Pricing, preparation, marketing, smart negotiation, and the Purchase and Sale Agreement — the full process we use to get our clients to a happily accepted offer, on average in 6 days.
There is a moment in every listing presentation when the room gets quiet. The sellers have asked their questions, I have walked them through the plan, and then — in the pause before anyone reaches for the paperwork — one of them usually asks the version of the question they came in with: are you sure about the price?
I am always sure about the price when we have done the work to earn that confidence. The pricing conversation is the culmination of weeks of preparation: understanding the property, running the comparables carefully, reading the micro-market, and calibrating the strategy to what the seller is actually trying to accomplish. The question I take most seriously is not the one about price. It is the earlier one — are we ready? Because no pricing strategy works if the home is not in the right condition, photographed well, and launched into a market that has been prepared to receive it.
I have been running this process since 2007, approaching 2,000 sales across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The pattern that produces the best outcomes for sellers is consistent: the sellers who invest the month before listing, who follow a deliberate preparation and pricing protocol, and who trust the launch process — those sellers accept the best offers. The ones who want to skip steps, list quickly, and adjust later almost always end up with a worse outcome than the protocol would have produced. This guide covers the full process, without skipping anything.
Here is what selling a home with the Lisa Sevajian Group actually looks like, from first conversation to closing.
Selling a home is not a passive experience. The decisions made in the 30 days before you list — and in the first days after — determine more of your outcome than most sellers realize. This guide covers the full process: what to do before the photos are taken, how we price with strategy rather than optimism, what a real marketing launch looks like, and how we manage showings, offers, and negotiations on your behalf.
We have built our approach on nearly two decades of data from approaching 2,000 sales across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The protocol we use is deliberate, and the results are consistent.
An average of 6 days before our clients happily accept an offer. See how we get there.
The condition a home is in when it hits the market is the condition buyers will remember — and photograph, and share, and discuss with their agents. First impressions in real estate are formed online, before anyone sets foot through the door. The month before your listing date is when we do the work that creates those impressions.
Buyers need to be able to see the home — not the contents of it. Every item that remains in the space should serve the space or be genuinely attractive. Closets matter especially: buyers open them, and a closet packed to the ceiling signals inadequate storage regardless of actual dimensions. A temporary storage unit is often the most cost-effective investment a seller makes in the 30 days before launch.
A useful rule: if you would not want buyers to photograph an item, remove it. Everything visible during a showing will be visible in the listing photos — because professional photographers document what is there, accurately.
Not all repairs are worth doing before listing, but some are clearly worth the investment. We do a pre-listing walkthrough with every client and produce a prioritized list in three categories:
The goal of this process is maximum net proceeds — not maximum spend before listing. A full kitchen renovation rarely returns dollar-for-dollar. A fresh coat of paint on heavily marked walls almost always does.
We coordinate staging recommendations for every listing. In some cases this means rearranging existing furniture; in others it means bringing in selected pieces for specific rooms. The goal is for rooms to read clearly in photographs: the function of each space immediately apparent, proportions correct, and the overall impression clean and livable rather than either sterile or cluttered.
The staging decisions that matter most are often the simplest ones: removing excess furniture to improve traffic flow, repositioning a reading chair to catch natural light, swapping out a busy area rug for a neutral one. Buyers evaluate square footage emotionally, not with tape measures.
We use photographers who specialize in residential real estate — not wide-angle distorted shots that make rooms appear larger than they are and leave buyers disappointed at showings. Accurate, well-lit, well-composed photography generates more qualified interest than photography engineered to deceive.
Before the photographer arrives, deep-clean the property: baseboards, grout lines, light fixtures, and windows all photograph differently when clean. This investment is measured in hours, not dollars, and it visibly affects how the listing performs in online search.
For properties above certain price points, we include video walkthroughs. Where the lot, location, or architectural features justify it, aerial footage adds a dimension that ground-level photography cannot.
Price is the most powerful variable in how a listing performs, and it is the one sellers most often want to set by instinct rather than analysis. We use three distinct pricing frameworks depending on the property, the seller's timeline, and current market conditions. We present all three options with the tradeoffs of each — the final decision is yours, made with full information.
Positioned slightly below recent comparable sales to generate competitive, immediate interest. The goal is multiple offers, urgency, and a final sale price that exceeds asking — driven by buyer competition rather than seller hope. Works best in markets with active buyer demand and limited comparable inventory.
Aligned precisely with what similar homes have recently sold for. Clean, predictable, and defensible. This model attracts serious buyers without creating artificial urgency — the right choice when the data is clear and the seller prefers a smooth, single-offer path to closing.
Used when a property has genuinely rare features, limited comparable data, or when the seller has longer timeline flexibility. Aspirational pricing targets buyers willing to pay a premium for something that cannot be easily replicated. Requires patience and a well-executed marketing strategy.
The model we recommend depends on your timeline, your equity position, your appetite for negotiation, and what the current market is doing. No two listings get the same recommendation. For a deeper look at how we approach pricing, see our pricing strategy page.
If a listing is not generating offers after a reasonable period of exposure, that is almost always a pricing signal from the market. We call the appropriate response a market adjustment — not a reduction. The market is communicating information, and we respond strategically: reviewing showing data, agent feedback, and competing inventory together to determine the right level for repositioning. A market adjustment executed at the correct threshold and timed correctly re-engages buyer interest effectively. A market adjustment executed too slowly or incrementally often compounds the problem.
Every agent claims to market listings. The difference is in what that marketing actually consists of and how deliberately it is executed.
The MLS (Multiple Listing Service) is the primary distribution channel for residential real estate in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Every cooperating buyer's agent accesses listing inventory through the MLS. How a listing is entered — description language, room dimensions, feature keywords, photo sequence, days-on-market clock — affects its visibility and how both buyers and buyer's agents evaluate it initially. We write MLS listings with the same intentionality we bring to every other element of the launch.
Your listing syndicates from the MLS to Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, and dozens of downstream platforms where buyers actually search. Beyond syndication, our social media distribution targets relevant buyer demographics in the markets most likely to produce a buyer for your specific property — not generic real estate followers. The targeting is based on the actual buyer profile for homes at your price point and location.
Beyond public marketing, we have direct relationships with buyer's agents across Massachusetts and New Hampshire who represent active buyers. For listings that match known active buyer criteria, we make direct contact before or concurrent with the public launch. A buyer's agent who calls their client about your listing the morning it goes live moves faster and with more conviction than one who discovers it while browsing the MLS at the end of the day. For a full view of what this looks like in practice, see our marketing launch overview.
After your listing goes live, the quality of buyer traffic matters as much as the quantity. We coordinate all showing appointments, maintain a secure access system, and gather structured feedback from every showing agent.
Substantive showing feedback includes pricing commentary, space observations, neighborhood questions, and condition notes. When multiple agents independently report the same concern — whether about pricing, a specific room, or a feature — that pattern is data worth taking seriously. When feedback is consistently positive and offers are not materializing, the price is almost always the issue.
Not all feedback warrants action. Buyers report objections that are sometimes idiosyncratic to their situation and not reflective of the broader market. Our job is to distinguish between feedback that represents one buyer's preference and feedback that represents a systemic market signal. We review showing data with you regularly and make recommendations based on patterns, not individual opinions.
Buyers tour more freely and evaluate the home more honestly when the seller is not present. They ask their agent candid questions, spend time in rooms without feeling observed, and form their genuine impression of the space. Sellers who are present during showings — however well-intentioned — tend to compress the time buyers spend in the home and inhibit honest feedback. We set up a secure lockbox and coordinate all scheduling.
If early showings reveal that a particular space is consistently confusing buyers — a dining room being used as an office, a bonus room with unclear function — small adjustments can shift buyer perception meaningfully without requiring a market adjustment. We make these recommendations as part of our ongoing engagement, not only at the outset.
When offers arrive, our role shifts to strategic advisor. We present every offer completely and explain its terms — not just its price.
When multiple offers arrive simultaneously, we manage the process to strengthen your outcome. Depending on the situation, this might mean calling for highest-and-best offers by a deadline, negotiating directly with the strongest offer, or a combination approach. We advise on each situation individually based on the specific offers and the seller's priorities.
Buyers increasingly submit offers with escalation clauses that automatically beat competing bids up to a cap. We know how to read and respond to these structures. An escalation clause tells you the buyer's ceiling — useful information in a counter-offer scenario. We advise on how to handle escalation clauses in ways that serve your interests, including when to call for highest-and-best instead of accepting the escalation mechanism at face value.
An offer at a premium price with a weak financing contingency, a long inspection period, or an unresolved appraisal gap creates a different risk profile than a clean offer at slightly less. We analyze the full picture for every offer:
After accepting an offer, both parties execute the Purchase and Sale Agreement — the definitive contract governing the entire transaction. In Massachusetts, this document is typically executed within ten days of the accepted Offer to Purchase. The buyer's deposit, usually 5% of the purchase price, is due at signing. This deposit is held in escrow and is generally at risk if the buyer defaults after contingencies are satisfied.
The Purchase and Sale Agreement covers all final terms: purchase price, closing date, personal property included or excluded, seller representations about the property's condition, inspection deadlines, and contingency language. Your attorney reviews this document on your behalf before you sign. We coordinate closely with your attorney throughout this phase — reviewing timelines, flagging any terms that warrant discussion, and ensuring every clause is clearly understood before execution.
Common negotiating points within the Purchase and Sale Agreement include:
The period between an accepted offer and closing day is where transactions either run smoothly or develop complications. Our job is to actively manage this period so you are never surprised by what is coming next.
After the Purchase and Sale Agreement is signed, the buyer's inspection period begins. A licensed inspector will evaluate the property's structural components, mechanical systems, roof, foundation, and more. We advise on any inspection-related repair requests that follow. Our approach: evaluate which requests are reasonable to accommodate and which represent buyer overreach on items that are standard for a home of the age and price point. The goal is to resolve inspection items without the transaction falling apart — while also not over-conceding on items that every comparable home in the market would present.
In some cases, sellers choose to conduct a pre-listing inspection and disclose findings upfront. This approach removes the uncertainty of the inspection period and can be a powerful signal of transparency to buyers in competitive situations.
The buyer's lender orders an independent appraisal to confirm that the property value supports the loan amount. If the appraisal comes in below the purchase price, we navigate the resulting negotiation. Options include: a market adjustment to the purchase price, a buyer-paid appraisal gap, a split difference, or — in rare cases where the buyer has no financing flexibility — a transaction unwind. We advise on which path to take based on the offers in hand and market conditions at the time.
In the final week before closing, we confirm the buyer's walk-through, verify that any agreed repairs have been completed and documented, and coordinate with your attorney on the closing disclosure and final proceeds figures. Closing in Massachusetts and New Hampshire is conducted by attorneys at a title company or law office. In most cases, the seller and buyer close separately; your attorney represents you in reviewing and signing the deed and any other documents required to transfer title.
After closing, the title transfers, the deed is recorded at the Registry of Deeds, and the proceeds are disbursed to your account — typically same day or next business day, depending on the lender and title company. Our work with you does not end at the closing table. We remain available for any questions in the weeks that follow, and we regularly hear from past clients months and years later.
Ready to understand what your home is worth in the current market? Request a market evaluation or view our recent sales across Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
On average, our clients happily accept an offer within 6 days of going on the market. This is the LSG selling protocol — not a coincidence. It is the result of deliberate 30-day pre-launch preparation, accurate pricing, and a marketing launch engineered to generate immediate, competitive interest. Homes that are overpriced or under-prepared sit longer and typically sell for less than a well-positioned home would have.
The right answer depends on the repair, the price point, and the market. Some repairs have clear positive ROI — fixing a known water issue, replacing a failed HVAC system, or repainting heavily marked walls. Others, like a full kitchen renovation, rarely return dollar-for-dollar. We conduct a pre-listing walkthrough with every seller and produce a prioritized list of what to address, what to leave, and what to disclose upfront. The goal is maximum net proceeds — not maximum spend before listing.
We use three distinct pricing strategies. Energy pricing positions the home slightly below recent comparable sales to generate competitive, immediate interest — often resulting in multiple offers and a final sale price above asking. Market-Based pricing aligns with recent comparable sales for a clean, predictable outcome. Aspirational pricing is used when a property has genuinely unique features or limited comparable data, and targets buyers willing to pay a premium. We present all three options and the tradeoffs of each. See our pricing strategy page for more detail.
When multiple offers arrive, we present each one transparently and walk you through the complete picture — not just price, but contingencies, financing strength, flexibility on timing, and escalation clause structures. The highest offer is not always the best offer. We help you evaluate the full risk profile of each and negotiate terms that protect your interests through to closing.
If a listing is not generating offers, it is almost always a pricing signal from the market. A market adjustment means repositioning the price to better reflect what buyers are willing to pay — it is a strategic decision. We review showing data, feedback, and competing inventory together to determine whether an adjustment makes sense and at what level it will re-engage buyer interest effectively.
No — and in most cases, it is better if you are not. Buyers tour more freely and evaluate the home more honestly when the seller is not present. We coordinate all showing appointments and gather structured feedback after each one, which we share with you as part of our regular check-ins.
In Massachusetts, sellers typically pay the real estate excise tax (stamp tax) at $4.56 per $1,000 of the sale price, plus agent commissions, attorney fees, and any agreed-upon buyer credits. In New Hampshire, the state transfer tax is split equally — $0.75 per $100 of consideration from each party. Total seller-side closing costs in both states typically run 7% to 9% of the sale price when agent commissions are included. We provide a full net proceeds estimate before you decide to list.
The Purchase and Sale Agreement is the definitive contract governing the real estate transaction, executed after both parties agree to the initial Offer to Purchase. In Massachusetts, it is typically executed within ten days of offer acceptance, and the buyer's deposit — usually 5% of the purchase price — is due at signing. The Purchase and Sale Agreement covers all final terms: price, closing date, included items, seller representations, and contingency deadlines. Your attorney reviews this document before you sign.
Let's talk through your timeline, your home, and what the current market in your specific neighborhood looks like. No pressure — just a conversation.