Selling Your Home in Las Vegas, Henderson and Summerlin

How selling a home works, step by step

Most sales follow the same sequence. Knowing it ahead of time lets you plan your move, your next home, and your finances with fewer surprises.

• A consultation about your goals, your timeline, and what the home is worth
• A written listing agreement that explains our services and how we are paid
• Preparing the home, from small repairs and cleaning to decluttering and staging
• Professional photos and a marketing plan, then listing the home
• Showings and open houses
• Reviewing offers and negotiating price and terms
• Escrow, which includes the buyer's inspections, the appraisal, any repair negotiation, and the buyer's loan approval
• Final walk-through, signing, and closing, when you hand over the keys

Start with your goals and your timeline

Every seller has a different reason for selling, and the reason shapes the plan. Some owners need to close by a specific date because of a job, a new home, or a lease. Others want the highest price and are willing to wait for it. Some are sorting out an estate, a divorce, or a move to another state. We begin by listening to what matters most to you, then build the pricing, preparation, and marketing around it.

It also helps to know what you need to net. We ask about your mortgage payoff, any liens, and what you hope to put toward your next home, so the price we discuss is connected to your real goals. If you are buying again, we plan both sides together. See our page on buying a home for the other half of the process.

Pricing your home to attract buyers

Price is the most important decision in a sale, and it is easy to get wrong. Price too high and the home sits while fresher listings take the attention. Price from a number you hope for instead of what buyers are paying, and you can end up chasing the market downward.

We build the price from recent closed sales of the closest comparable homes, then adjust for condition, updates, lot, view, and anything that sets your home apart. We also look at the homes buyers are choosing between today, because they are comparing your home against others, not shopping in a vacuum. Our article Buyers Are Comparing, Not Just Shopping explains why this matters. If you only want a number first, see our home value estimate page.

Be careful about using the county's numbers as a guide. The Clark County Assessor's taxable value is based on the market value of the land plus the replacement cost of the improvements less statutory depreciation, and the property is assessed at 35 percent of that value, so it is a tax number, not a prediction of what buyers will pay.

Getting the home ready

You do not have to renovate everything. What matters is that the home shows well, feels cared for, and avoids giving buyers reasons to worry. We walk through the home with you and recommend what is worth doing, what is not, and what to leave alone before listing. Our article You Don't Have to Renovate Everything goes through the thinking in more detail.

• Deep cleaning, decluttering, and removing extra furniture so rooms feel open
• Small repairs buyers notice, such as leaks, sticking doors, missing caulk, burned-out bulbs, and chipped paint
• Fresh, neutral touches where they make sense, instead of a costly remodel
• Curb appeal and landscaping, which matters even more when buyers look at photos first
• Servicing the air conditioning system and checking the roof, since inspectors and buyers often look at both
• Gathering paperwork such as HOA documents, solar contracts, warranties, and receipts for major work

Marketing: your listing is the first showing

Most buyers see your home online before they ever walk through the door, so your photos and listing description do the first showing for you. That is why we plan the marketing around quality photography and a clear, accurate description. Photos Are the First Showing explains how to get ready for the photographer, and Your Home Is Competing Before the Buyer Walks In covers the online side.

We also help buyers picture life in your home, such as the backyard, the neighborhood, and the lifestyle, while following fair housing rules, which prohibit describing a home in ways that steer buyers based on protected characteristics. You're Selling More Than Square Footage explains how to do it well.

Showings take planning, too. We talk through how to handle showing requests, open houses, pets, and security, and we give you feedback from buyers and agents so we can adjust the price or presentation if the market is telling us something.

What Nevada sellers must disclose and provide

Nevada puts disclosure duties on sellers, and doing them well protects you. This section summarizes the main ones, based on Nevada's statutes and the Nevada Real Estate Division's Residential Disclosure Guide. It is general information, not legal advice, and an attorney can answer questions about your specific situation.

The Seller's Real Property Disclosure

For most residential sales, the seller must complete a Seller's Real Property Disclosure form describing the condition of the property, known defects, and anything that may affect its use or value, and must provide it to the buyer at least 10 days before the property is conveyed. You complete it, not your agent: a real estate licensee may not complete the form for a seller unless the licensee is the seller.

Answer every question. If you have no knowledge, "no" is an appropriate answer to the "Are you aware" questions, every "yes" needs an explanation, and you must sign. If you later discover a new defect, or learn that a disclosed defect has become worse, you must tell the buyer in writing as soon as practicable and no later than the conveyance. A buyer may rescind if the form is not properly provided, and the Nevada Real Estate Division's guide notes that a buyer who closes without a completed form, or when a known defect was not disclosed, may be entitled to treble damages under NRS 113.150. Buyers cannot waive the disclosure requirements, and sellers cannot require them to.

The form is not a warranty, and Nevada law does not require you to disclose a defect you do not know about. It does not apply to some sales, including foreclosure sales, transfers between certain family members, and the first sale of a residence built by a licensed contractor.

HOA resale package

If the home is in a homeowners association, the seller provides the resale package at the seller's expense. The association has 10 calendar days after a written request to supply the documents, and a package remains effective for 90 days, so order it early. The buyer generally has until midnight of the fifth calendar day after receiving the package to cancel in writing, which is why delays here can hold up a closing.

Lead-based paint for homes built before 1978

For most housing built before 1978, federal law requires sellers to disclose any known information about lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards and provide available records and reports. You must also give the buyer the EPA pamphlet "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home," include a Lead Warning Statement in the contract, and give the buyer a 10-day opportunity to test for lead. Sellers keep the signed acknowledgments for three years after the sale.

Other notices that may apply

Depending on the property, other disclosures may apply, including notice of a private transfer fee obligation, information about any construction defect claim or lawsuit involving the home (which must be disclosed 30 days before close of escrow, or at signing if escrow is shorter), a military activities notice, and others listed in the Residential Disclosure Guide. We go through the list for your home so nothing is missed. If your home has solar panels, the buyer will want to know whether they are owned, financed, or leased, so gather your paperwork before you list. Understand the Solar Before Buying the House shows what buyers ask.

Reviewing offers and negotiating

When offers arrive we compare them on more than price. Earnest money, financing type, inspection period, closing date, repair requests, and seller credits all change what you actually walk away with. The highest number on paper is not always the best deal, as The Lowest Offer Isn't Always the Best Deal explains from the buyer's side.

We negotiate on your behalf, including counteroffers, and we stay with you through the buyer's inspection, repair requests, and the appraisal. If the appraisal comes in below the contract price, we talk through your options right away. We also keep an eye on every deadline in the contract, because missed dates can change your options.

What it costs to sell, and what you may keep

Sellers typically pay the agent compensation they agree to in the listing agreement, escrow and title charges, the real property transfer tax, any HOA transfer fees, the payoff of their existing mortgage, and any repair credits or concessions they agree to with the buyer. Compensation is negotiable and not set by law, and we explain how ours works in writing before you sign.

In Clark County the real property transfer tax is $2.55 per $500 of value, collected by the Clark County Recorder when the deed is recorded. For example, on a $500,000 sale that is $2,550. By long-standing local custom the seller usually pays it, and the seller also customarily pays for the owner's title policy while escrow fees are often shared, but your purchase agreement controls. Before you list, we prepare an estimate of what you can expect to walk away with, so there are no surprises at closing.

Taxes on your gain

If you sell your main home at a gain, the IRS lets you exclude up to $250,000 of that gain from your income, or up to $500,000 if you file jointly, as long as you meet the ownership and use tests. In general, you must have owned the home and lived in it as your main home for at least two of the five years before the sale. You generally cannot use the exclusion if you excluded the gain from another home sale during the previous two years, and there are special rules for some situations. Gains above the limit can be taxable. We are not tax advisors, so talk with a tax professional about your situation, and see IRS Publication 523 for the details.

Escrow and closing from the seller's side

Once you accept an offer, the home goes into escrow. The buyer inspects the home and may ask for repairs or credits, the buyer's lender orders an appraisal, and the escrow and title company prepares the closing documents. Escrow commonly runs about 30 days, though the timeline depends on the contract and the buyer's financing.

We keep you informed at each step, help you respond to repair requests, and make sure the required documents and disclosures are delivered on time. Before closing the buyer does a final walk-through, and we help you prepare the home so it is in the agreed condition. At closing you sign the transfer documents, the deed is recorded, and you receive your proceeds from escrow after the payoff of your loan and the costs of sale.

Selling and buying at the same time

Many of our clients sell one home and buy another. The timing can be tricky, and the right plan depends on your equity, your loan, and the market. We coordinate both sides, whether that means selling first, buying first, or lining up both closings together. Your lender can tell you what options exist for your situation, and we help you build the offers and the timeline so the two transactions work together.