Seller's Guide

Your Personalized Path to a Successful Home Sale in the Bay Area

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced agent and this easy to follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.​​​​​​​

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Step 1: Getting Started

Our process begins with a comprehensive listing meeting to discuss selling your property. This meeting is designed to cover key topics and ensure we are aligned on every detail, starting with understanding your hopes for the sale and any important considerations and needs. Selling your home is an emotional experience— I will listen to your needs and do what is necessary to meet those needs when selling your home.

Once we have a good understanding of your goals and preferences, we will cover key topics and align on the details. We will review current market trends and recent neighborhood sales to understand your home's value, focusing on market conditions and comparable properties. Next, we'll outline our proposed marketing strategy, which includes print and digital advertising, professional photography, a detailed floor plan sketch, a Matterport virtual tour, a dedicated property website, and expert staging to showcase your home in the best possible light.

We'll also discuss any necessary inspections, such as house, pest, roof, and pool inspections, to preemptively address any issues. Potential repairs or upgrades that could enhance your home's appeal and value will also be part of our conversation. Additionally, we'll talk about how Compass Concierge can help cover the cost of home improvements to maximize your home’s value.  Lastly, we will discuss unique listing strategies, such as utilizing the powerful Compass network of agents to pre-market your home as a Private Exclusive. This can be a great option to generate excitement and test pricing.

At the end of the meeting, we schedule a property visit.  This visit aims to understand what makes the home unique—I review the property’s condition and general considerations that impact its value. Don’t stress about making your house look nice for me! This initial meeting is to get my eyes on the house for pricing recommendations. 

After I visit the property, we will schedule a time to discuss pricing and the next steps. I will then prepare a comparative market analysis, pricing, and strategy recommendations for you.

Following this discussion, we tackle pricing. I will provide an estimated net proceeds sheet and a listing agreement. At this point, we also discuss my proposed strategy for selling the house, address any remaining questions, and sign a listing agreement.  After signing the listing agreement, I share a detailed list of repairs and preparations, vendor recommendations, and a timeline aligning with your goals.

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Step 2: Preparing Your Property

Selling a home requires meticulous preparation and attention to detail, including preparing the house, disclosures, marketing, and strategy. Here’s how we’ll get your property market-ready.

Disclosures

Transparent disclosures provide insight to the property’s condition and history to potential buyers. To complete disclosures, we will compile the necessary information. This will include a list of all updates and repairs you’ve completed while owning the property and any estimates or invoices for the work. 

Clear and complete disclosures are a multidimensional process. They also involve title and natural hazards reports and require signatures from all parties. My transaction coordinator will assist in assembling the disclosure package. I will discuss these items during our initial meeting so we can get started early.

House Preparation

It’s crucial that you thoroughly prepare your home for the market, connecting with contractors, home stagers, and cleaning businesses. A well-prepared home attracts more buyers and better offers.

After I coordinate with the stager, we will meet at the property to discuss the layout, room use, and paint selections. During our property walkthrough, we may add another item or two to our preparations list, and I will provide additional vendor recommendations if needed.

Before my clients’ homes hit the market, we typically refresh landscaping and order a professional deep clean. We’ll also order necessary inspections (house, roof, pest, and pool, if applicable). I will take care of all the finishing touches, including the perfect doormat, the best plants for the front porch, and any minor adjustments the stager recommends.

Marketing 

To effectively market your house, I will begin by ordering signage installation and arranging for professional photography, floor plan sketches, and a Matterport tour to create captivating visuals. If the property has appealing surroundings, I will orchestrate aerial video and photography, along with a professional highlight video to use on the website and in various marketing materials. I will also arrange a print campaign to spread news of the sale in the surrounding area and work with my vendor partners to create a targeted digital ad campaign.

Additionally, I will create a dedicated property website and prepare the MLS listing for your approval, ensuring a robust online presence. For open houses, I will prepare comprehensive marketing materials and refine our strategy for Coming Soon announcements, Broker Tours, and Open Houses to maximize exposure and attract potential buyers.

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Step 3: Meeting Schedule

Throughout the process, we’ll have several vital meetings to ensure everything is on track. These include the listing meeting, property walkthrough (we discuss repairs and preparations in detail), pricing meeting (where we finalize pricing, strategy, and our listing agreement), staging meeting (where we refine staging and marketing strategy), disclosures meeting (a virtual or in-person meeting to guide you through disclosures), and final strategy meeting (where we finalize pricing and negotiation strategies).

We’ll also have various check-ins as preparations progress to ensure everything is on schedule. Once the property is active, we will communicate daily with updates and strategy considerations. I will also share a document with you where you can see real-time information on interested parties, website traffic, and analytics from our digital marketing campaign.

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Step 4: Negotiations and Escrow

When an offer is received, my negotiation skills come into play. With an MBA from Stanford and extensive negotiation training, I enjoy analyzing the other party’s approach and crafting the correct response in real time. This is where my expertise truly benefits my clients, ensuring we achieve the best possible outcome.

Once a contract is ratified, we move into escrow. I’ll continue guiding you through this phase, informing you of key milestones, and ensuring a smooth transition to closing. I will also handle removing the staging furnishings and arranging a final cleaning.

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Step 5: Closing and Post-Closing

Our relationship doesn’t end at closing. I remain a resource for any real estate advice, vendor recommendations, or other needs you may have. Many of my clients become friends, and we stay in touch regularly. Selling your home with me means more than just a transaction; it means having a dedicated partner who cares about your journey and success. Let’s achieve your selling goals together in the competitive Bay Area market.

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Step 6: Contact Alexandra Sung

Ready to start your personalized home selling journey? Contact me today to schedule your initial consultation.

Congratulations!

Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. Whether this is relocating to a new city, moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life as empty-nesters, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind for your new path.

Our Testimonials

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M.I. - LOS ALTOS HILLS

M.I. - LOS ALTOS HILLS

Ali is a rockstar! Consider yourself lucky if you have the good fortune of working with Ali! She is THE smartest agent in the game. Deeply analytical (from comps to negotiation analysis), empathetic, diligent (she will read all...
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P.H. - MONTE SERENO

P.H. - MONTE SERENO

I highly recommend Ali. With her guidance we were able to secure acceptance of our first offer in a very competitive market in October of 2021 for the first house we fell in love with. Ali specializes in the intricacies of maki...
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L.L. - CAMPBELL

L.L. - CAMPBELL

Ali helped us purchase our first home in July of 2021, and I cannot believe it has taken me this long to write a review. I truly don’t know where to start, so I will start with what was most important to me- her character. In t...
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J.L. - LOS ALTOS HILLS

J.L. - LOS ALTOS HILLS

Ali helped us to purchase the land to build our forever home after nearly a year of searching. We highly recommend her as a realtor and advisor! Ali is extremely diligent in her approach to her work, and went above and beyond t...
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P.J. - PALO ALTO

P.J. - PALO ALTO

We had the pleasure of extensively working with Ali Sung to find a house in Palo Alto, and the experience was exceptional from start to finish. Ali's expertise and dedication were evident in every step of the process. She took ...
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E.E. - SAN MATEO

E.E. - SAN MATEO

My husband and I have had the privilege of working with Ali on 3 transactions over the last 5 years and she has been nothing short of amazing. We really value her dedication, real estate knowledge, data-driven approach, attenti...
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​​With a passion for homes, a comprehensive understanding of the market, and a fierce commitment to her clients, Ali is the trusted advisor you need in real estate.