Claudia Backus, MBA

Author: Claudia Backus, MBA

What Happens at the Final Walkthrough? What California Home Sellers Should Know Before Closing

When a home sale is getting close to the finish line, sellers are usually focused on moving, packing, paperwork, and everything that needs to happen before they hand over the property. Somewhere in those final days, another step often takes place: the buyer’s final walkthrough.

The name can make it sound like another home inspection, but that is not really the purpose.

A final walkthrough generally gives the buyer an opportunity to see the property shortly before closing and confirm that its condition is consistent with what is required under the purchase agreement. For sellers, understanding what the buyer is looking for can make those last few days much easier and help avoid unnecessary surprises when everyone is trying to complete the transaction.

A Final Walkthrough Is Different From an Inspection

Earlier in a transaction, a buyer may conduct inspections and other investigations to learn about the property. Those investigations can involve examining the roof, plumbing, electrical systems, foundation, appliances, or other aspects of the home.

The final walkthrough happens for a different reason.

By this point, the buyer has already had the opportunity to investigate the property according to the terms of the agreement. The final walkthrough is generally about confirming the property’s condition before closing rather than beginning a new investigation of the home.

For a seller, this distinction is important because the walkthrough should not feel like starting the transaction all over again.

The Buyer Wants to See That the Home Is Still in the Expected Condition

A lot can happen between the day an offer is accepted and the day a transaction closes.

Furniture gets moved. Boxes are packed. Movers come through the house. Walls that were previously hidden behind furniture become visible. Occasionally something gets damaged during the process of moving out.

The buyer will generally want to confirm that the property remains in the condition required by the agreement.

This is one reason I think sellers benefit from looking at their home with fresh eyes once most of their belongings have been removed. When you have lived somewhere for years, it is easy to overlook small things. An empty room can make something much easier to notice.

Agreed Upon Repairs Should Be Completed

Sometimes a buyer and seller agree during the transaction that certain repairs will be made before closing.

If that has happened, the final walkthrough may give the buyer an opportunity to confirm that the agreed upon work has been completed.

Sellers should keep documentation relating to repairs when appropriate, including invoices or receipts that may be relevant to the transaction. If a contractor performed work, having the information organized can make it easier to answer questions if they arise.

The last few days before closing are usually not the ideal time to discover that an agreed upon repair was forgotten.

Keeping track of commitments made during the transaction can help prevent that situation.

Be Careful What You Remove From the Property

Moving out of a home can become hectic, and sellers may be deciding what goes with them, what gets donated, and what stays behind.

This is where the purchase agreement matters again.

Certain items may be included in the sale while others are excluded, depending on what the parties agreed to. Fixtures, appliances, window coverings, outdoor items, televisions and their mounting equipment, or other property can sometimes become sources of confusion if expectations are not clear.

Before removing something that could reasonably be connected to the sale, sellers should review the agreement and ask questions if they are uncertain.

It is much easier to clarify an item before it is loaded onto a moving truck than to resolve a disagreement about it afterward.

As sellers prepare to move, reviewing what should remain with the property and making sure agreed upon repairs are complete can help the final walkthrough proceed more smoothly.

An Empty Home Should Still Be Cared For

Once the furniture is gone, sellers sometimes feel as though the home is no longer really theirs. Emotionally, they may already be thinking about the next chapter.

Legally and practically, however, the transaction has not finished until it has actually closed.

The property still needs attention.

Utilities may need to remain available as required for the transaction. The home should be left in the condition required by the agreement, and sellers should continue taking reasonable care of the property until the appropriate time.

I think this is particularly important because moving is exhausting. After packing an entire house, it is understandable that a seller may simply want to close the door and be finished. A little attention during those final days, however, can help the closing proceed more smoothly.

What if the Buyer Finds a Problem?

If a buyer notices something during the final walkthrough, it does not automatically mean the transaction will fall apart.

The significance of the issue depends on what happened, what the contract requires, and the particular circumstances.

Perhaps something that was supposed to remain with the property has been removed. Maybe agreed upon work appears incomplete. There could be new damage that occurred while the seller was moving.

Whatever the issue is, communication becomes important.

Rather than immediately assuming the worst, the parties can identify the concern and determine what needs to happen based on the agreement and the circumstances. If the issue involves contractual rights or a significant dispute, appropriate professional or legal guidance may also be necessary.

Sellers Can Prepare for the Walkthrough

A final walkthrough should not need to be stressful.

Before it happens, sellers can make sure agreed upon repairs have been addressed, review which items are supposed to remain with the property, remove belongings according to the agreement, and look around for any damage that may have occurred during the move.

It can also help to gather keys, remotes, access devices, and other property related items that will eventually need to be transferred.

I like the idea of treating this stage as preparing the home for its next owner rather than simply moving out of it.

For many sellers, a home carries years of memories. Someone else is about to walk through the door and begin making memories of their own. Taking a little care with that transition is practical, but I think there is something meaningful about it too.

The Final Walkthrough Is One of the Last Steps Toward Closing

By the time the final walkthrough occurs, a seller may have spent weeks or months preparing the home, marketing it, reviewing offers, completing disclosures, responding to inspections, working through contingencies, and preparing to move.

The transaction is almost complete.

Understanding what happens during the final walkthrough can help sellers approach it as another normal part of the process rather than an unexpected last minute hurdle.

Real estate transactions involve many steps, and homeowners do not need to know all of them before deciding to sell. My belief is that understanding each step as it arrives makes the entire process feel much more manageable.

The final walkthrough is simply one of those steps, and with a little preparation, it can help bring the seller and buyer closer to a successful closing and the beginning of whatever comes next for both of them.

With gratitude and a heart for service,

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker
REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside of Los Angeles

September 9, 2026
What Is an Earnest Money Deposit? What California Home Sellers Should Know

When a homeowner receives an offer, attention naturally goes to the purchase price. After that, sellers may start looking at the other numbers in the offer, including the amount of the buyer’s deposit.

The earnest money deposit is an important part of a real estate transaction, but I think it is also one of those terms people hear frequently without necessarily knowing exactly what it means.

If you are selling a home in California, understanding the purpose of the deposit can help you read an offer more thoughtfully. It is one part of the agreement between buyer and seller, and like so many things in real estate, it should be considered together with the rest of the contract rather than viewed by itself.

What Is an Earnest Money Deposit?

An earnest money deposit is money a buyer agrees to deposit in connection with the purchase of a property after an offer has been accepted, according to the terms of the purchase agreement.

You may also hear it called an initial deposit or simply a deposit.

The money is generally placed with the escrow holder rather than handed directly from the buyer to the seller. If the transaction closes, the deposit is typically credited toward the amount the buyer owes as part of the purchase.

From a seller’s perspective, the deposit is one indication that the buyer is financially committed to moving forward with the transaction, but sellers should be careful about assuming that a large deposit automatically guarantees a closing.

The contract still matters.

The Deposit Is Not the Same as the Down Payment

It is easy to confuse a buyer’s deposit with the down payment, but they are not the same thing.

The down payment is the portion of the purchase price the buyer is paying from the buyer’s own funds rather than financing through a loan. The earnest money deposit is money delivered earlier in the transaction pursuant to the purchase agreement.

For example, a buyer could be making a substantial down payment while initially depositing a much smaller amount into escrow. The deposit would generally become part of the funds ultimately applied toward the purchase if the transaction successfully closes.

Understanding this distinction helps sellers evaluate the financial terms of an offer more accurately.

How Much Is the Deposit?

There is no single deposit amount that makes sense for every transaction.

The amount is something addressed in the purchase agreement, and what buyers offer can depend on the property, price, market conditions, negotiations, and other circumstances.

Sellers sometimes focus heavily on whether one buyer is offering a larger deposit than another. A larger deposit may be meaningful, but it should not be considered without looking at the rest of the offer.

A buyer’s financing, contingency periods, closing timeline, down payment, and other contractual terms can all affect the overall strength of the transaction.

As with purchase price, one number rarely tells the entire story.

What Happens to the Deposit if the Buyer Cancels?

This is where understanding the contract becomes especially important.

People sometimes assume that if a buyer cancels a real estate transaction, the seller automatically receives the buyer’s deposit. That is not necessarily the case.

The buyer’s and seller’s rights depend on the purchase agreement, the circumstances surrounding the cancellation, applicable contingencies, whether contractual requirements were satisfied, and other facts specific to the transaction.

California real estate contracts can contain detailed provisions regarding deposits, contingencies, cancellations, and potential remedies. A seller should not assume that money sitting in escrow automatically belongs to the seller simply because the transaction does not close.

When a transaction becomes complicated or there is a disagreement about a deposit, appropriate professional and legal guidance can become particularly important.

An earnest money deposit is generally held in escrow during the transaction and is one part of the larger agreement between a buyer and seller.

Contingencies and the Deposit Are Connected

This is one reason sellers should understand contingencies when reviewing an offer.

A buyer may have contractual rights associated with investigations, financing, appraisal, or other matters depending on the agreement. The existence, timing, and removal of contingencies can affect what happens during the transaction.

This does not mean a seller needs to become an expert in every contract provision before accepting an offer. It does mean that the deposit should not be viewed separately from the rest of the agreement.

If I were looking at two offers for a seller, I would not want the conversation to stop at which buyer offered the larger deposit. I would want to understand the complete picture.

Pay Attention to When the Deposit Is Due

The amount of the deposit is important, but so is the timing.

The purchase agreement addresses when the buyer is expected to deliver the deposit. Once a property enters escrow, deadlines begin to matter, and both sides should understand what the contract requires.

For a seller, knowing whether required steps are occurring on time is part of staying informed during the transaction.

This is also why good communication during escrow matters. Sellers should not have to wonder whether important contractual milestones have occurred. They should understand where the transaction stands and what comes next.

A Large Deposit Does Not Make Every Other Term Disappear

Imagine receiving two offers.

One buyer offers a larger deposit but has terms that create additional uncertainty. Another offers a somewhat smaller deposit but has financing and other terms that may make the transaction attractive to the seller.

Which offer is better?

There is not enough information to answer that question based on the deposit alone.

This is something I think homeowners should understand before they ever receive an offer. Real estate offers are packages of terms. Purchase price matters. The deposit matters. Financing matters. Contingencies matter. Timing matters. The seller’s own priorities matter.

Looking at the complete offer helps put each individual number into perspective.

Understanding the Deposit Helps Sellers Ask Better Questions

Selling a home involves many unfamiliar terms, and I do not think homeowners should ever feel embarrassed about asking what something means.

Most people do not spend their everyday lives reading real estate purchase agreements.

If you see an earnest money deposit in an offer and are unsure how it affects your transaction, ask questions. Understand how much is being deposited, when it is due, where it will be held, and how the deposit relates to the other terms of the agreement.

The goal is not to memorize a real estate contract. The goal is to understand what you are agreeing to before you sign it.

For a seller, the earnest money deposit is an important piece of an offer, but it is still only one piece. Looking at it in the context of the complete transaction can help you make a more informed decision when the time comes to choose whether an offer is right for you.

With gratitude and a heart for service,

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker I REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside of Los Angeles

September 9, 2026
Can AI Write a Real Estate Listing Description? What Sellers Should Know Before Using It

Artificial intelligence can write a real estate listing description in seconds. Give it the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, a few property features, and some information about the neighborhood, and it can quickly produce polished language describing the home.

As someone who enjoys learning about artificial intelligence and also works in real estate, I find this incredibly useful. I also think it is a good example of why using AI well requires more than simply asking it to write something and copying the answer.

A listing description is advertising a real property. The words need to be appealing, but they also need to accurately represent the home. Sellers should understand that AI can be a helpful writing assistant, but it does not know the property unless someone gives it accurate information, and it does not take responsibility for checking whether what it writes is true.

AI Can Be Very Helpful With the First Draft

Writing about a home can be surprisingly difficult, especially when you are trying to describe a property you know very well.

A homeowner may immediately think of the things that matter personally, such as the kitchen where the family gathers or the backyard where the children play. A real estate professional may be thinking about the property’s floor plan, location, architectural details, recent improvements, and features that could be important to prospective buyers.

AI can help organize all of that information into a starting point.

For example, if I provide accurate details about a property, I can ask AI to help organize those details, identify information that deserves more attention, or create an initial description that I can then review and revise.

That can save time, but saving time should not mean skipping judgment.

AI Only Knows What We Tell It

One of the most important things to understand about AI generated writing is that confident language does not necessarily mean accurate language.

If an AI system does not have enough information, it may make assumptions or introduce details that sound perfectly reasonable but are not actually true about the property.

Imagine a home with a beautiful outdoor space. AI might be tempted to describe it as private, peaceful, or ideal for entertaining. Those words may sound attractive, but are they accurate? Perhaps the yard is visible from neighboring properties. Perhaps the seller has never used it for entertaining. Perhaps there is another, more precise way to describe what is actually there.

This is why every factual statement in AI generated real estate content should be reviewed by a person who understands the property.

The goal is not to make a home sound as impressive as possible. The goal is to describe its strengths accurately and effectively.

Good Real Estate Writing Is More Than a List of Adjectives

One thing I have noticed about AI writing is how easily it can become filled with words such as stunning, luxurious, exceptional, breathtaking, and spectacular.

Sometimes those descriptions may be appropriate. When every room is stunning and every feature is exceptional, however, the words begin to lose their meaning.

I prefer real estate writing that helps someone understand the property.

What makes the floor plan useful? How does the indoor space connect with the outdoors? Is there a first floor bedroom that could serve a particular practical purpose? Does the kitchen have a walk in pantry? Is there additional storage that might not be obvious from the photographs?

Specific information can often tell a home’s story better than a long collection of adjectives.

AI can help with the writing, but someone still needs to decide what is genuinely worth saying.

Fair Housing Rules Still Matter When AI Is Doing the Writing

There is another important consideration that should never disappear simply because technology is involved.

Real estate advertising is subject to fair housing laws. Certain language about people, families, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics can create serious problems in real estate marketing.

AI does not remove the responsibility to comply with those rules.

A person using AI to help prepare real estate advertising should still carefully review the language before publishing it. Technology may assist with a draft, but the person using the technology remains responsible for how that content is ultimately used.

This is an area where convenience should never replace careful review.

AI Cannot Walk Through the Home

A photograph and a list of property features can tell us a lot, but they do not tell us everything.

When you physically walk through a home, you notice details that may never appear in the basic property data. You notice the way rooms connect, where natural light enters, whether there is an unexpected storage area, how the backyard relates to the living space, and which features are likely to stand out when buyers visit.

Those observations can change the way a property should be described.

This is one reason I do not think the question is whether AI or a person should write the listing description. I think the more useful question is how a person can use AI without giving up the knowledge and judgment that come from actually understanding the home.

Understanding a home in person can reveal details that photographs and property data alone may not capture, helping create a more accurate and meaningful listing description.

Sellers Should Read the Description Too

Before a listing description is published, I think sellers should read it.

They know their home in a way nobody else does. They may notice an inaccurate detail, remember an improvement that deserves to be mentioned, or point out something important that was overlooked.

That does not mean every personal detail belongs in a listing. It means the seller can be another valuable source of information when making sure the description accurately reflects the property.

AI can make the writing process faster, but communication between people still matters.

The Best AI Generated Description Should Not Feel AI Generated

To me, this is where AI becomes most useful.

I do not want a property description to sound as though a computer wrote it. I want technology to help organize information and make the writing process more efficient while the final description still sounds natural, accurate, and appropriate for the individual home.

That requires editing. It requires removing exaggerated language, checking facts, considering fair housing requirements, and sometimes rewriting entire sections because the first version simply does not sound right.

Artificial intelligence can be a very capable assistant in real estate marketing, but it should not be treated as an automatic publishing button.

Used thoughtfully, AI can help us spend less time staring at a blank page and more time deciding what information actually matters. For sellers, that distinction is important because the goal is not simply to produce more words about a home. It is to communicate what makes the property worth seeing while making sure those words remain accurate and responsible.

With gratitude and a heart for service,

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker
REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside of Los Angeles

September 3, 2026
Can AI Help Price a Home? What Los Angeles Sellers Should Know About Automated Valuations

Artificial intelligence can analyze enormous amounts of information in seconds. It can recognize patterns, compare data, summarize market information, and help us make sense of numbers that might otherwise take much longer to review.

So it is understandable that homeowners may wonder: Can AI simply tell me what my home is worth?

The answer is more interesting than a simple yes or no.

AI and automated valuation tools can be incredibly useful when evaluating real estate. They can give homeowners a starting point and help identify patterns in a local market. But pricing a home for sale involves something technology still cannot fully understand from data alone: the individual home, the circumstances surrounding the sale, and the behavior of buyers in that particular market.

Understanding what AI can do, and where human judgment still matters, can help homeowners use these tools more wisely.

What Is an Automated Home Valuation?

Many homeowners have already encountered automated home valuations online, even if they have never thought of them as a form of technology driven analysis.

These estimates typically use information from public records, property characteristics, previous sales, nearby transactions, and other available market data to calculate an estimated value.

More sophisticated systems can process very large amounts of information and identify relationships within that data much faster than a person could manually.

That ability is valuable.

If hundreds of homes have recently sold within a particular area, technology can quickly organize those transactions by characteristics such as location, square footage, bedroom count, lot size, and sale price.

But organizing information and interpreting a particular home are not exactly the same thing.

A Home Is More Than Its Data Points

Two homes can appear remarkably similar on paper and still feel completely different when you walk through the front door.

Imagine two houses located only a few streets apart. They have similar square footage, the same number of bedrooms, comparable lot sizes, and were built around the same time.

An automated model may reasonably view them as close comparisons.

But perhaps one has been beautifully maintained while the other needs substantial updating. One may have exceptional natural light, a peaceful backyard, or a layout that buyers immediately connect with. The other may sit on a noisier street or have a floor plan that feels less functional.

Some of those differences may eventually appear in the data. Others are difficult to quantify.

This is one reason an automated estimate should generally be viewed as information rather than a definitive pricing decision.

Homes that appear similar in the data can have meaningful differences in architecture, condition, location, and setting that influence how buyers perceive value.

AI Is Only as Good as the Information Available to It

AI can analyze information extremely well, but it cannot analyze information it does not have.

Property records may contain outdated square footage. Improvements may not be fully reflected in public data. A remodel may have dramatically changed the way a home presents. Conversely, a property may look similar to another home in a database while being in very different condition.

There is also the question of timing.

Real estate markets are constantly moving. New listings come onto the market. Properties receive offers. Sellers reduce prices. Homes fall out of escrow. Buyer activity can strengthen or weaken.

The most useful pricing analysis therefore requires more than simply knowing what sold months ago. It also helps to understand what buyers are seeing and choosing right now.

Asking Price and Market Value Are Not the Same Thing

One of the easiest mistakes to make when looking at real estate data is treating every number as equally meaningful.

A home’s listing price tells us what the seller is asking.

A closed sale tells us what a buyer actually agreed to pay and what successfully completed the transaction.

An active listing can help us understand the competition a seller may face, but it does not prove that buyers believe the home is worth the asking price.

This distinction matters when using AI or any other data tool.

A system can organize active, pending, and sold properties beautifully, but someone still needs to interpret what those different statuses mean.

Pricing Is Also About Positioning

When preparing a home for sale, the question is not simply, “What number describes this property?”

There is another important question:

“How should this home be positioned in the current market?”

Those are not necessarily the same question.

A seller may want to price aggressively and wait for a particular buyer. Another seller may value a faster sale. In some markets, a pricing strategy may be designed to encourage strong early activity. In others, buyers may be more cautious and have many competing homes to choose from.

The appropriate strategy depends on the property, the market, and the seller’s priorities.

AI can help analyze the information behind that decision. It cannot decide what matters most to an individual homeowner.

Where AI Can Be Extremely Helpful

None of this means homeowners should ignore AI. I believe the opposite is true.

Used thoughtfully, AI can make real estate analysis more efficient and potentially more informative.

It can help organize comparable properties, identify patterns, summarize large amounts of market information, examine pricing trends, and highlight questions worth investigating further.

For a real estate professional, these tools can also reduce time spent on repetitive data organization and create more time for analysis, communication, and service.

The important distinction is between using technology to support judgment and asking technology to replace judgment entirely.

Why a Comparative Market Analysis Still Matters

A Comparative Market Analysis, commonly called a CMA, brings several pieces of the pricing puzzle together.

Comparable sales are important, but a thoughtful CMA can also consider active competition, pending activity when information is available, property condition, location, market timing, and the characteristics that distinguish one home from another.

The numbers provide evidence.

The analysis gives those numbers context.

AI can strengthen that process by helping professionals work with information more efficiently. But the final interpretation still benefits from someone asking questions the computer may not know to ask.

Why did one home sell quickly while another remained on the market?

Was there something unusual about a particular sale?

Does a comparable property really compete with this home from a buyer’s perspective?

Has buyer behavior changed since the older comparable sales closed?

Those questions require context.

The Best Use of AI May Be as a Second Set of Eyes

I do not think homeowners need to choose between technology and people.

The more useful approach may be to combine them.

AI can serve as an extraordinarily capable analytical assistant. It can process information, identify patterns, and help us notice things we might want to examine more closely.

A real estate professional can then evaluate those findings in the context of the actual property, the neighborhood, current competition, and the seller’s goals.

That combination is much more interesting to me than asking whether AI will replace traditional real estate analysis.

The better question is how we can use better technology to make better informed decisions.

What Should Los Angeles Homeowners Take Away From This?

If you look up your home online and see an automated value, you do not need to dismiss it.

But you also do not need to treat it as a final answer.

Think of it as one piece of information.

If you are simply curious about your home’s approximate value, an automated estimate can be a convenient place to begin. If you are actually considering selling, the pricing decision deserves a deeper look at recent comparable sales, current competition, the home’s individual characteristics, and what is happening in your specific local market.

Los Angeles is not one uniform real estate market. Even within the Westside, buyer behavior and property characteristics can vary significantly from neighborhood to neighborhood and sometimes from one street to another.

Technology gives us more information than homeowners and real estate professionals have ever had before.

The opportunity is not to surrender our decisions to that technology.

It is to use it intelligently.

With gratitude and a heart for service,

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker | REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside of Los Angeles

September 3, 2026
What Is a Contingency in a Real Estate Offer? What California Home Sellers Should Understand

Receiving an offer on your home can be exciting, especially when the price looks good. It is natural for a seller’s attention to go immediately to that number, but the purchase price is only one part of an offer.

The terms of the offer matter too, and contingencies are among the terms sellers should understand before deciding how strong an offer really is.

A contingency generally gives a buyer the ability to move forward with the purchase subject to certain conditions. Depending on the terms of the contract, those conditions may involve the buyer’s investigation of the property, financing, an appraisal, or other circumstances addressed in the agreement.

For a seller, understanding those contingencies can make it easier to evaluate an offer as a whole rather than looking at the purchase price alone.

Why Contingencies Matter to a Seller

When a seller accepts an offer, the transaction begins moving toward closing, but that does not necessarily mean every uncertainty has disappeared.

A buyer may still have important steps to complete during the transaction. The buyer may investigate the condition of the property, work with a lender to obtain financing, or have the property appraised.

The specific rights and obligations of the parties depend on the contract they sign, which is why sellers should pay attention not only to whether an offer contains contingencies, but also to what those contingencies actually say and how much time is provided for them.

An offer with a higher price is not automatically the strongest offer if other terms create substantially more uncertainty for the seller.

An Investigation Contingency Can Give the Buyer Time to Learn More About the Property

Buying a home is a significant financial decision, and buyers commonly want an opportunity to investigate the property.

Depending on the transaction and the contract, this period may involve inspections or other investigations that help the buyer learn more about the home’s condition.

Sellers sometimes hear the word inspection and assume the purpose is simply to create a list of repairs. In reality, the investigation period can be much broader. It gives a buyer an opportunity to gather information about the property and make decisions based on what is discovered, subject to the terms of the agreement.

For the seller, the important point is to understand what the contract allows, the applicable deadlines, and what may happen if an issue is discovered.

Financing Is Another Important Part of an Offer

When a buyer is obtaining a loan to purchase the property, financing can be an important part of the transaction.

A buyer may appear financially strong and may even have a lender’s preapproval, but a preapproval is not the same as a completed loan. The lender may still need to review documents, verify information, evaluate the property, and complete its underwriting process.

This is one reason sellers should look beyond the offer price and consider the buyer’s financing terms as part of the overall offer.

The amount of the down payment, the type of financing, the contingency terms, and the time provided for the buyer to complete certain steps can all be relevant when evaluating the transaction.

The Appraisal Can Matter When Financing Is Involved

An appraisal is another part of many financed real estate transactions.

The lender generally wants an independent opinion of the property’s value because the property is being used as security for the loan. If the appraisal supports the purchase price, this part of the process may proceed without much attention from the seller.

If the appraised value comes in below the purchase price, however, the situation can become more complicated.

What happens next depends on the contract, the financing, and the decisions made by the parties. The buyer and seller may need to consider their options based on the specific circumstances of the transaction.

This is another example of why the highest purchase price on paper does not tell the entire story.

Fewer Contingencies Do Not Automatically Mean the Best Offer

From a seller’s perspective, an offer with fewer uncertainties may initially appear more attractive. However, it is important not to evaluate an offer based on one term alone.

Purchase price, financing, deposit, contingency periods, closing date, possession, and other terms can all contribute to the overall strength of an offer.

The seller’s priorities matter as well.

A seller who needs a particular closing date may evaluate two offers differently from a seller whose primary goal is maximizing price. Another seller may place greater importance on the likelihood of the transaction reaching closing without unnecessary complications.

There is no universal formula that identifies the best offer for every homeowner.

An appraisal can be an important part of a financed home purchase because the lender generally wants an independent opinion of the property’s value.

Pay Attention to the Deadlines

Real estate contracts contain important dates and deadlines, and contingency periods can be among them.

Once an offer is accepted, both buyers and sellers should understand what is expected during the transaction and when certain actions are supposed to occur.

A seller does not need to memorize every provision of a real estate contract before putting a home on the market. However, when an offer arrives, it is worth slowing down enough to understand the terms before making a decision.

A purchase agreement is a contract, not simply a statement of how much someone is willing to pay for the house.

Look at the Entire Offer Before Making a Decision

It can be tempting to compare offers by putting the prices next to each other and choosing the largest number. In reality, evaluating an offer requires a more complete picture.

The price matters, but so do the contingencies, financing, timelines, deposit, closing terms, and the seller’s own priorities.

Understanding those pieces does not mean a seller needs to become an expert in real estate contracts. It means asking questions and understanding what is being agreed to before signing.

When an offer arrives, the goal should not simply be to find the highest number. It should be to understand the entire offer and make an informed decision about which terms make the most sense for the seller and the property.

With gratitude and a heart for service,

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker
REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside of Los Angeles

September 2, 2026
Should You Make Repairs Before Selling Your Home? What Los Angeles Sellers Should Consider

One of the questions homeowners often face before putting a property on the market is whether they should make repairs first or simply sell the home in its current condition.

It sounds like a simple decision, but it rarely is. Some repairs can make a home easier to sell and help buyers feel more comfortable with the property. Other improvements may cost far more than they ultimately contribute to the sale. In Los Angeles, where buyers can encounter everything from beautifully renovated homes to properties that have not been updated in decades, there is no single answer that works for every seller.

The better question may be: Which repairs actually matter for this particular home, in this particular market, and for the buyers most likely to purchase it?

Start With the Difference Between Repairs and Improvements

Repairs and improvements are not necessarily the same thing.

A repair addresses something that is damaged, broken, leaking, unsafe, or not functioning properly. An improvement changes or upgrades the home, such as replacing an older kitchen that still works with a brand new one.

That distinction matters because sellers can easily begin with a short repair list and suddenly find themselves considering new countertops, new flooring, new appliances, new landscaping, and an entire list of cosmetic upgrades.

Before spending that money, it is important to understand what problem you are actually trying to solve.

If a leaking faucet, broken door, damaged wall, or nonfunctioning light fixture can be repaired relatively easily, taking care of it may prevent a buyer from wondering what else has been neglected. A major renovation, however, requires a much more careful analysis.

Buyers Notice the Small Things Too

When homeowners have lived in a property for many years, they naturally become accustomed to its little imperfections. A door that sticks, a cabinet handle that is loose, or a light switch that does not work may barely register anymore.

A buyer is seeing the home for the first time.

Small visible problems can sometimes influence the way a buyer perceives the rest of the property. One minor issue is usually just a minor issue, but several of them together can create the impression that the home has not been well maintained.

This does not mean a house needs to be perfect before it can be sold. It simply means that relatively inexpensive repairs may deserve attention when they improve the overall impression of care.

Be Careful About Renovating for Someone Else

One of the biggest risks sellers face is spending significant money creating a home that reflects their own taste rather than the future buyer’s.

Imagine spending thousands of dollars choosing new flooring, fixtures, or finishes only to discover that the eventual buyer would have preferred something completely different.

This can be particularly important with kitchens and bathrooms because renovations can become expensive very quickly. A seller may assume that a new kitchen will automatically increase the sale price by at least the amount spent on the renovation, but real estate does not always work that way.

The value of an improvement depends on many factors, including the neighborhood, the property’s price range, the quality of the work, the current competition, and what buyers in that particular market expect.

Sometimes the better decision is to allow buyers to see the home’s potential and make their own choices after purchasing it.

Thoughtful repairs can improve the way a home presents to buyers, but sellers do not necessarily need to renovate everything before putting a property on the market.

Consider How Your Home Compares With the Competition

The condition of competing homes matters.

If buyers looking in your neighborhood are primarily seeing renovated properties and your home requires significant work, condition may affect both the price buyers are willing to pay and the way the property should be positioned.

On the other hand, an older home does not automatically need to be transformed into a newly renovated one before it can compete.

Some buyers specifically look for homes they can personalize. Others may value the location, lot, floor plan, architectural character, or potential more than updated finishes.

This is why decisions about repairs should not be made in isolation. Looking at comparable properties can help a seller understand what buyers are currently seeing and what they may expect at a particular price.

Think About the Seller’s Priorities Too

The best decision is not based only on the house. It also depends on the seller.

One homeowner may have the time, money, and desire to complete repairs before listing. Another may need to sell quickly and prefer not to manage contractors or take on additional expenses.

Those are both legitimate considerations.

Selling a home is not simply an exercise in achieving the highest theoretical price. Sellers also have to consider timing, convenience, available cash, stress, and what makes sense for their individual circumstances.

Sometimes preparing a property more extensively is worthwhile. Sometimes selling it in its current condition is the more practical choice.

Get Information Before You Start Spending

Before beginning a long list of projects, it can be helpful to first understand how the home is likely to compete in the current market.

Which issues are likely to matter to buyers? Which ones are mostly cosmetic? Are there relatively simple repairs that could improve the home’s presentation? Would a major renovation make financial sense, or would the seller be better served by adjusting the pricing strategy?

These questions are easier to answer when the property’s condition is considered alongside comparable sales, current listings, buyer expectations, and the seller’s own goals.

A home does not have to be perfect to be marketable, and sellers should not assume that every dollar spent before a sale will automatically come back to them.

The goal is not necessarily to fix everything. It is to make thoughtful decisions about what is worth addressing and what may be better left for the next owner.

With gratitude and a heart for service,

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker
REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside of Los Angeles

September 2, 2026
What Happens After You Accept an Offer on Your Home? A Guide for California Sellers

What Happens After You Accept an Offer on Your Home? A Guide for California Sellers

Receiving an offer on your home can be exciting, and accepting one can feel like a major milestone. But for a seller, an accepted offer is not the end of the process. In many ways, it begins the next important stage of the transaction.

Once a home is under contract, there are still several steps that may need to happen before the sale closes. Depending on the terms of the agreement, these can include the buyer’s deposit, inspections, disclosures, an appraisal, financing, contingency periods, requests for repairs or credits, and the final steps leading to closing.

Understanding what may happen after accepting an offer can help sellers feel more prepared and make better decisions throughout the transaction.

The Purchase Agreement Becomes Your Road Map

Once an offer has been accepted and a contract has been formed, the purchase agreement becomes an important road map for the transaction.

The agreement establishes the price and other terms the buyer and seller have agreed upon. It can also include important deadlines and contingency provisions.

This is why I believe sellers should look beyond the purchase price when reviewing an offer. Two buyers offering the same amount of money may be proposing very different terms.

Before accepting an offer, it is important to understand not only what the buyer is offering to pay, but also what the agreement will require from both sides after acceptance.

The Buyer’s Deposit

The purchase agreement may require the buyer to place an initial deposit into escrow within the time specified in the contract.

Sellers sometimes hear the phrase earnest money deposit used to describe this money. The deposit demonstrates the buyer’s commitment to the transaction, but its treatment is governed by the purchase agreement and applicable California law.

A seller should not assume that accepting an offer means the deposit immediately belongs to the seller if the transaction does not close. What happens to a deposit can depend on the circumstances, the contract, contingencies, and other legal considerations.

This is one of the reasons the details of the purchase agreement matter so much.

After an offer is accepted, a home inspection can help buyers learn more about the property and may lead to additional questions or discussions before closing.

Inspections May Bring New Questions

If the buyer has an investigation or inspection contingency, the period after acceptance may include inspections of the property.

A general home inspection is common, but depending on the property and the buyer’s concerns, additional inspections may also be requested.

An inspection does not necessarily mean something is wrong with the house. Buyers use inspections to learn more about the property they are purchasing.

The results, however, can lead to additional conversations.

A buyer may accept the property as it is, request repairs, ask for a credit, seek a price adjustment, request additional information, or exercise rights available under the contract.

A request from a buyer does not automatically mean a seller must agree to it. The response will depend on the purchase agreement, the circumstances, and what the seller believes is appropriate.

The Appraisal Can Matter When the Buyer Is Financing

When a buyer is obtaining a mortgage, the lender may require an appraisal.

The appraiser provides an opinion of the property’s value for the lender. This is different from the home inspection, which focuses primarily on the property’s physical condition.

If the property appraises at or above the amount needed for the buyer’s financing, this part of the transaction may proceed without much discussion.

If the appraisal comes in lower than expected, the situation can become more complicated. What happens next depends on the contract, including whether the buyer has an appraisal contingency, as well as the buyer’s financing and the decisions made by the parties.

This is another example of why the strongest offer is not always determined by price alone.

The Buyer’s Loan Continues Through the Process

A buyer who has been preapproved for financing still has work to complete after the offer is accepted.

The lender may continue reviewing the buyer’s income, assets, credit, employment, property information, appraisal, and other documentation before giving final loan approval.

From a seller’s perspective, this is why the financial strength of an offer can be important when evaluating buyers.

A preapproval can provide useful information, but it is not the same as a guarantee that a loan will ultimately fund.

Contingencies and Deadlines Matter

Contingencies are an important part of many residential purchase agreements.

Depending on the contract, a buyer may have contingencies related to investigations, an appraisal, financing, or other matters. The specific rights and deadlines depend on the actual agreement.

Sellers should understand which contingencies are included in the accepted offer and the time periods associated with them.

As the transaction progresses, there may be points when the buyer is asked to remove certain contingencies in accordance with the contract.

Rather than focusing only on the anticipated closing date, I think sellers benefit from understanding the smaller contractual milestones that occur along the way.

What Happens If the Buyer Requests Repairs?

After inspections, sellers sometimes receive a request for repairs or other concessions.

This can make homeowners nervous, particularly if they believed the price had already been fully negotiated.

In reality, an inspection period can create another point of discussion between the parties.

The buyer may identify items that were not obvious when the offer was written. The seller then needs to evaluate the request and decide how to respond based on the contract and circumstances.

There is no universal answer to every repair request. The condition of the property, the nature of the issue, the strength of the transaction, other available options, and the seller’s priorities can all matter.

The goal should be to make a thoughtful decision rather than reacting emotionally to the request.

Preparing for the Final Days Before Closing

As the transaction moves toward closing, escrow and the professionals involved in the transaction coordinate the documents and requirements necessary to complete the sale.

The buyer may conduct a final verification of the property’s condition before closing, subject to the terms of the agreement.

Sellers should also make sure they understand when they are expected to move out, what condition the property should be left in, which items are included in the sale, and when possession will transfer.

These details are worth discussing well before the final day.

Closing and the Transfer of Ownership

In California, signing documents is an important step, but signing alone does not necessarily mean the sale has officially closed.

The transaction generally reaches closing when the required funds and documents have been handled and the deed transferring ownership is recorded with the county.

Once the transaction closes, the seller receives the proceeds due to them through escrow after applicable loans, costs, commissions, taxes, or other amounts associated with the transaction have been accounted for.

The exact timing and details depend on the individual transaction.

An Accepted Offer Is an Important Beginning

Selling a home involves much more than finding someone willing to buy it.

The period between accepting an offer and closing is where many of the details of the transaction are worked through. Inspections, financing, appraisal, contingencies, disclosures, escrow, and contractual deadlines can all play a role.

Knowing this before you list can also help you evaluate offers more thoughtfully when they arrive.

If you are considering selling a home in Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, or elsewhere on the Westside of Los Angeles, I would be happy to walk you through the process from preparing the property and reviewing the MLS data to evaluating offers and understanding what happens after your home goes under contract.

My goal is for sellers to understand not only what they are signing, but what comes next.

With gratitude and a heart for service,

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker | REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside of Los Angeles

August 31, 2026
What Do You Have to Disclose When Selling a Home in California? A Guide for Los Angeles Homeowners

What Do You Have to Disclose When Selling a Home in California? A Guide for Los Angeles Homeowners

When homeowners start thinking about selling, much of the attention naturally goes to preparing the house, choosing a listing price, taking photographs, and getting the property on the market. There is another part of the process that may not be as exciting, but it is extremely important: disclosures.

California has extensive disclosure requirements for residential real estate transactions. Sellers may be asked to provide information about the property, its condition, known defects, improvements, hazards, and other circumstances that could affect a buyer’s decision.

For a homeowner who has lived in the same property for many years, completing disclosures can sometimes feel overwhelming. You may know a great deal about your home, but you may not immediately remember every repair, leak, improvement, insurance claim, or issue that has occurred over the years.

Understanding the purpose of disclosures before you sell can make this part of the process much easier.

What Is the Purpose of Seller Disclosures?

The basic idea behind disclosures is transparency.

A buyer is making a significant financial decision and needs information about the property to evaluate that decision. Some things are easy for a buyer to see during a showing. Other things may not be visible at all.

A buyer walking through a beautifully presented home, for example, may have no way of knowing about a previous roof leak, drainage problem, unpermitted alteration, or other issue unless that information is disclosed.

California residential transactions can involve several disclosure documents depending on the property and circumstances. One of the best known is the Transfer Disclosure Statement, commonly referred to as the TDS.

The TDS asks sellers questions about the property and about conditions or issues they are aware of.

What Types of Things Might a Seller Need to Disclose?

The exact disclosures required depend on the property and transaction, which is why sellers should receive guidance specific to their situation.

Generally, disclosures can involve information about the physical condition of the property and known issues that may affect its value or desirability.

Examples can include previous water intrusion, roof problems, structural modifications, drainage or grading concerns, environmental hazards, certain neighborhood nuisances, additions or alterations completed without required permits, and damage associated with events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, or landslides.

There may also be additional disclosure requirements depending on factors such as the property’s location, age, ownership structure, and circumstances of the sale.

The important point for sellers is not to try to memorize every possible disclosure before listing their home. It is to understand that disclosure is a meaningful part of the transaction and deserves careful attention.

What If an Issue Was Repaired Years Ago?

This is a question homeowners may naturally have.

If something happened in the past and was repaired, it can be tempting to assume that it no longer matters because the problem has been resolved.

However, a previous condition may still be relevant to the disclosure process.

For example, if there was water intrusion several years ago and the source was repaired, the history of that issue may still be information that should be addressed in the appropriate disclosure documents.

Rather than deciding on your own that an old problem is no longer important, discuss it with your real estate professional and, when appropriate, obtain legal or other professional advice.

Being transparent about a past issue does not automatically make a property undesirable. Homes require maintenance and repairs. Buyers generally understand that.

Problems are more likely to arise when important information is discovered later and the buyer believes it should have been disclosed earlier.

What About Improvements and Permits?

Many Los Angeles homes have been remodeled, expanded, or changed over time.

A homeowner may have replaced windows, remodeled a kitchen, added a bathroom, converted space, built a deck, changed electrical systems, or completed other improvements.

If you are preparing to sell, it can be useful to start gathering whatever records you have relating to significant work on the property.

Depending on the circumstances, questions about permits, structural modifications, alterations, or repairs may become part of the disclosure process.

If you do not know whether previous work was permitted, particularly work completed before you owned the property, do not guess. Explain what you actually know and seek appropriate guidance about how the information should be handled.

What If You Truly Do Not Know?

Sellers are not expected to magically know everything that has ever happened to a property.

There is an important difference between something you genuinely do not know and something you know but choose not to disclose.

When completing disclosures, sellers should answer carefully based on their actual knowledge rather than making assumptions.

This is another reason I would not recommend rushing through disclosure documents. Read the questions carefully, think about your history with the property, and ask questions when you do not understand what a form is asking.

Gathering information about repairs, improvements and the history of a property can help homeowners prepare for the disclosure process before selling.

Preparing Before Your Home Goes on the Market

If you are considering selling, you can make the disclosure process easier by gathering information about your home before you need it.

Look for invoices from major repairs, permits you may have retained, warranties, information about improvements, insurance related records that may be relevant, and documents associated with systems such as the roof, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, or solar.

You do not need to create a perfect history of your house. Many homeowners simply do not have every document from every repair.

The goal is to begin organizing what you do have and thinking carefully about what you know about the property.

This can also help you identify questions that should be addressed before the home is actively marketed.

Why Transparency Can Help a Transaction

Sellers sometimes worry that disclosing a problem will discourage a buyer.

That concern is understandable, but buyers also appreciate having information that helps them make an informed decision.

A home does not need to be perfect to sell. In Los Angeles, buyers purchase homes of different ages and conditions every day.

Providing information early can allow buyers to evaluate the property, conduct their inspections, ask questions, and decide whether the home is right for them.

It can also reduce the possibility of a buyer learning something later in the transaction that comes as a surprise.

Disclosures Are One Part of Preparing to Sell

When I think about preparing a home for the market, I do not think only about photographs, staging, price, and marketing.

I also think about the information behind the property.

What has happened to the home over the years? What improvements have been made? Are there documents that should be located? Are there questions that should be answered before buyers begin looking at the property?

Addressing these things early can make the selling process more organized and help sellers understand what to expect before an offer arrives.

If you are considering selling a home in Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, or elsewhere on the Westside of Los Angeles, I would be happy to help you look at the steps involved in preparing your property for the market, including the disclosure process and the information you may want to begin gathering.

Every property has its own history. Understanding that history and presenting it thoughtfully is an important part of preparing for a successful sale.

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker | REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside of Los Angeles

August 31, 2026
Should You Price Your Home to Get Multiple Offers? What Los Angeles Sellers Need to Know

Should You Price Your Home to Get Multiple Offers? What Los Angeles Sellers Need to Know

When homeowners prepare to sell, one of the biggest decisions they have to make is also one of the first: What should the listing price be?

It can be tempting to think that the best strategy is simply to start as high as possible and see what happens. On the other hand, sellers sometimes hear that they should price their home lower in hopes of attracting several buyers and creating multiple offers.

Both ideas can sound reasonable, but neither should be applied automatically. The right pricing strategy depends on the property, the competition, current buyer activity, and what is happening in the local market at the time the home is listed.

For Los Angeles homeowners, where conditions can vary significantly from one neighborhood to another, understanding that context is especially important.

What Does It Mean to Price for Multiple Offers?

Pricing for multiple offers generally means choosing a listing price designed to attract a larger pool of qualified buyers and encourage competition for the property.

That does not necessarily mean pricing a home far below its value. It means looking carefully at comparable sales, current competing listings, recent buyer activity, the condition of the property, and the price ranges buyers are currently searching.

If several buyers see value in the same property at the same time, competition may develop naturally. Some buyers may decide to improve their price or terms because they know they are not the only interested party.

However, multiple offers are never guaranteed. A seller can choose a thoughtful and competitive listing price and still receive one offer, several offers, or no immediate offers at all.

The Market Has to Support the Strategy

Before deciding how to price a home, I believe it is important to understand what buyers are actually doing in that specific market.

How many similar homes are currently available? How long are they taking to sell? Are homes selling close to their original asking prices? Are new listings receiving immediate attention, or are buyers taking more time to make decisions?

These questions provide much more useful information than simply assuming that a strategy that worked for another property will work for yours.

Even within Los Angeles, two nearby neighborhoods can behave differently. The same can be true within a neighborhood when homes fall into different price ranges or offer very different features.

This is one reason I pay close attention to active inventory in addition to recently sold properties. Sold homes tell us what buyers were willing to pay in the recent past. Active listings show us what your home would be competing against if it entered the market today.

The Asking Price Is Part of Your Marketing

Sellers sometimes think about price only as the amount they ultimately want to receive for their home. I also think of the listing price as part of the property’s marketing strategy.

Before buyers schedule a showing, they are usually looking at homes online and comparing several options. Price affects whether a property appears in their search and how it compares with the other homes they are considering.

A home can be beautiful and well presented, but if buyers perceive the asking price as disconnected from the market, some may decide not to see it at all.

That matters because the first goal of marketing a home is to get the right buyers interested enough to take the next step and see the property.

Could Pricing Too Low Be a Risk?

Yes, which is why pricing for competition should never mean choosing an artificially low number simply to generate attention.

There is no guarantee that buyers will bid a property up to the price a seller hopes to receive.

The listing price should be a number the seller understands and is comfortable putting into the market as part of an overall strategy. The goal is not to gamble on a bidding war. The goal is to position the property intelligently based on the available information.

Could Pricing Too High Be a Risk?

Pricing too high can create a different problem.

When buyers have access to many listings and can compare homes quickly, they often recognize when a property appears expensive relative to similar choices. Instead of making a lower offer, some buyers may simply move on to another home.

If that happens repeatedly, the property can accumulate days on market. A later price adjustment may generate new interest, but by then buyers may also begin wondering why the home has not sold.

This does not mean a seller should automatically choose a low listing price. It means the original price should be supported by the market as much as possible.

The Highest Offer Is Not Always the Best Offer

If a pricing strategy does result in multiple offers, sellers then have another decision to make.

The offer with the highest purchase price is not automatically the strongest offer.

Price matters, but so do financing, contingencies, the proposed closing timeline, the buyer’s deposit, and other terms of the transaction. A slightly lower offer with strong financing and terms that work well for the seller may sometimes be more attractive than a higher offer with greater uncertainty.

Every offer should be evaluated as a complete package.

A thoughtful pricing strategy considers recent sales, current competition and how buyers are responding to similar homes in the local market.

What I Would Look at Before Pricing a Los Angeles Home

Before recommending a pricing strategy, I would want to understand the property and the seller’s goals first.

I would then look at comparable sales, current listings, pending activity when available, days on market, price changes, neighborhood competition, property condition, and the way buyers appear to be responding to similar homes.

I would also want to know what makes the property different.

A remodeled home may compete differently from one that needs significant updating. A home with a view, an unusual lot, a desirable location, or another feature that is difficult to replicate may require additional judgment when comparing it with recent sales.

The numbers provide the foundation, but they still need context.

There Is No Universal Pricing Formula

One of the things I continue to appreciate about real estate is that the more market information we have, the better the questions we can ask.

There is no single pricing strategy that makes sense for every seller.

Sometimes pricing very close to expected market value may be appropriate. In another situation, positioning a property to encourage greater buyer interest may make sense. There may also be circumstances where the characteristics of a particular home require a different approach entirely.

The important part is understanding why a price is being chosen and what the seller hopes that strategy will accomplish.

If you are considering selling a home in Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, or elsewhere on the Westside of Los Angeles, I would be happy to help you look at the current MLS data, comparable properties, and competition before deciding on a strategy.

For me, pricing should not begin with a guess. It should begin with information, a conversation about the seller’s goals, and a careful look at the market the home is actually entering.

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker | REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside of Los Angeles

August 31, 2026
Before Your Home Hits the Market: Why Showing Access Matters More Than Sellers May Realize

When homeowners prepare to sell, much of the attention naturally goes to the listing price, photographs, condition of the property, and marketing. Those things matter. But there is another part of a selling strategy that may receive much less attention: how easy or difficult it will be for prospective buyers to actually see the home.

A beautiful listing can attract attention online, but at some point a serious buyer usually needs to walk through the property.

That makes showing access more important than it may initially seem.

Buyers Have Schedules Too

Selling a home can be disruptive, especially when the seller is still living there. I understand why a homeowner might prefer very limited showing hours or plenty of advance notice.

At the same time, buyers are working around their own schedules. They may have jobs, children, school commitments, travel plans, or several homes they are trying to see in one afternoon.

Sometimes the time that is most convenient for a buyer will not be the most convenient time for the seller.

That does not mean a homeowner should give up reasonable boundaries or allow people into the property whenever they want. It means showing availability should be considered as part of the overall selling strategy rather than treated as an afterthought.

A Buyer Cannot Fully Experience a Home Online

Real estate photography can be wonderful. Floor plans, property descriptions, virtual tours, and online listing information can help buyers learn a tremendous amount before scheduling a showing.

But photographs cannot tell a buyer exactly how a home feels.

Buyers may want to understand the natural light at a particular time of day. They may want to see how one room connects to another, experience the outdoor space, look at storage, understand the relationship to neighboring properties, or simply stand inside the home and imagine living there.

Those are experiences that are difficult to reproduce completely on a screen.

The online listing may create interest. The showing gives the buyer an opportunity to experience the property.

Too Many Restrictions Can Create Friction

Every seller’s circumstances are different, and there are perfectly legitimate reasons for showing restrictions.

A family may have young children. Someone may work from home. There may be pets to manage. A seller may have privacy concerns or need advance notice before leaving the property.

The question is not whether restrictions are good or bad. The better question is whether the showing plan creates unnecessary obstacles for the buyers the seller is hoping to attract.

For example, if a property can only be shown during a very narrow period on certain days, some buyers may simply be unable to make that schedule work.

That does not necessarily mean they were not interested in the home.

They may never have had the opportunity to see it.

Make the Showing Experience Comfortable

Access is only one part of a showing. The experience buyers have once they arrive matters too.

Whenever reasonably possible, I think buyers should have enough time and space to look at the property comfortably.

It can be difficult for someone to imagine a home as their own when the current owner is following them from room to room or explaining every feature as they walk through the house.

Sometimes giving buyers a little space allows them to pay attention to what matters to them.

Of course, security and the seller’s comfort matter. Showing procedures should be discussed in advance so everyone understands how appointments will work and who will have access to the property.

Giving buyers enough time and space to experience a home can be an important part of the showing process.

Think About Pets Before the First Showing

Pets are part of the family, but they should also be part of the showing plan.

Some buyers may be afraid of dogs. Others may have allergies. A pet may become anxious around strangers or could accidentally get outside while people are entering and leaving the property.

Before the home reaches the market, sellers can decide how pets will be handled during appointments.

Having a plan ahead of time can make showings less stressful for the seller, the buyers, and the animals.

Consider How the Home Will Look During Showings

The home does not need to look as though nobody lives there.

It does help, however, when buyers can comfortably see the property.

Simple routines can make a difference. Opening window coverings when appropriate, turning on lights in darker areas, keeping pathways clear, putting away highly personal or valuable items, and doing a quick check of kitchens and bathrooms before an appointment can help the home feel ready to be seen.

This is also where preparation before listing can make life easier. If much of the decluttering and organizing has already happened, getting ready for an individual showing becomes less overwhelming.

Feedback Can Become Useful Information

After showings begin, patterns in buyer feedback may provide useful information.

One person’s opinion is simply one person’s opinion. I would be careful about reacting dramatically to every comment.

But if several buyers independently raise the same concern, that may be worth paying attention to.

Perhaps buyers consistently mention a condition issue. Maybe they are confused about a feature of the property. Perhaps they like the home but are comparing it with another active listing at a different price.

Feedback does not automatically tell a seller what to do, but repeated observations can become another piece of information to consider alongside showing activity, active competition, Days on Market, and other market data.

More Showings Do Not Guarantee an Offer

It is important to be realistic about what showing access can and cannot accomplish.

Making a property easier to see does not guarantee that it will sell, and a large number of showings does not necessarily mean an offer is coming.

Price, condition, location, competition, market conditions, and the property itself still matter.

But unnecessarily difficult access can introduce an obstacle that has nothing to do with the qualities of the home.

My preference is to remove avoidable friction where reasonably possible while still respecting the seller’s privacy, safety, and daily life.

The Goal Is to Give the Right Buyer an Opportunity to See the Home

There is a lot of technology in real estate today, and buyers can discover properties from almost anywhere.

Still, selling a home remains a very physical experience.

At some point, someone may need to open the front door, walk through the rooms, look out the windows, step into the backyard, and decide whether this could be the place they want to call home.

A seller cannot control who will love the property or whether a particular buyer will make an offer.

What a seller can do is think carefully about whether interested buyers are being given a reasonable opportunity to experience the home for themselves.

Sometimes a seemingly small part of the listing strategy can matter more than we realize.

With gratitude and a heart of service,

Claudia Backus, MBA
California Real Estate Broker
REALTOR®
Serving Pacific Palisades & the Westside

August 29, 2026