The method
Pricing gets your home sellable. Marketing sells it.
How Carolyn Cardoza sells homes in Manteca and the Central Valley: pricing from real sales, getting the house ready, marketing it, and handling every offer.
The short version
Most agents list a home on the MLS and wait for a buyer to find it. That's where much of their work stops. I do it differently, because pricing a home right only makes it sellable. Marketing is what actually sells it.
When I sell a home in Manteca or anywhere else I work, I follow four steps in order. First I set the price from what's really happening in the market, and I never start high with a plan to come down later. Next I get the house ready and photographed, because buyers see your home on a screen long before they see it in person. Then I put it in front of buyers on the MLS, on Facebook and Instagram, and through paid ads and an email blast. Finally I launch it with a plan: an open house the first weekend and a way of reviewing offers that fits you.
Through all of it, you make the decisions and I carry them out. I'm not a slick salesperson. I show you the numbers, I tell you honestly what I see, and if you want to sleep on a decision, you can. Everything below is exactly what I do, so nothing about selling your home is a mystery. If you'd like a starting point, you can get a free home value first. I'm Carolyn Cardoza, a Broker Associate and REALTOR® with Realty 1 Team, and I've been selling homes in this part of the Central Valley since 2007.
Get My Free Home Value
Equity: Priced to sell from the first day
Before I put a number on your home, I walk through it with you. I look at it through a buyer's eyes, and I ask what you've done to it: upgrades and improvements, and features like a pool, the views, the outdoor space, the layout, and which direction the home faces. Those details are what make a buyer stop on one house and keep scrolling past another, and I can't find them from my desk.
Then I look at the market. I look at what has sold in your area in the past three months and what is for sale right now. I don't only look at price. I also look at how long homes are taking to sell, on average, and how close they're selling to their asking price. Those two numbers show me how buyers are really behaving, and they decide how I price your home.
Here's what I won't do. I won't suggest a high price to win your listing and then wait for the market to bring it down. Pricing high costs you the buyers who are paying the most attention in the first two weeks, and you end up chasing the market down instead of leading it. I would rather give you the real number on day one and show you how I got it.
The final price is your decision. I bring you the numbers and my honest read, and you choose. If you want to see where your own home stands before you decide anything, ask for your free home value.
Pricing gets your home sellable. Marketing sells it.
Presentation: A clean house, photographed once, photographed well
Buyers see your home in photos before they ever walk through the door, so getting the house ready comes first. I go room by room and tell you honestly what will help.
- Declutter and depersonalize. Put away the family photos and personal items so buyers can picture their own life in the house, and clean out the closets.
- Look at the details. I check the baseboards, and I'll tell you if something needs paint, including the front door.
- Tone down a bold color. If a room is painted something wild, I'll ask you to repaint it.
- Clean everything. Carpets, floors, and every surface.
Only after the house is clean do the photos happen. I always use professional photos, video, drone footage, and a 3D Matterport tour, and I don't schedule any of it until the house is ready, because this is your first showing and you only get one.
If you're moving out of a home you've lived in for years, this is often the hardest stage, because it means sorting through decades of belongings. I slow down for that part. You can read more about how I help on my downsizing page.
Impact: Shown where buyers actually look
A sign in the yard is not marketing. Here is what I actually do for every listing.
- The MLS. Your home goes on the MLS, where buyers' agents find it.
- A Facebook campaign. I run a marketing campaign for your home on my Facebook page, with a paid ad behind it to push it out to more people.
- My Instagram page. Your home gets posted there too.
- Open houses. I hold one the opening weekend, post it on Facebook and Instagram, and run a paid ad behind the open house as well.
- An email blast to other agents. Through Zip My Flyer, your home goes straight to agents' email inboxes in different counties, so buyers who work with agents outside the area see it too.
- Print. A sign in the yard and flyers in the flyer box.
The point of all of it is simple. The more of the right buyers who see your home, the more of them can compete for it. One interested buyer gives you an offer. Several give you a choice. I don't promise a number of views or a number of offers, because nobody honest can. I promise that your home gets put in front of buyers in all of these places, every time.
Campaign: A plan for launch day and every day after
I aim to have your home live on the MLS by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest, and I want it fully ready by then: staged, clean, the sign in the yard, and flyers in the flyer box. Once it's live, I schedule an open house for the opening weekend.
Offers are your choice. I ask whether you'd like me to present them as they come in or hold them until a day you pick, like the following Wednesday. Most sellers like to see them as they arrive. When a home is drawing a lot of interest, I tell everyone we'll review offers on a set day, because buyers always ask.
When an offer comes in, I read all of it and pull out the points that matter:
- the price
- any seller credit
- any repairs requested, or not requested
- whether it's conventional, all cash, or FHA, and what kind of loan it is
- the close of escrow date
I run a net sheet and a cover sheet that shows each point and what it costs you, or what the buyer is asking for. I talk to the buyer's agent, and I contact the lender to make sure the buyer is fully qualified and can close in the number of days they gave. Then I call you. We can meet, we can go over it on the phone, or I can send you the cover sheet to read first, whichever you prefer. Negotiating is my favorite part of the job. You decide, and I carry it out.
After you accept an offer, I let the appraiser in and give them the comps I used. The buyer schedules their inspections. If the buyer asks for repairs afterward, I show you the request, and you can say yes, say no, or offer a credit to the buyer at closing. Most sellers fix some of it, especially the safety items. Sometimes they say no to certain things, and sometimes they give a credit. If you need a few extra days after closing to finish moving, I ask for them in the contract.
I speak with you at least once a week, and that's the low end. If you want to talk more often, call me. Reach out here to start, or read how it works in Manteca.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I look at offers as they come in, or wait for a set day?
It's your choice. Most of my sellers like to see offers as they arrive. When a home is drawing a lot of interest, I'll announce a review day instead, usually the following Wednesday, because buyers always ask when offers will be looked at.
What happens if the buyer asks for repairs after the inspection?
I show you the request, and you have three choices: say yes, say no, or give the buyer a credit at closing. Most sellers fix some of it, especially the safety items.
How often will I hear from you while my home is on the market?
At least once a week, and that's the low end. If you want to hear from me more, just say so and call me any time.
Do I have to declutter and repaint before the photos?
I'll tell you honestly what matters. I look for a clean, depersonalized house, a front door and baseboards that don't need paint, and a bold-colored room I'd ask you to repaint. Photos happen only after the house is clean.
Why not price my home high and come down later?
Pricing high costs you the buyers who are paying the most attention in the first two weeks. You end up chasing the market down instead of leading it, so I give you a real number on day one.
Keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Carolyn Cardoza?