The seller process, step by step

A seller's typical timeline

Every sale is different. The dates in the accepted offer and the Purchase and Sale Agreement are the ones that count, and we put each one on the calendar the day you accept.

Before going to market

1. Select your agent

Interview more than one agent. We suggest signing on 60 to 120 days before you plan to list, so prep never has to be rushed. It can move faster when it needs to.

• Massachusetts Mandatory Real Estate Licensee-Consumer Relationship Disclosure. A state form explaining seller agents, buyer agents, dual agents and facilitators. Signing it only says you received it.
• Exclusive Right to Sell Listing Agreement. Our listing agreement with Keller Williams Realty Boston-Metro. It sets the list price, how long it runs, our fee (not set by law, always negotiable), and our policy if a buyer we also represent wants your home. It also asks whether you are open to paying a buyer agent: either a set percentage, or "negotiate at the time of offer." You never have to offer it.
• Wire Fraud Advisory (#519). We will never ask you to wire money by email or text. Confirm any wire by phone with a number you already have.

If dual agency could come up, you will also see the Massachusetts Consent to Dual Agency, and a Notice of Dual Agency if it actually happens on a specific buyer. Nothing happens without your written OK.

2. Retain your attorney

Your attorney usually drafts the Purchase and Sale Agreement and handles your side of closing. You do not usually need them working until you accept an offer, but pick one early so there is no scramble later. If you need names, we can recommend a few.

3. Pricing and strategy

We start with a value range Patrick builds from the sales near you, then walk the home with you. The plan is built to draw as many serious buyers as possible and protect your bottom line: the list price, the launch day, how showings and open houses run, and whether to set an offer deadline. We send a short listing questionnaire, confirm the tax figures, including any residential exemption, and for condos ask you or the management company for the condo documents now, so they are ready for buyers.

Disclosures we prepare for the listing

• Massachusetts Mandatory Residential Home Inspection Disclosure. Signed by every seller and buyer before the first written contract. It confirms you will not accept an offer that depends on the buyer giving up a home inspection, and that the buyer gets a reasonable time after the contract to decide.
• Concrete Foundation Advisory and Disclosure for Sellers (#307). Some Massachusetts concrete foundations have problems linked to pyrrhotite. You note any testing or issues you know of.
• Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification (CLPPP Form 95-17). Required for homes built before 1978. Buyers receive it, and you share any lead inspection, risk assessment or compliance letter you have. Keep these records for at least 3 years.
• Seller's Statement of Property Condition (#700), or a signed Refusal to Prepare and Sign one. Massachusetts does not require most sellers to fill out a condition statement. Whether or not you do, you cannot hide or misstate a known problem. Talk to us and your attorney about the right choice.

4. Staging and styling consult

A walk-through focused on how the home will look to buyers and on camera: what to declutter, which furniture to move or remove, where fresh paint helps, and how to light each room. Some homes need a full stage, many need a few changes.

5. Curb appeal

The outside is the first photo and the first thing buyers see in person. Small fixes, landscaping, and a tidy entry and exterior go a long way.

6. Deep clean

After the prep work is done and before any photos. A professional deep clean shows in the pictures and at the first showing.

7. Professional media

Professional photos, video, floor plans and a 3D tour where it fits. The order matters: staging, then cleaning, then media, so the home is at its best on camera. Once we have the media, we write the listing description around it. We confirm the photo date, order the sign, and set up keys or a lockbox.

8. Go live

We draft your MLS listing, attach the disclosures and, for condos, the condo documents, budget, rules and recent meeting minutes. We add DepositLink details so buyer agents know how deposits are paid. You review the draft before it goes live, and we do a final check with photos and floor plans in place. Then it goes on MLS and the major home search sites, and the marketing rolls out: printed sheets, open house signs and our social channels. We let you know the moment you are live.

If you want to hold back on exposure

• MLS PIN Coming Soon and Deferral of Showings Form. List as Coming Soon, or Active with no showings until a set date.
• MLS PIN Delayed Listing Form. Delay the date the listing enters MLS.
• MLS PIN Non-MLS Listing Form. Keep the home off MLS entirely. You acknowledge the home will not be exposed to the agents who use MLS PIN.

Less exposure usually means fewer buyers and less competition. We explain the trade-off before you choose.

After we go live

9. Showings and open houses

We set showing windows and open houses on purpose, to bunch buyer activity together. After each open house we follow up with buyers. You get showing feedback by end of day Monday and a market update by end of day Thursday, so you always know what buyers are saying and what is selling around you.

If the price or the listing term changes, we put it in writing with the Change to Terms of Listing Agreement.

10. Offer deadline, offer review, and best and final

If interest is strong, we set an offer deadline. We then compare every offer on more than price: financing, contingencies, deposit sizes, inspection window and closing date. When it helps, we ask the strongest buyers for their highest and best terms. The buyer's offer is usually the Contract to Purchase Real Estate #501. It sets the price, deposits, the date to sign the Purchase and Sale Agreement, the closing date, and the buyer's inspection and mortgage contingencies.

• Buyer agent pay. If you agree to pay some or all of the buyer agent's fee, it is written down in the Seller Agreement to Compensate Cooperating Broker Addendum (#310), or between brokers in the Listing Broker to Buyer Broker Compensation Agreement (#311).
• Buyer without an agent. The buyer signs an Unrepresented Buyer Disclosure (#722) confirming we represent you, not them.

11. Accept an offer

Once you sign the offer, it can be binding, and the formal contract phase begins.

• Deposit. We send the buyer agent a DepositLink request and confirm the money clears. The deposit is held in escrow. Then we send the fully signed offer to everyone.
• Other offers. We let the other buyers know promptly.
• Introductions. We connect you, the buyer agent, both attorneys and the buyer's lender, and put every deadline on the calendar. Your listing shows Contingent in MLS.

12. Inspections

We confirm the inspection time works for you, send you what to expect, and arrange access to condo common areas if needed. Afterward we negotiate any requests with you, with your net in mind, then pass the result to your attorney for the P&S.

13. Appraisal and financing

The buyer's lender orders an appraisal. We meet the appraiser, give them access and, when it helps, the recent sales that support your price. We stay close to the buyer's loan process and check in on the commitment ahead of the deadline.

14. Purchase and Sale Agreement

The Purchase and Sale Agreement (P&S) is the full contract, and it locks in the timeline. Your attorney usually drafts it and negotiates with the buyer's attorney. It covers title, the condition of the home at closing, what stays, the inspection agreement, default and the final dates. We check it against the accepted offer before you sign. The buyer usually signs first, then we set it up for you, confirm the second deposit, and send the fully signed P&S to everyone with next steps. Your listing changes to Under Agreement.

The P&S is drafted fresh for each sale, so there is no standard copy in our forms. Ask your attorney about specific wording.

15. Final prep

• Smoke and CO certificate. Every Massachusetts seller needs one from the local fire department before closing. We explain the steps and can schedule it. How to pass it the first time.
• Condo 6(d) certificate from your association, confirming common charges are paid.
• Final water and sewer reading, and oil or propane where it applies. Each town handles this a little differently.
• Title 5 report if the home is on septic. How Title 5 works.
• Touch-ups and move-out. Agreed repairs done, included items left in place, and the home broom clean. We send you a closing checklist, including which utilities to schedule for shutoff or transfer.

Your attorney gets copies of every reading and certificate.

16. Final walkthrough

The buyer checks the home, usually within about a day of closing, to confirm it is in the agreed condition. We confirm what keys, fobs and codes you have and arrange the handoff.

17. Closing day

• Signing. Sellers often sign in advance. Your attorney reviews the settlement figures with you. Our Listing Commission Invoice goes to the attorneys ahead of time so it appears on the settlement statement. No surprises at the table.
• Recording. The buyer's funds arrive, your mortgage is paid off and the deed is recorded. Your lender refunds any leftover escrow balance afterward.
• Keys. The buyer gets the keys.

If a deal falls through

If the buyer uses a contingency, or both sides agree to end the deal, everyone signs a Release from Contract and Release of Funds from Escrow (#514) or Deposit Release Instructions, which tell the escrow holder where the deposit goes. If there is a dispute, the escrow holder keeps the deposit until both sides agree or a court decides. Your attorney should review any release.

A note on these forms

We name the real forms so you know what is coming. Most are copyrighted Massachusetts Association of REALTORS, Greater Boston Real Estate Board or MLS PIN forms, so we send them through Dotloop for each sale rather than posting copies here. This page is general information, not legal advice. For contract terms, ask your attorney.