The Real Estate Listing Checklist for a Smooth Sales Process (+ Free Download)

The real estate industry is a tough one to crack, with the market constantly evolving. Selling your home can be an arduous process that leaves buyers frustrated and sellers feeling defeated. With these challenges in mind, we created this checklist to help ease the burden on both sides of any transaction.

The “seller pre listing checklist” is a free download that provides a list of tasks to complete before listing your home for sale. The “Real Estate Listing Checklist for a Smooth Sales Process (+ Free Download)” will help you prepare your home for sale, and give you peace of mind as you start the process.

Sales listings may be a valuable source of revenue for any real estate agent, but without a real estate listing checklist, it can be tough to handle marketing, negotiations, deadlines, seller expectations, and other chores. Download our free real estate listing checklist, which details the steps from initial listing through closing to help you meet your professional obligations and build a trusted connection with your clients.

To save you time, we’ve put up a comprehensive real estate listing checklist that you can download and use. It covers the actions you must check are accomplished throughout the pre-listing, active listing, and closing phases of the transaction. This free real estate listing checklist may also be downloaded and printed to share with clients so they are aware of each step of the process and what it includes.

Choose from the drop-downs below the step of the listing checklist you’d want to concentrate on, or look at all three to completely prepare yourself for a successful home sale:

Choose to discover more. Stage 1: Checklist for Pre-Listing Stage 2: Checklist for Active Listings Stage 3: Checklist for Finishing

Stage 1: Checklist for Pre-Listing

Before a property becomes your private listing, you must complete many procedures. You must create trust, build rapport, and show your worth as a real estate expert to prospective sellers during the pre-listing period. You will be able to obtain the listing and build trust in your ability to produce a simple transaction for your customers if you are organized and prepared throughout the pre-listing stage.

Showcase Your Pre-Listing Packet

When it comes to the difficult and complex process of selling a house, first impressions are crucial. The first thing you should do when you meet a prospective seller is give them a pre-listing package or a pitch deck.

A pre-listing package’s purpose is to present yourself and your real estate services in such a way that the prospect will choose to work with you or at the very least ask you to continue the discussion. A well-organized and thorough pre-listing material may be the trigger for converting a cold lead into a long-term customer. The following elements should be included in your real estate pre-listing packet:

• A personal note to the seller, a professional biography, and an introduction to your brokerage and team are all included in the introduction.
• Statistics: Numbers based on performance, such as the number of houses sold, the average number of days on the market, the percentage of properties sold over asking price, and so on.
• Marketing and advertising: The fundamentals of your marketing strategy, including how you intend to get the most exposure for the property and the instruments you’ll use to create qualified buyer leads.
• Clients should be informed of what occurs at each step, what they must do, and what you and your brokerage will do throughout the process.
• The following is information regarding the seller’s home: In your comparative market analysis (CMA), include market trends in the seller’s location as well as an outline of the procedures you’ll use to price the property.
• Paperwork: Sample contracts and disclaimers that the seller must sign in order to use your services, as well as checklists with questions to help them learn more.

*The CMA will be created after you’ve completed your comprehensive listing presentation, or it may be included in your presentation if you’ve had the opportunity to thoroughly inspect the seller’s property.

The pre-listing packet is usually emailed, mailed, or handed in person to a possible customer. It’s critical to make sure your pre-listing material stands out from the crowd if you want to be successful. Use Canva’s pre-made templates and customisable pictures to create graphics and images for your pre-listing package. Canva can turn your plain pitch deck into a piece of art with eye-catching design features that will wow customers.

Canva is a great place to start.

Take a look at our article What to Include in a Winning Pre-listing Package for more information on the structure and organization of your pre-listing package.

Prepare a listing presentation

A slide from the FREE printable Fit Small Business Listing Presentation.

After reviewing your comprehensive pre-listing packet, your prospect will be ready to ask you to create and give a complete listing presentation. Although this is comparable to the pre-listing package and may include some of the same features, the pre-listing package and listing presentation are not the same.

The listing presentation is more tailored to the seller’s house than the pre-listing package’s contents. It will be presented in person or through virtual methods such as Zoom, so put your best foot forward and prepare your pitch before giving it to the sellers. Other distinctions include a more detailed explanation of your marketing approach and examples of previous items, market data unique to their property and location, and a discussion of your pricing strategy for their home in more depth.

Most essential, you will concentrate on the client throughout the listing presentation and learn about their previous experiences with the sales process, their purpose for selling, any anxieties they may have, and their specific pain points. For example, they may be relocating because they just acquired another property and need to sell fast in order to close on their new home within the next three months.

The desire to sell soon is a pain point, and they may be afraid of not being able to do so and missing out on the house they want to purchase. Focus your emphasis on their discomfort by explaining how to speed up the sales process and assuage their anxieties by describing the actions you’ll take to make their move between residences as smooth as possible. The final aim is to demonstrate how your expertise as a real estate agent can benefit them.

To acquire a free listing presentation template and create successful presentations, do-it-yourself agents can check out our Ultimate Real Estate Listing Presentation (+ Free Template). Employ the expertise of 99designs to make your listing presentation both aesthetically attractive and informative. 99designs can help with logos, websites, presentation design, and personal branding to make your listing presentation stand out, whether you just need a few graphics or the whole package.

Visit 99designs.com for more information.

To determine price, create a comparative market analysis report.

You’ll create a comparative market analysis (CMA) report to assist your customers price their home accurately after you’ve gotten to know them better and they’ve gained a better grasp of your services. The value of this report cannot be overstated, since accurately valuing a property the first time saves you and your client time and money in the long run.

The size and number of bedrooms and bathrooms in the home, as well as the condition, overall property size, outbuildings, unique features, finishes and flooring, renovations, updates, and more, will all be considered in your CMA, as well as current market trends and homes that have recently sold or are currently on the market. You may compare the subject property to others in the region using all of these variables to establish the most acceptable list price.

It’s better if you discuss the CMA report with your clients rather than sending it over email, so they understand the thinking process behind the information and numbers you’ve collected. Allow them to clarify the specifics by asking questions and making remarks. Allow them to weigh in on your recommended pricing and confirm that they are okay with it before deciding on the final list price as a group.

Sign the Listing Contract.

Illustration of a listing agreement (Source: eForms)

The final stage of the pre-listing process is for all parties to Sign the Listing Contract., solidifying the relationship between you and your client. The listing agreement gives you the exclusive right to list, advertise, market, and assist in selling your client’s home within a certain time frame.

Other agents will not be allowed to market or help your clients without your permission after the listing agreement is completely finalized. Showings, open houses, offers, communication, and all other parts of the transaction must be handled solely by you, the seller’s agent.

A listing agreement paperwork is unique to each state and brokerage. You may ask your brokerage where you can get it, or you can look for and download generic listing agreements like this one from eForms online.

Return to the Drop-Down Menu

Stage 2: Checklist for Active Listings

The pre-listing period is over after you’ve signed formal papers, but your job as a sales agent is just beginning. You perform the hard work during the active listing period to get the house as much exposure as possible. You’ll be able to create credible buyer leads who may be interested in acquiring the home in addition to creating awareness about the listing. This may be done in a number of methods, and it will finally result in offers and a signed sales contract.

Put Your Marketing Plan Into Action

Because it optimizes the possibility for your listing to reach your targeted target audience and create possible purchasers, marketing the property is a crucial part of the sales process. Installing a lawn sign and a flyer box on the property is one of the most fundamental initial steps, but that’s not all.

You may promote an active sales listing using a variety of marketing methods and approaches. The following are some of the most regularly utilized strategies:

Take a look at these simple real estate marketing ideas and tactics for selling success for more marketing ideas.

Your Listing Should Be Promoted

You’ll also use paid advertising services to promote your listing as part of your marketing strategy. Paid advertising allows you to reach out to extremely precise target demographics while also broadening your overall reach. You want to be frugal with your money, but you should also realize that advertising gets prospective buyers to your listing, which is a terrific return on investment. This investment also shows the seller that you are entirely dedicated to assisting them in selling their house for the highest potential price in the shortest amount of time.

List the property on as many listing websites as possible in order to reach out to other agents and prospective purchasers. Your local MLS, Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com are just a few alternatives. While the MLS is only accessible to other real estate agents, sites like Zillow cater to active buyers who are already working with an agent or may contact you directly. These sites are used by millions of people every day, so you’ll almost certainly be able to find prospective purchasers who are interested in seeing your ad right away.

You may pay for advertising on sites like Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube in addition to publishing for free on social media. You may tailor advertising on these sites based on geography, demographics, interests, and other factors to reach the buyers who are most likely to be interested in your seller’s home. While you are not necessary to promote on every social media network, you should aim to utilize two or three to maximize the number of seller leads you get.

If you aren’t extremely tech-savvy, lead generating solutions such as those offered by Real Geeks may help you with your marketing efforts. Real Geeks includes a Facebook marketing tool that allows you to develop branded real estate advertising in less time while also generating more quality leads. Real Geeks also offers extensive data to help you assess the effectiveness of your advertising and ensure that they are reaching the target audience.

Facebook marketing tools from Real Geeks

Go to Real Geeks.

Schedule Open Houses & Showings

It’s time for prospective purchasers to see your listing once your advertising and marketing magic has done its work of attracting attention to it. Set precise times and dates with your sellers for both open houses and buyer showings, in addition to making sure the property is prepared and ready.

You may also provide virtual tours on single-property real estate websites to showcase the seller’s property in addition to in-person showings. This is extremely tempting to out-of-town or migrating purchasers, and it allows you to acquire buyer leads’ contact information using online forms.

Showings for individual buyers are usually arranged when they are requested. Many people regard Sunday afternoons to be the usual time for an open house, so scheduling one at that time will help you attract potential buyers. Examine how to throw an open house and get the free open house checklist to ensure you’re prepared.

Most essential, employ a digital sign-in system like Spacio by Homespotter or give an open house sign-in form. Spacio will assist with the follow-up with visitors, particularly purchasers interested in making an offer on the property. To give your sellers with specific information on the status of their property sale, provide reports that show the attendance, quality of leads, and source.

Pay a visit to Spacio.

Get unforgettable open house tips and ideas that can help you bring in many offers for better success with open houses.

Execute Negotiations & Contract

Clients are most stressed during the negotiating process, yet this is when your job as a real estate agent can shine. It’s critical to find a balance between being professional, forceful, and sensitive with all parties involved in the transaction as the liaison between the buyer, buyer’s agent, and your seller.

Make sure you provide all offers to your customers and have a conversation with them about whether they want to reject, counter, or accept each one. Without being overwhelming or unduly influencing the final choice, provide excellent information and industry expertise to assist your customers in making an informed selection.

Your customer should feel as though you and they are working as a team to accept an offer that helps them reach their objectives and that they are comfortable with, while you are a resource and the messenger between both sides. Once you’ve reached a decision, be sure to have contract paperwork signed as soon as possible.

Return to the Drop-Down Menu

Stage 3: Checklist for Finishing

You’re in the home stretch of the deal now that the buyers and sellers have signed a sales contract, but there’s still a lot to accomplish. During the closing step, several more parties are added, including appraisers, lenders, title firms, and even attorneys in certain states. Your responsibility as moderator during the closing stage is to ensure that everything is completed and goes smoothly until the final closure date.

Calculate & Monitor Deadlines

Part of your work is ensuring that your listing is sold in accordance with the conditions of the purchase contract. You’ll need to keep track of critical dates for disclosures, due diligence periods, and other closing obligations in order to do this. Put these dates on your calendar to make sure they’ve been fulfilled, and notify your customers if the buyers’ deadlines have been met (or not). To ensure that all things are checked off before the closing date, timely communication between yourself and the buyer’s agent is critical.

While keeping track of these dates on your calendar will help you stay on top of things, real estate management software is a reliable approach to make sure you don’t miss any. Pipedrive CRM organizes prospects into pipelines and automates interactions through phone calls, emails, and social media.

Pipedrive is a pipeline management system.

You may add offers, specify their worth, and set projected closing dates, but you must keep track of deadlines throughout the sales process. Furthermore, Pipedrive’s Smart Docs function transmits and archives trackable papers for signing to customers, ensuring that all transaction deadlines are fulfilled.

Go to Pipedrive.com.

Track Appraisals, Inspections & Title Insurance

In most cases, the buyer and their lender are in charge of arranging and paying for appraisals and inspections, but as the seller’s agent, you will manage property access for those inspections. Work with both parties to set up access for the appraisal, house inspection, and any further inspections for termites, lead paint, radon, and other issues that may arise. You may also need to negotiate repairs or credits with the buyer’s agent when the reports are issued, as well as monitor required repairs and re-inspections.

Owner’s coverage, lender’s coverage, and, in certain situations, extended coverage are all included in title insurance. Depending on the seller’s location, the buyer or seller may be responsible for one or more of these insurance expenses. Make sure your seller is completing his or her title insurance requirements to comply with conventional standards in your area—and the terms of the contract.

Provide the Seller’s Checklist for Closing.

You may assist your sellers in preparing to move out of their house while they are waiting for due diligence. Deep cleaning, a final walk-through, and a list of essential keys and security codes are all part of this process. It’s also a good idea to provide sellers a must-do list, such as turning off utilities after the closing, updating their postal address with the USPS, and paying any outstanding bills to the homeowners association (HOA) and home-related service businesses.

For details about what goes into a seller’s closing checklist, check out the article Real Estate Closing Checklist for Buyers & Sellers and download the free buyer and seller checklists.

Monitor Status of Closing Documents & Close

When the closing day approaches, it’s up to you to ensure sure the seller has all of the essential things and has signed all of the relevant paperwork. Keep in mind that closing paperwork are often sent to the seller ahead of time, and they are typically not required to appear in person on the closing day. As a result, this may need to be done a day or two ahead of time.

The following information should be provided by sellers:

• If the house is paid off, the deed
• A state-issued picture ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, is required.
• A certified check in the amount requested by the escrow officer (if needed).
• If ownership of the residence is allowed at closing, keys and security codes will be provided.

The following papers (some of which vary by state) are usually needed of sellers:

• Loan payoff: The remaining balance on the seller’s loan that must be paid off at closing.
• On closing, the property deed transfers ownership of the house and property to the buyer.
• The HUD-1 settlement statement is a detailed accounting of all funds involved in the transaction.
• A sworn declaration verifying the seller’s right to sell the property is known as a certificate of title.
• The bill of sale lists any personal property that the seller agreed to keep with the house.
• Informational statement: A sworn declaration attesting to the seller’s identity.
• Mechanic’s liens: A sworn declaration that a subcontractor or other worker will not be able to issue a lien against the property for money owing.
• Closing Costs Statement: A signed declaration verifying that the seller was notified in advance of certain fees and closing charges.

While you will not be signing any paperwork as the seller’s agent, it is crucial to be there when your client signs closing documents for moral support and to ensure the transaction is done appropriately. You promised your customer an end-to-end experience in stage one of the listing process, and by keeping that promise, you are demonstrating your genuine worth as a real estate expert.

Return to the Drop-Down Menu

While being a sales representative is not easy, practice makes perfect. Use our free real estate listing checklist to keep track of the pre-listing, listing, and closing chores required to bring you and your clients to a completed transaction as smoothly as possible. Knowing the ins and outs of the listing process and being able to lead a client through it can result in favorable reviews and word-of-mouth, assuring a steady stream of sellers to help you expand your real estate company.

The “pre home listing checklist” is a free downloadable document that provides a list of items to consider before listing your property. The checklist includes everything from preparing the home for sale, to marketing the property and closing the deal.

Related Tags

• printable real estate listing checklist template
• pre listing checklist pdf
• real estate checklist from list to close
• real estate checklist template
• listing transaction checklist