5 Musts Before Selling Your Home

It takes more than fresh paint, a few photos, and an MLS listing to get the maximum return on your home. Here are five things to get right first.

Hi, I'm Tanja Odzak, Realtor with eXp Realty, helping people sell and buy homes right here in the East Bay for the last 10 years.

First, exposure. Even in a hot seller's market, the National Association of Realtors reports 67% of buyers walk through a home they first saw online, so real digital marketing and targeting, locally and beyond, matters. Second, negotiation skill, most agents sell fewer than two homes a year. As a Master Certified Negotiation Expert with far more volume than that, negotiation is exactly where extra money and better terms come from.

The last three, price, condition, and location, work together. Online estimate algorithms can't account for upgrades, views, an unusual floor plan in a 100-year-old home, or whether there's an actual garage or a pool, all of which shape your real number.

I'm Tanja Odzak, and I've sold over $100 million worth of homes with a decade of experience in the East Bay. Getting all five right is what separates a good outcome from a great one on your biggest investment.