The method
Your home has a plan before it ever goes live
How I sell a home in Collin County: three pricing plans you choose from, professional photos and drone, Coming Soon before launch, and ads targeting the local market around the listing.
The short version
A lot of homes get sold the same way. The agent takes some photos, puts the home in the MLS, and waits to see who calls. Sometimes that works. When it doesn't, the home sits, the price comes down, and the seller wonders what went wrong.
I don't list a home and hope. After 20+ years and more than 500 homes sold, I've learned that most of what decides how a home sells happens before it ever goes live: the price you choose, how the home looks online, and whether buyers already know it's coming.
Every home I sell goes through the same four parts:
- Equity: choosing a price strategy, not just a number.
- Presentation: staging advice, professional photography, drone photos and a listing video.
- Impact: building buyer interest before launch, then getting the home in front of the local market around the listing.
- Campaign: keeping you informed, negotiating the offers and repairs, and staying on it through closing day.
Here's what each one looks like when we work together.
Equity: you choose the price strategy
Most sellers expect their agent to hand them a number. I'd rather hand you a choice.
Before we list, I pull the homes that actually compete with yours: the ones a buyer shopping your price range will see in the same search. From there, I lay out three pricing strategies and what each one risks.
Plan A: test the ceiling. We list at the top of what comparable homes support. The goal is multiple offers and a sale above asking. The risk is that if the offers don't come quickly, the home starts to look stale online and you end up reducing the price anyway. Plan A fits a strong home in a strong market, with a seller who's comfortable taking a calculated chance.
Plan B: match the market. We list at the price the comparable sales really support. This is the steady, reliable path, with interest from serious buyers and a sale at or near the list price. For most homes and most sellers, it's where I start the conversation.
Plan C: test the floor. We list a little below the comparables on purpose. A lower price draws more buyers through the door at once, and that competition can push the final price back up. It suits sellers who want speed, and homes that need to draw a crowd. The risk is that if we've read the market wrong, you could sell for less than you might have.
I'll tell you which plan I'd pick and why. Then the decision is yours, and I run whichever plan you choose the same way.
Pricing doesn't stop at launch, either. Every month the home is on the market, I refresh the market analysis, so we're always working from what's happening now and not what was true when we listed. If the market moves, you'll know, and we'll decide together what to do about it.
If you want to see where your home stands before we ever sit down, start with a home value from me.
Presentation: buyers decide online first
Most buyers see your home on a phone long before they walk through the front door. By the time they book a showing, they've already made up half their mind. The photos, the video and the way the home is set up are what they're reacting to.
That's why presentation happens before anything goes public.
Staging consultation. Every listing starts with a staging consultation. We walk through the home together and decide what to move, what to store and what to highlight, so each room shows what it's for. It's usually less work than sellers fear. A lot of it is editing: fewer things on the counters, the right furniture in the right spot, and one clear purpose for every room.
I know getting a home show-ready while you're still living in it, with kids, pets and a schedule, is the part that overwhelms people. That's what the consultation is for. You get a short, specific list instead of a vague feeling that everything needs to change.
Professional photography. Every listing gets professional photography. Phone photos cost sellers money, and a professional knows how to light a room, frame a space and make a small room read correctly.
Drone photos. Every listing gets drone photography too. From above, buyers can see the lot, the backyard, the roofline and what's around the home, which is often what sells a house in a master-planned community with a pond, a park or a golf course nearby.
A listing video. I turn the professional photos into a listing video, so the home moves on screen instead of sitting still. Video stops the scroll on social media in a way a single photo usually doesn't, and it's the first thing buyers see from me before the home goes live.
Impact: buyers know it's coming before it's live
This is the part most agents skip. The usual approach is to put a home on the market and wait for the MLS to do the work. I start building buyer interest before the home officially goes live, so you aren't waiting and hoping on day one.
Coming Soon in the MLS. Before launch, I put your home in Coming Soon status in the MLS. Agents who are working with buyers in your area see it's on the way and can start lining up interest.
A Coming Soon sign in the yard. Neighbors, people driving by and buyers already shopping your neighborhood see it's coming. Neighbors often know someone who wants to live on their street.
The listing video, posted as Coming Soon. Once the photographer's work is ready, the video goes out as Coming Soon, so buyers have seen the home before they can even book a showing.
Paid Facebook and Instagram ads. Every listing gets paid Facebook and Instagram ads targeting the local market around the listing. I choose the market for each home, so the ads reach people in the area around it, not a random audience.
MLS and the major home search sites. When the home goes live, it goes into the MLS and out to Zillow, Realtor.com and the other major home search sites, where buyers do their looking.
Put together, that means the day your home goes live isn't the day buyers first hear about it. It's the day the ones who were already interested can finally come see it.
Campaign: you're never guessing, start to close
Once your home is live, my job is to keep you informed and keep the sale moving.
Showing feedback. After showings, I share the feedback with you by phone, and follow up with a text or an email so you have it in writing. You'll hear what buyers liked, what they didn't, and what it means for our plan.
A fresh market analysis every month. Every month the home is on the market, I refresh the analysis, so we can see whether the market around you has shifted and adjust together.
Offers. When an offer comes in, I review it with you: the price, the terms, the timing and what the buyer's financing looks like. Then I respond to the buyer's agent with your acceptance or a counter, and I handle the back and forth.
Repairs. After the buyer's inspection, repair requests come in. I review them, present them to you with my recommendation, and negotiate those terms for you. This is where a lot of deals get shaky, and it's where experience across new construction, appraisal and title helps me keep things on track.
Deadlines and closing. My transaction coordinator tracks every date and deadline and helps follow up with the title company and the lender, so nothing slips. I stay personally involved the whole way. You'll never feel like you've been handed off to someone else, and I'm there at the closing table.
If you're also buying your next home, I build one timeline for both, so you know when to list, when to buy and when to close. That's the part that keeps most move-up sellers up at night, and it's the part I put the most care into. See selling your home with me, or trading up if you're buying next.
Ready to talk about your home? Get in touch or call me at (469) 693-3839. You can also start at my home page, or find your town.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you decide on a list price?
I pull the homes that compete with yours, then lay out three strategies: test the ceiling, match the market, or test the floor. I recommend one, and you choose.
Do you market a home before it's on the market?
Yes. I put it in Coming Soon status in the MLS, put a Coming Soon sign in the yard, and post the listing video as Coming Soon once the photos are ready.
What marketing is included when I list with you?
A staging consultation, professional photography, drone photos, a listing video, paid Facebook and Instagram ads targeting the local market around the listing, and syndication to Zillow, Realtor.com and the other major sites.
Who handles the paperwork and deadlines?
My transaction coordinator tracks dates and follows up with title and the lender. I handle the offers and repair negotiations myself, and I attend closing.
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Ready to make your move with Terri Egstad Real Estate?