update when there’s a question or when an important decision needs to be made.

Some sellers want an update for every showing.

Some sellers want regular feedback.

I can work with what fits your style.

What exactly do you do for marketing besides MLS, Zillow, and Redfin?

I also market the home on Instagram and Facebook to get more eyeballs and feedback.

If the home is not selling, this may not attract the right buyer, but it will give us data on what we can improve on so we sell the home faster.

Because real estate is subject to Fair Housing Law, it’s tricky to try and target people in a certain demographic. I can’t filter based on age, ethnicity, income, etc, so advertising a home online is similar to posting it on a billboard. Yes, people may see it. But a lot of them will not be our target market.

Do I need to make repairs before listing?

I only recommend repairing things that everyone would like repaired, as well as anything an inspector would easily find and critique.

Any known issues with major systems like heating, air conditioning, electrical, and plumbing should be addressed before listing.

You might not need to completely remodel the home, but a little touch up paint or freshening up doesn’t hurt.

What costs might I pay before closing?

If your home is in an HOA, you’ll need to pay the fees for the HOA demand and resale package at some point. Usually $200-300 per HOA and master plan.

If you sell to a VA buyer, you’ll need to cover a termite inspection at some point. Usually around $75.

What happens if the buyer cancels?

If the buyer cancels using a qualified contingency, they will receive a refund of their deposit.

What are those qualified contingencies?

Due Diligence Period – they can cancel for any reason, often the first 7-10 days of escrow, but the time frame is negotiable

Appraisal Contingency – They can cancel if the appraisal is too low and we don’t adjust the price – usually within the first 15-25 days depending on our agreement.

HOA resale package contingency – They can cancel if they don’t agree with the HOA rules within 5 days of receiving the documents.

Loan Contingency – They can cancel if they tried their best and didn’t qualify for the loan in the time period we agreed on. Usually the first 25-30 days.

Walkthrough Inspection – Before we close, if the home is significantly different from what was promised during escrow and negotiations. Like if the home burns down or gets hit with a big plumbing leak, we can’t just force them to buy it as is.

If a buyer just willy-nilly randomly cancels outside of these situations, then you will most likely keep their earnest deposit. Usually $3000-10,000.

And we would put the home back on the market.

What should I disclose about my home?

If it’s a small cosmetic issue, there should be no need to disclose it.

But anything functional or significant should be disclosed.

If they find an issue after closing and can prove that the seller knowingly hid the issue, the seller can be held liable.

How much do you charge?

For selling a home with new clients and strangers,

I charge 3% of the selling price.
For friends, followers, and previous clients, I charge 2.5%.

Fees are paid from the sales proceeds.

I do not charge up front.

If you’d like to pay extra for specific ads, you have that option. Otherwise, I have my system.

The buyer agent fee is negotiable and will change on a case-by-case basis.