So, now is the time to start planning. A professional evaluation of your home is the first step. Improvements to your home and special features must all be considered as well as recent sale prices of similar homes in your area -- then the "listing" price can be set. The "listing agreement" is a contract between the vendor (you) and a professional real estate representative. You will know exactly what to expect from your representative when he or she signs this agreement -- a very important matter when it comes to parting advantageously with your most valuable asset!

One of the tasks of your sales representative is to fully detail and document your home for the purposes of the listing and future sale. The style and construction, room and lot sizes, fixtures, heating and air conditioning systems and other physical features must be carefully recorded. On the financial and legal side, taxes, mortgage details, easements and liens against the property are critical to document.

While an "exclusive listing" may sound "upscale", it is not nearly as beneficial as a "Multiple Listing Service" or "MLS" listing. Your sales representative is obligated to personally work for you -- but you are assured that he or she will make full use of all of the valuable services of other "sub-agents" available in the local real estate industry.