1Decide if you want an agent
You're done when: You have made a clear call: with an agent, and you know who, or without one.
This is the big fork in the road. A listing agent handles pricing, marketing, photography, negotiation, and coordination, and takes a commission for it. Going it alone means you handle those pieces and keep the commission. Both roads close homes every day.
How to do it
- Write down what an agent would do for you: pricing and comps, photos, the MLS listing, marketing, scheduling showings, negotiating offers, dealing with the buyer's agent, and tracking every deadline.
- Ask friends and neighbours who recently sold, and look at agents' actual sold listings in your neighborhood over the last 6 to 12 months.
- If you want one, interview two or three. Ask how many homes they have sold near you in the past year, what their marketing plan is, what their commission covers, and how often you will hear from them.
- Ask how they are handling buyer-agent commissions since the NAR settlement.
- Read the listing agreement before signing: the length, what happens if you want out, and any exclusions.
Worth knowing
- Commission is negotiable. Five to six per cent was the historical standard, but different splits are common now.
- Since the NAR settlement you are not required to offer a buyer-agent commission. You can, but you do not have to.
- About 60% of sellers who go without an agent already know their buyer - a friend, neighbor, or relative (NAR 2025).
- If you sign with an agent you can usually still bring your own buyer, called a carve-out, but the terms matter.
- You can start without an agent and change your mind later.
- What it costs
- Free to decide. Commission has historically run 5-6% of the sale price, and is negotiable
- Where to check
- The signed listing agreement, if you use an agent
2Find out who runs closings here
You're done when: You know whether to line up a title company, an attorney, or both.
In about a dozen states a real estate attorney is legally required to conduct or supervise the closing. Everywhere else a title or escrow company handles it. Knowing which camp your state falls into tells you who to call.
How to do it
- Search "does [your state] require an attorney for real estate closings".
- If your state needs an attorney, that is your primary closing pro. Go to the legal-review step.
- If your state uses title or escrow companies, that is your primary closing pro. Go to the title-company step.
- A few states let a title company handle the documents but require an attorney at the table. Confirm how it works in your county.
Worth knowing
- Indiana, Texas, Florida, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Washington are title and escrow states.
- New York, Georgia, South Carolina, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Connecticut, Delaware, West Virginia, and Alabama are among the attorney states.
- A local title company can tell you how it works in your county in about thirty seconds.
- What it costs
- Free
- Where to check
- A local title company or your state's real estate commission
You're done when: You have picked a title company, or you know you will let the buyer pick.
Your title company runs the title search, holds escrow, preps the documents, and moves the actual money at closing. They drive the last phase of the sale. In most states either side can pick, and it is often negotiable per deal.
How to do it
- Decide which of three routes you want: pick your own now, let the buyer pick, or decide when an offer arrives.
- If you are picking your own, search for local title companies and ask anyone who recently sold for a recommendation.
- Call two or three and ask what their seller-side fees are, how long they typically take from contract to close, and whether they will answer questions before you are under contract.
- Ask for a written fee estimate. Rates vary between companies.
- Pick one you feel good working with. You will be in regular contact for 30 to 60 days.
Worth knowing
- Who picks the title company often goes straight into the purchase agreement. You can propose it.
- Title companies are generally happy to answer questions before you have a contract.
- If your state requires an attorney, the attorney's office usually does what a title company would do elsewhere.
- What it costs
- No cost to choose. Seller-side title and escrow fees are typically several hundred to a couple of thousand dollars, and vary widely by state
- Where to check
- A written fee estimate from the company
You're done when: You have an attorney's name and number, or you have confirmed you do not need one.
In attorney states this one is required. Anywhere else it is optional, but having a real estate attorney on call is useful when a contract question comes up and you do not have an agent to ask.
How to do it
- Ask your title company for a referral, or search for real estate attorneys in your city. Title companies work with local attorneys constantly.
- Call one or two. Ask about their experience with sales like yours, what they charge to review a purchase agreement, and whether they offer a flat fee.
- Some sellers book an attorney before an offer arrives, so the attorney already knows the file when a question comes up.
- When an offer arrives, send them the draft purchase agreement.
- Loop them in on anything that feels off: earnest-money disputes, unusual contingencies, complex disclosures, or estate, divorce, and lien issues.
Worth knowing
- An hour of a real estate attorney's time usually runs $150 to $500.
- In estate, probate, divorce, foreign-seller, or unusual-title situations, most sellers bring in an attorney.
- A flat-fee contract review is a common arrangement and is worth asking about by name.
- What it costs
- $150-500 an hour, or a flat fee for a contract review
- Where to check
- Your state bar's directory for license status
5Decide about a tax person
You're done when: You have booked a call with a tax pro, read the IRS guidance, or decided it does not apply to you.
For most sellers, home-sale taxes are straightforward. If you have owned and lived in the home for at least two of the last five years, you can generally exclude up to $250,000 of gain from federal tax, or $500,000 filing jointly. A tax pro helps you work out whether your situation needs a plan.
How to do it
- Check the situations where sellers usually consult a pro: a gain likely above the exclusion, a home that was ever a rental, a 1031 exchange, a foreign seller, or a sale tied to divorce, estate, or inheritance.
- Read IRS Publication 523, which is a plain-English guide to home-sale taxes and covers the common cases.
- If your situation is on that list, call a CPA or tax attorney.
- Gather your improvement receipts from your time in the home either way.
Worth knowing
- Improvement receipts raise your cost basis and can reduce taxable gain. Worth keeping no matter what.
- Depreciation recapture applies if the home was ever a rental.
- Some tax moves have to happen before closing, so earlier is better than later.
- This is not tax advice. A CPA or tax attorney is the person who can look at your actual numbers.
- What it costs
- Free to read IRS Publication 523. A CPA consultation typically runs $150-400
- Where to check
- IRS Publication 523, or a CPA
6See what help buyers can get
You're done when: You have a short list of local programs you could mention in your listing.
Lots of states and counties run down-payment assistance programs, first-time-buyer discounts, and preferred-lender deals. If your home fits their price range or neighborhood, saying so in your listing widens your buyer pool.
How to do it
- Search "[your state] down payment assistance" and "[your county] first time home buyer program". Most state housing agencies have a page for this.
- Note the price caps and the eligibility rules: income limits, occupancy requirements, first-time-buyer status.
- Search for any local bank or credit union offering preferred rates in your county.
- Write down what you find. You can mention it in your listing description and when buyers ask about financing.
Worth knowing
- Mortgage lenders your buyers work with usually know these programs cold, and buyers may raise them first.
- Price caps are the detail that matters most - a program your home is priced out of is not worth mentioning.
- Free to look up.
- What it costs
- Free
- Where to check
- Your state housing agency's own program page
