The home selling process might seem overwhelming.
What does it consist of? What will you have to do? How do you get started? How much does it cost? And how do you make sure you get a fair price for your home?
Those are all questions that — naturally — home sellers in Dallas want answers to.
Here, we’re going to give you an overview of the home selling process here in Polk County. You’ll learn about the traditional route most people take, as well as a faster alternative that more and more Willamette Valley homeowners are choosing.
Let’s dive in!
Want to sell as-is for cash? There’s an easier way to sell your Dallas home than what we’re about to describe. If you’d like to learn about it, get a fair cash offer today or give us a call at (503) 379-9572.
The Traditional Home Selling Process in Dallas, OR
The traditional home selling process is the route most people take — they find a real estate agent, list on the MLS, repair and update, market the property, negotiate, pay for inspections and appraisals, wait out escrow, and finally close.
All in all, this process takes an average of about 90 days from listing to closing — and in Dallas specifically, homes have recently been sitting on the market closer to 94 days before they sell. Add the time it takes to find an agent and prep your home, and you’re often looking at three to four months from start to finish.
Here are the details.
1. Find the Right Agent
The first step is to find a real estate agent you can trust — someone who’s been working in Dallas and the surrounding Polk County area for a long time, and someone who has a solid reputation.
Google is a great place to start your research. Check reviews, call around, ask questions, and find out how much their commission is going to cost you (usually somewhere between 3% and 6% of your sale price).
It’s also worth asking about their process — how do they market homes? How long do their Dallas listings usually take to sell? What does their negotiation approach look like?
2. Choose a Price
Once you’ve found a trustworthy agent, it’s time to choose a price.
Your agent should be able to advise you on a good listing price, but it’s worth doing a bit of your own research to double-check their opinion.
Look at other similar homes that have sold recently in Dallas — whether that’s an older home near the historic downtown core or a newer build out toward the foothills — and compare your own listing price against them. Does it make sense? If not, check back in with your agent.
3. Create a Marketing Plan
Next, your agent will put together a marketing plan.
They will (or should — if they don’t, find a new agent) take photos of your house, write up the listing copy, and post it on the MLS. They might also schedule open houses and encourage you to repair, clean, or update certain parts of the property before going live.
4. Repair, Update, and Stage
Buyers today want move-in-ready homes — the prettier they are, the easier they sell.
Your agent will advise you on what to do to make the home as appealing as possible. This usually includes cleaning, repairing, and updating parts of the property, and those costs fall on your shoulders. For many of the classic older homes around Dallas, that can add up quickly.
5. Prepare for Showings
Up next are showings.
You — the owner — will typically want to be out of the house during this period so the buyer’s agent can show the home in private. Your agent will let you know when showings and open houses are happening so you can plan to be elsewhere.
6. Negotiate
After someone makes an offer, you and your agent will review it and do one of three things:
- Reject it
- Accept it
- Counter it
This kicks off the negotiation process, where you and the buyer — through your agents — work toward an agreement you can both live with.
7. Appraisal and Inspections
If you and the buyer agree on a price, the buyer will likely need (or want) to do an appraisal along with some inspections.
The appraisal is usually required by the buyer’s mortgage lender to confirm the home is worth what it’s being purchased for. The inspections are there to surface any hidden damage.
If problems turn up during inspection, you may be on the hook to fix them before closing — or to renegotiate the price.
8. Closing
Finally, closing.
This is where the transaction wraps up and everyone pays their dues to the title company, the agents, and any other fees. Closing costs typically run around 10% of the sale price and are split between buyer and seller — so this can get pretty spendy fast.
The Alternative Home Selling Process
As you can see, the traditional home selling process is a bit long-winded — and in a neutral market like Dallas, where homes can take three months or more to sell, that’s a lot of waiting, prepping, and out-of-pocket spending.
For those of you who want to skip the headache, there’s an alternative. At Simple Home Offer, we buy Dallas homes as-is for cash. Here’s how our process works: we make offers within 48 hours, close within two weeks, and we even pay all closing costs. There are no commissions, no repairs, no hidden fees, and no strings attached.
That means no agent hunting, no staging, no months of showings, and no surprise inspection bills. You pick the closing date that works for you.
If you’d like to learn more — or you just want to see what we’re about first — give us a call at (503) 379-9572. We’re always happy to chat with homeowners here in our favorite corner of the Willamette Valley.
Ready to skip the 90-day grind? Request your free, no-obligation cash offer today.