The NYC Home-Selling Process

Selling a home in New York City involves many moving parts, from determining the right price and preparing the property to negotiating offers and navigating the contract and closing process. We guide you through every stage with a strategy tailored to your property, timeline, and financial goals.

Two Agents, One Coordinated Strategy

When you hire Candis Lai and Brent Seberhagen, you benefit from two experienced real estate professionals with complementary strengths and a shared commitment to your sale.

With an MBA and a professional background in marketing, sales, and consulting, Candis leads the property positioning and marketing strategy. She studies the competition and focuses on how your home is prepared, photographed, described, and promoted so it stands out to the right buyers.

Brent, a Penn State graduate, brings extensive real estate experience and a genuine passion for negotiation. He works closely with buyers and their agents to protect your interests and pursue the strongest possible combination of price and terms.

Together, Candis and Brent remain personally involved from the initial consultation through closing. As one client described the experience, working with them is “like hiring two agents for the price of one.”

Their coordinated approach gives sellers strategic marketing, skilled negotiation, responsive communication, and two dedicated professionals working toward the same goal.

1. Initial Consultation

We begin by learning about your property and what you hope to accomplish. We will discuss your preferred timeline, priorities, concerns, and any circumstances that could affect the sale.

We also tour the property and evaluate its condition, layout, distinctive features, and potential selling points. This lets us start developing a strategy based on your property and goals.

2. Property Valuation and Pricing Strategy

Choosing the right asking price is one of the most important parts of a successful sale. We prepare a comparative market analysis using recent sales, current competition, market conditions, and the characteristics that make your property unique.

For apartments, townhouses, and other properties throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, we consider factors such as location, building, floor, views, natural light, condition, layout, monthly charges, amenities, and the surrounding community.

Our goal is to position your property to attract serious buyers, generate interest, and protect its value.

3. Preparing Your Property for the Market

Before listing your property, we may recommend improvements to strengthen its presentation. Depending on the home, these may include:

• • Decluttering and organizing
  • Deep cleaning
  • Painting and minor repairs
  • Adjusting furniture placement
  • Physical or virtual staging
  • Improving lighting and curb appeal

Not every property needs a major renovation. We help you focus on practical improvements that make your home more appealing without unnecessary work or expense.

Some properties may be best marketed and sold in their existing condition. Whether to make improvements or sell as-is depends on the property, your goals, the likely return on the investment, and the marketing strategy we create together.

4. Professional Marketing Preparation

Once the property is ready, we create the materials needed to present it at its best. Depending on the listing, these may include professional photography, an accurate floor plan, video, a virtual tour, a compelling property description, and customized marketing materials.

We identify the property’s most marketable features and create a clear story that helps prospective buyers understand both the home and the lifestyle it offers.

5. Launching the Listing

Timing and presentation matter. We coordinate the launch across the appropriate real estate platforms and brokerage networks, supported by agent outreach, email marketing, social media, video promotion, and other targeted efforts.

Through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New York Properties, your listing also benefits from the strength, resources, and reach of a globally recognized real estate network.

6. Showings and Open Houses

When appropriate, we may begin with a well-promoted opening-weekend open house designed to concentrate buyer activity and create a sense of demand. We then coordinate private appointments and additional open houses based on the property and the market’s response.

After each showing, we follow up with buyers and their agents, gather feedback, and keep you informed about the property’s activity. We use this information to assess how the market is responding and decide whether to adjust the strategy.

7. Reviewing and Negotiating Offers

An offer involves much more than the purchase price. Our goal is not simply to secure an offer, but to create the strongest possible negotiating position and, whenever the market allows, generate competition among qualified buyers.

We help you evaluate every part of an offer, including:

• • Financing and down payment
  • Mortgage and other contingencies
  • Proposed closing date
  • Buyer qualifications
  • Flexibility and special conditions
  • Requested inclusions or exclusions
  • Buyer-agent compensation, when applicable

We communicate with the buyer’s representative, assess the offer’s strength, and negotiate a combination of price and terms that best supports your goals.

8. Accepted Offer and Contract

After you accept an offer, we prepare a deal sheet containing the agreed-upon business terms and send it to the attorneys and other appropriate parties.

The buyer’s attorney then conducts due diligence, and the attorneys negotiate the contract. In New York, an accepted offer is generally not binding until both parties have signed the contract and the buyer has delivered the contract deposit.

We stay in close contact with you, the attorneys, and the other professionals involved to help keep the transaction moving forward.

9. Financing, Appraisal, and Building Approval

If the buyer is financing the purchase, the lender will complete its underwriting process and may order an appraisal of the property.

For a co-op sale, the buyer will generally need to prepare a board application and complete the building’s approval process, which may include an interview. A condominium may require a purchase application and a waiver of the condominium’s right of first refusal.

We help coordinate these steps, communicate with the parties involved, and monitor important deadlines throughout the transaction.

10. Final Walkthrough and Closing

Shortly before closing, the buyer conducts a final walkthrough to confirm that the property is vacant when required, in the agreed-upon condition, and ready for transfer.

We help you prepare for the walkthrough, coordinate access and keys, and address any final details. At closing, we transfer ownership and distribute funds according to the closing statement. Your attorney will guide you through the legal and financial documents.

Personalized Guidance from Start to Finish

No two New York City properties or sellers, are exactly alike. Whether you are selling a Manhattan co-op or condo, a Brooklyn townhouse, a Queens home, or an investment property, we create a strategy based on your circumstances.

From the initial valuation through closing, Candis and Brent provide responsive communication, thoughtful advice, and hands-on representation at every stage.

Thinking about selling? Contact Candis and Brent for a complimentary, confidential property consultation and market analysis.