Selling a Home in Seattle and the Eastside

Aerial view of a waterfront estate among autumn trees — From above, every home sits inside a market. Price it against the homes buyers will tour the same weekend.

01Price

Positioning a price, not guessing one

01ConditionWhat an inspector and a buyer’s eye will find.

02PresentationHow the home photographs and feels in the first minute.

03PriceWhich competing homes it is measured against.

04ReachHow many of the right buyers see it in week one.

05NegotiationHow much leverage is left when offers arrive.

A price is a position in a market. The buyers who will see your home are touring three or four others the same weekend. We price against those homes, and against recent closed sales that would have competed for the same buyer.

We read three sets of data. Closed sales tell us what buyers actually paid. Pending sales tell us what is moving now. Active listings tell us the competition, and the ones that have sat for weeks tell us where buyers have said no.

Then we adjust honestly for what the data cannot see: the lot, the light, the layout, the street, the condition behind the walls. An online estimate cannot walk through your home. We can.

Where your price lands in search

Price bands

Asking price you are considering

Assumptions and limits

Buyers on the major sites set price filters, usually in round steps. This tool shows the step your price falls in and whether it sits just above a common cut-off.
It does not tell you what your home is worth. A price comes from comparable sales and current competition.

This is the question we test with real data in a valuation: which band reaches the buyers most likely to pay the most.

Request a valuation

A bright bathroom with a freestanding tub and chandelier — Some rooms earn their renovation. Some only need light, paint and a clear counter. The Estate, Camano Island.

02Condition

What to repair, improve or leave alone

Not every improvement pays for itself, and we will not tell you it will. The useful question is simpler: who will notice this, and when?

Buyers notice it on the first visit

Buyers would not notice it

An inspector would flag it

Fix itA leak stain, a soft deck board, moss-covered roof, a missing handrail. Seen and reported twice: once on the tour, again in the inspection report.Usually worth addressing before photos.

Fix or discloseAn old water heater, a failed window seal, a slow drain. Not visible, but it will appear in the buyer’s inspection.Repair it, get a bid to show buyers, or price for it.

An inspector would not

Refresh itBold paint, dated light fixtures, tired carpet, overgrown beds. Not defects, but they shape the first ten seconds and every photo.Often modest cost; decide room by room.

Leave itA dated but working bathroom, an older kitchen layout. Expensive to change and buyers often want to choose for themselves.Price for it and let buyers plan their own project.

No one can promise that a particular project returns its cost. What we can do is show you what competing homes at your price look like, what buyers have objected to on recent tours, and what an inspector is likely to write down. That makes the decision concrete.

A styled living room opening to a lawn and the water — Staging is editing. The same room, with a third less in it, suddenly has a view. The Estate, Camano Island.

03Preparation

Preparation, staging and photography

Staging is editing. In a home you live in, it usually means removing a third of what is in each room, clearing counters and closets, and rearranging what stays. In a vacant home, it means furniture, because empty rooms photograph smaller than they are.

Photography is booked last. After the paint dries, after the yard is done, on a day the light works for that house. For some homes that means twilight, aerials or a floor plan.

The planner below builds a sequence from your timeline, who is living in the home, and what it needs.

Preparation planner

Your sequence

Assumptions and limits

The order follows a simple rule: find problems first (inspection, roof), fix what an inspector would flag, then work that makes dust (paint, floors), then what buyers see last (staging, cleaning, photography).
Durations are rough planning blocks, not quotes. Contractor availability is usually what sets the real calendar.
This is a sequence, not a recommendation to spend. Whether each item is worth doing depends on the home and the price range. We decide that together on a walk-through.

We will walk the home with you and turn this into a dated plan with vendor suggestions and rough costs.

Plan it with us

Aerial view of a wooded waterfront at sunset — Twilight aerials, commissioned for a CASALIV listing. The first week is the most valuable week; it should look like it.

04Launch

Building the launch

The launch is the most valuable week of the listing. We plan it like one.

01Before the listing goes livePhotography, floor plan and written description approved by you. Disclosure statement (NWMLS Form 17) completed. Showing instructions, offer review plan if any, and a clear answer to “why this price”.
02Day oneThe listing goes to the MLS and the major sites, to our own network, and to agents whose buyers are looking in your price and area.
03First weekendShowings and, when it fits the home, an open house with a printed briefing for every visitor.
04The first reviewViews, saves, showings and every piece of feedback, explained plainly, with what we recommend next.

Pieces we have created for homes we represent

Spread from a printed property book — **Property book.** A printed book that tells the story of the home, created for The Estate.

A private online photo gallery for a listing — **Private gallery.** Every photograph, organized room by room, on its own site.

A specification sheet page showing a light fixture — **Specification book.** Each fixture, finish and upgrade documented for buyers and their inspectors.

A garden feature sheet with botanical illustrations — **Feature sheet.** Gardens and renovations presented so buyers understand what they are paying for.

Not every home needs every piece. We choose the pieces that answer the questions buyers will ask about that particular home.

Open front doors leading into a bright great room — The doors open, the market answers. Lydie reads the pattern before it becomes a problem.

05Market response

Showings, feedback, and what it usually means

The market answers in patterns. Reading them early is how a listing avoids drifting.

What we see	What it often means	What we look at next
Many views and saves, few showings	Buyers like the photos but something in the details holds them back: price band, location, a line in the description.	The competing listings buyers are choosing to tour instead.
Many showings, no offers	The home does not match what the photos and price promised, or a competitor wins the comparison in person.	Specific feedback, condition items, and the price relative to what buyers just toured.
Second showings, then silence	Serious interest with one specific objection: an inspection worry, a layout question, a number that did not work.	A direct conversation with the buyer’s broker.
The same comment from several buyers	A real issue, not a matter of taste.	Whether to fix it, get a bid to show buyers, or price for it.
Few views at all	Reach or price band. The right buyers may be filtering it out.	Search cut-offs, photos, and where the listing appears.

Showing a home you live inA clear routine helps: a ten-minute reset each morning, a plan for pets, valuables and medications put away, and a place to go during showings. We schedule with as much notice as we can.

Lydie Vieira holding a CASALIV sold sign — The best part of the job. Getting there is the net, the terms and the timing, compared side by side.

06Offers

What you keep, and comparing offers beyond the price

Start with the net. Then look at what could change it before closing.

Seller net proceeds

Estimator

Sale price

Mortgage and loan payoff from your lender

Listing brokerage

Buyer brokerage paid by you negotiable; can be 0

Local excise tax often 0.25 to 0.50

Closing year

Owner’s title policy

Escrow fee, your share

Concessions or credits to buyer

Repairs, preparation, staging

Other costs HOA transfer, prorations

Estimated net to you–

Selling costs–

Loan payoff–

State excise tax, graduated
State and local excise tax as % of price

Assumptions and limits

Included: both brokerage fees as you enter them, Washington’s graduated state real estate excise tax, local excise tax, owner’s title policy, your share of escrow, concessions, preparation and other costs, and the loan payoff.
Not included: property tax and HOA prorations (they can add or subtract), utility final bills, moving costs, capital gains or other income tax, and any 1031 exchange costs.
State excise tax uses the graduated rates of 1.10%, 1.28%, 2.75% and 3.00%. Through 2026 the bands start at $525,000, $1,525,000 and $3,025,000; for sales from January 1, 2027 they start at $551,000, $1,551,000 and $3,051,000. Local rates are set by each city; your escrow officer confirms the exact figure.
Brokerage compensation is negotiable and set in your listing agreement. The buyer brokerage line is what you choose to offer or agree to pay, if anything.
The loan payoff should come from your lender’s payoff statement, which includes interest to the payoff date.

A specific estimate needs your payoff statement and the local rate for your address. We will prepare one with you.

Prepare my estimate

The highest price is not always the highest net, and the highest net is not always the most certain. A buyer asking for a credit, a buyer whose loan depends on an appraisal, and a buyer who needs to sell first are three different kinds of risk. The comparison shows the money first and lists the terms underneath, so you can weigh them yourself.

A calm bedroom with windows to the garden — Under contract, the work gets quieter and more precise. Inspections, appraisal, signatures.

07Under contract

Inspection, appraisal, negotiation and closing

The inspection response is the second negotiation. A buyer may accept, ask for repairs, ask for a credit or price change, or withdraw. We help you separate real items from a wish list, and get bids so you can answer with numbers.

The appraisal matters when the buyer is financing. If it comes in below the price, the buyer may bring more cash, ask you to reduce, meet in between, or withdraw if the contract allows. An appraisal gap clause in the offer changes those odds.

Closing happens through escrow. You sign a few days before; the sale closes when the deed records. Washington’s real estate excise tax is the seller’s cost and is paid through escrow at closing.

Lake view through tall evergreens — Selling one home to buy the next is a calendar problem. Solve it before you sign either contract.

08Selling and buying

Coordinating this sale with your next purchase

There are four ways to do it. Each one trades cash, certainty and leverage differently.

Approach	Cash you need	Main risk	Your position	Often works when
Sell first	Least. Your equity is in hand.	Needing a place to live in between.	Strong as a buyer: no contingency.	You can rent back from your buyer or have a short-term place.
Buy first	Most. Down payment before your equity is free.	Carrying two homes if yours sells slowly.	Strong as a buyer; you sell with no rush to move.	You have savings, a bridge loan or a line of credit.
Offer contingent on your sale	Moderate.	Your offer may lose to buyers without the contingency.	Weaker as a buyer.	The market is slower, or the seller values your timeline.
Close both the same day or week	Moderate.	One delay affects both transactions.	Depends on careful timing.	Both buyers and lenders are well prepared and dates are flexible.

A bridge loan or a line of credit can make buying first possible; ask a lender what you qualify for and what it costs. We will map the dates for both transactions on one calendar before you commit to either.

Homes sell on a feeling.
Feelings are built.