Your Home-Selling Goals Come First: Here's Why

By Brandie Jones

With nearly 20 years of experience and hundreds of homes sold since 2006, Brandie Jones is known for putting people first.

Before you put a sign in the yard, it’s worth answering one question honestly: what are you really trying to get out of selling your home? Getting clear on your motivations is one of the most important steps in the whole process, and it’s the one sellers most often skip. Deciding to sell is rarely a spur-of-the-moment choice. Most people have thought about it for a while and usually have more than one reason for doing it, and for couples, those reasons can sometimes pull in different directions. Sorting that out up front changes everything that comes after.

Your why drives the whole strategy. To get the best result, you need to be crystal clear on why you’re selling and what your goals are, because your agent’s entire approach to marketing and negotiation is built on your specific needs. Even the best agent will struggle to deliver if they don’t actually know what you’re aiming for. That’s why I start here with every seller, before we talk about anything else. When I understand what you need and want most, I can build a plan around it instead of guessing.

Two identical homes, two different plans. Picture two scenarios. In the first, someone needs to move quickly to care for a sick parent across the country. They don’t want to lose money on the sale, but moving fast matters more to them than squeezing out every dollar. In the second, an individual or couple is in no rush and is selling to upgrade, so their aim is to get as much money as possible from the sale. Even if these two homes are identical and sit in the same neighborhood, a good agent would approach them very differently. The first seller might be advised to price slightly below market to secure a quick sale, while the second might consider minor renovations that add value before listing to reach a higher price. The home didn’t change. The goal did, and so did the wholepricing and selling strategy.

These are the levers I adjust. Once I know your goals, I can tailor several specific aspects of the deal to fit them. The length of the escrow. Cash versus a loan. Whether you renovate or sell as-is. How contingencies are handled. Rent-back options if you need time in the home after closing. Whether we entertain backup offers. When you’re clear on what you want, each of these becomes a tool I can use to serve your situation rather than a blind decision.

Clear goals make every decision easier. During a sale, you’ll face a lot of decisions, and they come faster than most sellers expect. When you’ve taken the time to clarify your goals at the start, the majority of those choices get much easier and far less stressful, because you already know what you’re optimizing for. Being clear about what you need and want doesn’t just shape the strategy; it makes the entire process smoother from start to finish.

Ask any agent these questions first. Before you hire anyone, it’s fair to ask them a few direct questions to them. How will you help me clarify my goals and priorities for selling? How do you tailor your strategy to my specific needs and motivations? Can you give me real examples of adjusting your approach for different situations, like a quick sale versus getting top dollar? How do you balance my financial goals with what the market will actually support when you set the right listing price? How do you ensure my priorities are protected during negotiations, and can you provide examples? And how do you handle it when a couple’s goals conflict? The answers will tell you a lot about who’s really going to work for you.

When you’re clear on your goals, we can build a winning strategy together, and that’s exactly the conversation I love to have with sellers. If you’re thinking about selling your Los Angeles County home and want to start by clarifying what matters most to you, reach out to me, Brandie Jones, with the Kingdom Realty Team at Keller Williams. Call or text me at 310-930-5495, email me at bjones@kingdomrealtyteam.com, or visit blog.kingdomrealtyteam.com. I’d love to help you sell on your terms.