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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
What Should You Do Before Listing Your Home for Sale? A Practical Guide for Los Angeles Homeowners

Selling a home involves much more than deciding on a price and putting the property on the market. Long before the listing becomes visible to buyers, there are decisions to make about the condition of the home, repairs, presentation, paperwork, photography, pricing, and how the property will be introduced to the market.

I think this preparation stage deserves more attention because some of the most important decisions a seller makes happen before the listing ever goes live.

If I were sitting down with a homeowner who was thinking about selling, I would want to start by looking at the entire property and asking a simple question: What should we understand and prepare before buyers begin evaluating this home?

Start by Looking at the Home Through a Buyer’s Eyes

Living in a home and preparing a home for sale are two very different experiences.

When we live somewhere every day, we naturally stop noticing certain things. A scuffed wall, an overfilled closet, an older light fixture, or landscaping that needs attention can become part of the background.

A buyer is seeing everything for the first time.

That does not mean a seller needs to renovate the entire property. In fact, I would be very careful about spending significant money on improvements simply because a home is going on the market. The goal should be to identify what is worth addressing and what may not provide enough benefit to justify the cost.

Sometimes cleaning, decluttering, improving lighting, touching up paint, or taking care of relatively small maintenance items can change the way a home presents without requiring a major renovation.

Understand the Condition of the Property

Before marketing begins, sellers should have a realistic understanding of the condition of their home.

Are there repairs that have been postponed? Is the roof approaching the end of its useful life? Are there plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, drainage, or other issues that a buyer may eventually discover?

A seller does not necessarily have to repair everything before listing. Sometimes it makes more sense to obtain information or estimates and consider those issues as part of the overall selling strategy.

A presale inspection is another option a homeowner may discuss with their real estate professional. It is not required, but it can sometimes identify issues before a buyer conducts an inspection of their own.

The important thing is not to assume that every problem needs to be fixed or that every improvement will increase the selling price by the amount spent. Each property is different.

Start Gathering Information About the Home

There is another part of preparing to sell that buyers never see in the listing photographs: paperwork.

Sellers may need to gather information about repairs, improvements, permits, warranties, appliances, property systems, and other aspects of the home.

In California, seller disclosures are an important part of the transaction. Sellers generally have obligations to disclose known material facts and conditions affecting the property. This is one reason I believe it is helpful to begin thinking about the history and condition of the home early rather than waiting until an offer arrives.

If you replaced a roof, remodeled a kitchen, installed a new heating or cooling system, repaired previous damage, or completed other significant work, start gathering the documents you have.

Being organized can make the transaction easier later.

Good preparation before a home reaches the market can help sellers make more informed decisions throughout the selling process.

Decide What Is Worth Improving Before You Sell

One of the questions homeowners frequently face is how much they should improve a property before selling it.

There is no universal answer.

A home that has been beautifully maintained may need very little preparation. Another property may benefit from painting, landscaping, repairs, or professional staging. In some situations, selling the property in its current condition may make the most sense.

I would rather evaluate improvements in the context of the specific home and its competition.

What other homes are currently for sale nearby? What condition are they in? What will buyers see when they compare those properties online? What price range are we trying to compete in?

Those questions can help separate improvements that may strengthen the presentation of a home from projects that simply consume time and money.

Prepare the Home Before the Camera Arrives

Today, many buyers will encounter a property online before they ever walk through the front door.

That makes the preparation before professional photography particularly important.

Rooms should feel clean and easy to understand. Counters may need to be cleared. Personal items may need to be reduced. Window coverings can be adjusted to improve natural light. Outdoor areas should also be considered because the first photograph a buyer sees may be the front of the property.

Professional photography cannot completely compensate for a home that was not prepared beforehand.

The camera records what is there.

For that reason, I think photography should come toward the end of the preparation process, after the home is ready to be presented.

Study the Competition Before Choosing a Listing Price

I have written before about Comparative Market Analyses, active inventory, and Days on Market because pricing should not happen in isolation.

Before choosing a listing price, I want to know what buyers will be comparing the home against right now.

Recently sold properties are important because they provide evidence of what buyers have paid. But active listings matter too because those are the homes competing for the same buyers today.

A homeowner may understandably have a number in mind. Online estimates may show another number. A nearby sale may suggest something different.

The job is to put all of that information into context and develop a pricing strategy based on the actual property and its current market.

Think About the Launch as a Strategy

I also think sellers should consider how they want their property introduced to the market before the listing is entered into the MLS.

There are decisions about timing, photographs, showing availability, listing information, marketing, and the seller’s preferred level of exposure.

I have written separately about public and private listing options because sellers may have different priorities. For many homeowners, broad exposure is important. Other sellers may have privacy or timing considerations that need to be discussed.

What matters is that these decisions are made intentionally and with an understanding of the potential advantages and tradeoffs.

Preparation Does Not Mean Perfection

Perhaps the most important thing I would tell a homeowner is that preparing a home for sale does not mean creating a perfect house.

Homes are lived in. They age. Families grow in them. Things break and get repaired. Kitchens become dated. Floors show wear. Gardens change. Buyers understand that.

The purpose of preparing a home is not to erase its history. It is to understand what you are selling, present it thoughtfully, organize the information buyers will need, and create a strategy that gives the property a strong introduction to the market.

For me, that is where a good home sale really begins: before the listing goes live.

With gratitude and a heart of service,

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

August 28, 2026
How Is the Real Estate Market? The Better Question Every Home Seller Should Ask

One of the most common questions in real estate is also one of the hardest to answer:

“How is the market?”

It sounds like a simple question. But after attending The MLS Summit 2026 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, one idea stayed with me: before answering that question, we should first ask, which market?

That may seem like a small distinction, but for a homeowner thinking about selling, it can make a very big difference.

There is no single Los Angeles real estate market behaving exactly the same way everywhere. The market for a home in Pacific Palisades may look very different from the market for a condominium in West Los Angeles. Even within the same neighborhood, homes in different price ranges, locations, sizes, and conditions may face very different competition. That is why I believe homeowners deserve something more useful than a general statement that “the market is good” or “the market is slow.”

Your Home Has Its Own Market

When we hear reports about the Los Angeles housing market, we are usually looking at broad statistics. Those numbers can certainly be useful. They help us understand larger trends in prices, inventory, interest rates, and buyer activity.

But when someone is preparing to sell a particular home, the question becomes much more specific.

What are buyers looking at as alternatives to this home right now? How many similar properties are currently available? What price range are they in? How long have they been on the market? What condition are they in? And perhaps most importantly, how does this particular property fit within those choices? That smaller universe is the market that matters most to the homeowner.

Nick Segal presenting “Become an Instant Authority in Any Market!” at The MLS Summit 2026. One takeaway that stayed with me was the importance of defining which market we are actually talking about before discussing real estate conditions.

Why Active Listings Matter When Selling a Home

Something else I brought home from the Summit was a greater appreciation for active inventory.

When homeowners think about the value of their property, it is natural to focus on homes that recently sold. Those sales are extremely important, and they are a major part of a thoughtful comparative market analysis.

But active listings tell us something different.

They show us the competition a seller may be facing today.

Imagine that a buyer is searching for a home within a particular area and price range. That buyer may have several properties to choose from this weekend. Those homes are competing for the buyer’s attention at the same moment. Looking carefully at that active competition can help a seller better understand how buyers may perceive the home’s price, condition, location, features, and overall value.

The Market Can Change Within a Few Blocks

This is especially interesting to me as someone who lives and works on the Westside of Los Angeles.

We often talk about areas such as Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Westwood, and the surrounding Westside as though each one represents a single market. In reality, even within those communities there can be smaller markets.

Price range matters. Property type matters. Location within a neighborhood matters. Condition matters. Views, lot size, privacy, layout, renovations, and proximity to certain amenities can matter too.

And then there is timing. The competition a homeowner faces when listing a property today may not be the same competition that existed three months ago or will exist three months from now.

Real estate conditions can vary significantly by neighborhood, property type, price range, and even the competition available to buyers at a particular moment.

Online Estimates Cannot See Everything

Technology has given homeowners access to an incredible amount of real estate information. I think that is a good thing.

A homeowner can look up estimated values, recent sales, neighborhood statistics, and properties for sale in a matter of minutes. Artificial intelligence is making access to information even faster.

But information and interpretation are not quite the same thing.

An automated system may know the square footage and number of bedrooms. It may identify nearby sales. What it may not fully understand is why one comparable is more meaningful than another, how buyers are responding to the current competition, or whether something unique about a home’s condition, location, layout, privacy, view, or improvements changes the comparison. This is one of the reasons I continue to believe that technology and professional judgment work best together.

Good Real Estate Advice Starts With Homework

I have written before that I think of preparing a CMA as doing homework, and I really mean that.

The more I learn about the MLS and the information available to real estate professionals, the more I appreciate how much there is to study before giving a homeowner an opinion about their property.

For me, being prepared means looking beyond one number. It means studying relevant sales, examining active competition, understanding the specific micro market, considering the characteristics of the property, and then explaining what the information may mean for the homeowner’s selling strategy. I would much rather tell someone, “Let me study your particular market,” than give them a quick answer based on a headline about Los Angeles real estate.

So, How Is the Market?

The next time someone asks me that question, I may answer with another one:

Which market?

Because if you are thinking about selling your home, the market that matters most is not necessarily the one being discussed on television or summarized in a national headline.

It is the market surrounding your home, your competition, your price range, and your goals.

One of the reasons I enjoy continuing to learn about real estate and the MLS is that better information helps me be of better service. Homeowners make important financial and personal decisions when they sell a home, and I believe they deserve advice based on preparation, context, and careful attention to the market that actually matters to them.

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

August 14, 2026
What Is a CMA in Real Estate? What Los Angeles Homeowners Should Know Before Selling

If you are thinking about selling your home, you have probably asked some version of the question, “What is my house worth?” Today, homeowners can find estimates online in seconds, but understanding how a home fits into the current market usually requires more than one automated number.

A Comparative Market Analysis, commonly called a CMA, is one of the tools real estate professionals use to help answer that question. A thoughtful CMA looks at relevant properties, current market conditions, active competition, and the characteristics of a specific home to help a homeowner understand a reasonable pricing range and begin thinking about a selling strategy.

As a mom of three young children, the word “homework” has taken on a whole new meaning in my life. But there is another kind of homework I have come to appreciate in real estate: the work that should happen before advising someone about the value and pricing of their home. To me, a good CMA is exactly that kind of homework.

What Is a CMA in Real Estate?

A CMA is an analysis of comparable properties and market conditions used to help estimate how a home may compete in the current real estate market. It usually includes recent sales, but a good analysis goes beyond finding a few homes nearby and averaging their sale prices.

The goal is to identify properties that are meaningfully comparable and then understand the differences. Location, size, condition, renovations, lot characteristics, views, layout, privacy, and other property specific details can all affect how buyers perceive value. Two homes can be close to one another and still compete very differently in the market. This is one reason I believe a CMA should be researched rather than simply generated. The data matters, but so does deciding which data is actually relevant.

One statistic that caught my attention at The MLS Summit 2026 was how strongly real estate professionals continue to value the CMA, even as consumers have access to more online home valuation tools.

Why Does a CMA Still Matter When We Have Online Home Estimates?

Homeowners now have access to more real estate information than ever before, and I think that is a good thing. Online valuation tools can be useful as a starting point, and artificial intelligence is creating even more ways to organize and analyze information. I use technology myself and enjoy learning how these tools can help us work more intelligently.

But an estimate and an analysis are not quite the same thing. An automated tool may not fully understand a remodeled kitchen, an unusual floor plan, the quality of a view, the condition of a property, or why buyers may respond differently to two homes that look similar on paper. A CMA gives us an opportunity to look at the data in the context of the actual property and the market around it.

That distinction became even clearer to me at The MLS Summit 2026. As public real estate data and AI tools continue to grow, I do not think the professional role becomes less important. I think the responsibility shifts toward understanding the information, verifying it, interpreting it carefully, and explaining it clearly to the homeowner.

A CMA Is More Than Looking at Sold Homes

One of my favorite practical takeaways from the Summit was the importance of looking closely at active inventory. Sold properties tell us what buyers were willing to pay in the recent past, which is important, but active listings tell us what a buyer can choose today.

If you are preparing to sell, your home is not only being compared with properties that sold three months ago. It will compete with the homes buyers can tour and consider right now. Understanding that active competition can help put pricing, condition, presentation, and strategy into perspective.

This is also where the idea of a micro market matters. Asking “How is the Los Angeles market?” is often too broad to be very useful for one homeowner. The more helpful question is: what is happening in the particular market in which this particular home will compete? Price range, neighborhood, property type, size, condition, and buyer expectations can create very different markets within the same city.

A Home Is Not Just a Collection of Data

A CMA depends on data, but a home is not simply a collection of numbers. This is where professional judgment and local context become important. How does the home compare with the competition buyers are seeing right now? Which comparable properties are truly comparable? Does a renovation add the value a homeowner expects it to add? How might buyers respond to the condition, layout, lot, view, privacy, or location?

Those questions do not mean the data is less important. They mean the data needs to be interpreted. A good CMA should help a homeowner understand not only what the numbers say, but why certain properties are more relevant than others and what those comparisons may mean for the home’s position in the market.

Pricing Can Be Personal

Pricing a home is both analytical and personal. For many homeowners, a house represents far more than an investment. It may be where children grew up, where holidays were celebrated, where years of improvements were made, or simply a place filled with memories. It makes sense that conversations about value can carry emotion.

Pricing was a major theme during the CMA discussion at The MLS Summit 2026. The presentation shared survey data showing that pricing was the number one seller objection at a listing presentation, reported by 63.7 percent of surveyed agents. I do not interpret that statistic as homeowners being difficult. I see it as a reminder of how important it is for a real estate professional to arrive prepared and be able to explain the evidence behind a pricing recommendation.

Pricing was an important part of the CMA discussion at The MLS Summit 2026. A thoughtful CMA can give homeowners an evidence based starting point for understanding how their home fits into the current market.

A CMA Is a Starting Point for a Conversation

I do not think the purpose of a CMA is to walk into someone’s home, announce a number, and end the conversation. The more useful approach is to walk through the information together. Which properties were selected as comparables? Why were they selected? What is currently competing for buyers’ attention? Where is the subject property stronger or weaker? What has changed in the market?

The homeowner’s goals matter too. One seller may prioritize achieving the highest possible price and have flexibility with timing. Another may need to move within a certain period. Someone else may value privacy, simplicity, or certainty. The market data helps inform the strategy, but the strategy should also reflect the person making the decision.

That is why I like thinking of a CMA as the beginning of a thoughtful pricing conversation rather than a final verdict on what a home is worth.

Doing the Homework Before Selling

The more I learn about real estate, the more I appreciate how much responsibility comes with giving someone guidance about their home. A CMA may begin with numbers, but its purpose is not simply to produce a number. It is to help a homeowner understand the market, ask better questions, and make a decision with more information and confidence.

To me, that is what doing the homework is really about. If someone trusts me enough to ask for guidance about one of their largest assets, I want to come prepared, keep learning, explain what I see as clearly as I can, and do my best to be of service.

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

August 14, 2026
How AI Is Changing Real Estate Without Replacing Human Judgment

This week, while attending The MLS Summit 2026 at the Skirball Cultural Center on the Westside of Los Angeles, I was especially interested in the conversations about artificial intelligence and the ways AI is becoming part of the real estate industry. I love AI. I use it, I learn from it, and I am fascinated by how quickly the technology is developing. At the same time, I believe that the more powerful these tools become, the more important it is to understand what they can do well, where they can be wrong, and when human judgment still matters.

For homeowners thinking about selling, I believe that distinction is particularly important. Technology can help us work faster and analyze more information, but selling a home is still a very personal decision that involves goals, timing, finances, circumstances, and sometimes a great deal of emotion.

My Interest in AI Started Before the MLS Summit

My interest in artificial intelligence did not begin at this conference. Last summer, I took a UCLA Extension course called AI Safety, Policy, and Ethics: What is Responsible AI. I wanted to understand not only what artificial intelligence can do, but also how it should be used responsibly, including questions involving ethics, safety, transparency, accountability, and privacy.

Even after completing my formal education, I have always enjoyed taking classes and continuing to learn. Real estate, technology, finance, and business are constantly changing, and I do not think learning should stop simply because you have a degree or a professional license.

Even after graduation, I have always enjoyed continuing to learn. Last summer, that curiosity led me to take AI Safety, Policy, and Ethics: What is Responsible AI through UCLA Extension.

AI Has Already Changed the Way I Learn Real Estate

One reason I personally appreciate AI is that it helps me ask better questions. Real estate has an enormous amount to learn, from MLS rules and contracts to disclosures, market statistics, pricing considerations, financing, local regulations, and technology. When I encounter something unfamiliar, AI can help me understand terminology, organize a complicated subject, think through questions I may not have considered, and identify what I need to research further.

I find that incredibly useful, but there is an important distinction between using AI to help formulate a question and assuming that its answer is correct. I still need to verify important information through the appropriate sources, review MLS data, understand the property and local market, and sometimes ask another professional who knows considerably more about a particular subject than I do. AI can help me learn, but it does not eliminate my responsibility to do my homework.

There Is More Than One AI Tool

One of the slides at The MLS Summit showed several general purpose AI tools together, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. I liked that slide because it was a reminder that AI is no longer one mysterious piece of technology. Professionals now have access to different tools that can assist with research, organization, analysis, communication, and productivity.

Artificial intelligence was part of the conversation at The MLS Summit 2026, including how tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity are becoming part of everyday professional workflows.

For real estate professionals, these tools can potentially help us organize information, analyze data, prepare for conversations, research unfamiliar topics, and work more efficiently. That can be valuable, but efficiency is not the same thing as judgment.

A Home Is Not Just a Collection of Data

This is where I think the conversation becomes especially relevant for home sellers. AI can analyze numbers very quickly, recognize patterns, and process amounts of information that would take a person considerably longer to review. That ability can be extremely helpful when we are studying a market or trying to make sense of a large amount of real estate data.

But determining how to position a particular home for sale requires context too. How does the home compare with the competition buyers are seeing right now? Which comparable properties are truly comparable? Does a renovation add the value a homeowner expects it to add? How might buyers respond to the condition of the property? Is there something unusual about the location, lot, layout, view, privacy, or neighborhood that changes the comparison? These are the kinds of questions where data is important, but interpreting the data matters just as much.

There is also something even more important that a computer cannot decide for a homeowner: what the seller actually wants. One person may prioritize price, while another may care more about timing, privacy, convenience, or certainty. A family may also have circumstances that influence which selling strategy makes the most sense. Understanding those priorities requires a conversation, not simply an algorithm.

AI Can Provide Information, but People Provide Context

I do not see AI and real estate professionals as competitors. I think the better question is whether a real estate professional knows how to use technology without outsourcing judgment to it. If AI can help me research something faster, discover a question I should be asking, or organize information so I can spend more time understanding a seller’s goals, I consider that valuable.

At the same time, I never want technology to become a substitute for listening. For me, good real estate service still means understanding the person sitting across from me, doing the research, verifying important information, explaining the available choices, and being willing to say, “I need to look into that further,” when I do not know an answer. In many ways, I think AI makes that responsibility more important, not less.

The Future of Real Estate Can Be Both High Tech and Human

I am excited about artificial intelligence, and I want to keep learning about it, experimenting with it, and finding responsible ways to use it in my work. At the same time, I hope the real estate industry never loses sight of what technology is supposed to accomplish. It should help us become better informed, ask better questions, work more efficiently, and ideally give us more time and better information to serve people well.

Homes are personal. Selling one can involve finances, family, memories, uncertainty, and major life decisions. No matter how sophisticated our technology becomes, I believe there will always be value in having a knowledgeable human being listen, think, research, explain, and care.

I am grateful that I have opportunities to keep learning, whether through a UCLA Extension classroom, a real estate conference, the MLS, or simply asking another question when I realize there is something I do not yet understand. For me, that is what learning is ultimately for: not simply knowing more, but becoming better equipped to be of service to others.

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

August 14, 2026
What I Learned at The MLS Summit 2026: Why the MLS Still Matters to Los Angeles Home Sellers

This week, I attended The MLS Summit 2026 at the Skirball Cultural Center on the Westside of Los Angeles. I went ready to learn, and I left with an even greater appreciation for how much information is available through the MLS and how important it is for real estate professionals to know how to use that information well.

As a real estate broker, I believe knowledge is part of service. The more I understand about the market, the tools available to me, and the choices available to sellers, the better prepared I am to help someone make a thoughtful decision about one of their largest assets. One of my biggest takeaways from the day was simple: the MLS is much more than a place where homes are listed for sale.

A fun day of learning at The MLS Summit 2026. There is always more to learn in real estate, and I believe that knowledge helps me better serve my clients.

So, Why Does the MLS Still Matter to Home Sellers?

Today, homeowners have access to an incredible amount of real estate information online. You can search for homes, look at estimated values, review recent sales, and follow the market from your phone. That access is useful, but having information and knowing how to interpret it are not always the same thing.

For a homeowner preparing to sell, the questions become much more specific. Which recently sold homes are actually comparable to yours? What homes are currently competing for the same buyers? How long are similar properties taking to sell? Have there been price reductions? What happened with listings that did not sell? And what does all of that information mean for your particular home?

This is where professional MLS access, combined with research, local knowledge, and human judgment, can become very valuable. The MLS gives real estate professionals detailed information that can help us understand not only what has sold, but also what is happening in the market right now.

A CMA Is More Than a Number

One of the sessions that especially resonated with me was about the Comparative Market Analysis, or CMA. To me, a good CMA is homework. It means studying the property, looking carefully at relevant comparable sales, understanding the current competition, considering the differences between properties, and paying attention to what is happening in that particular market.

That matters because pricing a home is not simply about finding a number that sounds good. A thoughtful pricing strategy should have a reason behind it, and a seller should be able to understand that reason. Data is important, but so is the ability to interpret it and explain what it may mean for a specific property.

Technology Can Help, but Judgment Still Matters

I love AI, and I believe technology will continue changing real estate in ways we are only beginning to understand. AI can help professionals research, organize information, identify patterns, and work more efficiently. I am excited to keep learning how to use these tools responsibly and effectively.

At the same time, the summit reinforced something important for me. More technology does not make good real estate information less important. It makes knowing what information to trust and how to use it even more important. A seller does not need someone simply because that person can pull up data. A seller needs someone who can study the information, ask good questions, explain what matters, and apply it to the seller’s actual situation.

AI was part of the conversation at The MLS Summit 2026, and I believe these tools can help real estate professionals work more efficiently while still relying on human judgment and trusted market information.

Sellers Should Understand Their Options

Another reason the MLS continues to matter is exposure and choice. Not every seller has exactly the same priorities. One homeowner may want broad exposure. Another may care deeply about privacy. Someone else may be focused on timing, convenience, cost, or having more control over the selling process.

My philosophy is not that every homeowner needs exactly the same service. I believe in being a broker who gives sellers options, explains those options clearly, and helps them understand the advantages and limitations of each one. The right approach should be based on the seller’s goals, the property, the market, and the rules that apply.

My job is not to push someone toward the option that benefits me most. My job is to help a seller understand the choices, provide useful information, and support that seller in making a decision that makes sense for them.

Knowledge Is Part of Service

I left The MLS Summit 2026 reminded of how much there is to learn about the MLS and how valuable that learning can be. Real estate changes, technology changes, MLS tools and rules evolve, and markets change. I want to keep learning because every new piece of knowledge gives me another opportunity to become more useful to the people I serve.

For me, being a good broker is not about pretending to know everything. It is about doing the homework, asking questions, continuing to learn, and taking the time to explain things clearly. If you are thinking about selling a home in Pacific Palisades or elsewhere on the Westside of Los Angeles, you deserve to understand the market, the information behind the recommendations you receive, and the choices available to you.

I am grateful for opportunities like The MLS Summit that allow me to learn from others, strengthen my knowledge, and bring that knowledge back to the people I serve. At the end of the day, real estate is about more than properties and numbers. It is about people, trust, and being of service to others. I hope to keep learning with gratitude, keep showing up with a heart for service, and use what I learn to help others make informed decisions with greater confidence.

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

August 14, 2026

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