By the time a home hits the market, the two decisions that matter most have already been made: what it is asking, and what condition it is asking it in.
Get those two right and the rest of the sale tends to be boring, in the best way. Showings come, an offer lands, the inspection holds no surprises, and you close. Get either one wrong and you feel it for months: price sitting, buyers negotiating hard, repair demands appearing mid escrow when your leverage is lowest.
This guide walks through both decisions the way I walk sellers through them in person: plainly, with the numbers, and with a construction eye on the house itself.
The most costly mistake in Utah County isn't underpricing. It's the "we can always come down" listing.
Here is what actually happens to an overpriced home: the first two weeks, when buyer attention is highest, get spent invisible, because the buyers shopping at your true value never see you and the buyers shopping at your asking price walk in expecting more house. Then come the reductions, and every reduction reads to buyers as a question mark. By the time the price finds reality, the listing is stale, the leverage is gone, and the eventual sale often lands below what honest pricing would have brought on day one.
Buyers shop in brackets. A home priced just inside the right bracket gets seen by everyone shopping there. Priced just above it, the home is invisible to its own best buyers.
Attention on a new listing peaks immediately and never comes back. Pricing right on day one puts that peak to work. Pricing high spends it on the wrong audience.
I do not price homes from a spreadsheet. Two homes identical on paper can be tens of thousands apart in person, because of what one has and the other hides. That is why the number comes after the visit, never before.
I walk through your home before the buyer's inspector does.
I came into real estate from a construction and contracting background, so I see a home the way an inspector will: the roof, the water heater, the grading, the little flags that become big repair demands. Before your home ever lists, I walk it top to bottom and tell you what a buyer's inspector is going to find, so nothing ambushes you mid escrow, when a surprise costs the most and your negotiating position is weakest.
Sellers who know their home's condition before listing get to choose: fix it on their terms and their timeline, price around it honestly, or disclose it up front and take it off the negotiating table. Sellers who find out during the inspection get to choose between a credit, a price cut, or a dead deal. I have used this walkthrough to get sellers a new roof handled before listing and a plumbing clean bill of health that held up under inspection. It is the single most valuable hour I spend on your sale.
Most sellers either do too little, or spend money on the wrong things. The walkthrough is where we sort your home's list into three piles.
Anything an inspector will flag and a buyer will demand: the water heater at the end of its life, the roof issue, the sprinkler leak. Handling these on your terms is almost always cheaper than handling them inside a repair addendum.
Paint, lights, hardware, deep cleaning, and ruthless decluttering. These cost little, photograph beautifully, and shape the first impression that sets a buyer's whole expectation of the home.
The full kitchen remodel weeks before listing, the bathroom gut, the finished basement sprint. Big renovations rarely return their cost at sale, and I will tell you plainly when a project belongs in this pile, even when it is the fun one.
This sorting is exactly what the pre-listing walkthrough produces: a short, honest list of what to fix, what to refresh, and what to leave alone, so every dollar you spend before listing comes back to you at closing.
One program, three levels, and you choose how much marketing muscle your sale gets. Every level includes the pre-listing walkthrough, because that part is not optional to me.
Everything you need to list well.
Seller shows unrepresented buyers. If Kelsie brings the buyer, 1% added at closing. Buyer agent fees negotiated with offers. $695 transaction fee at closing.
Everything in Essentials, plus:
Brokerage shows unrepresented buyers. If Kelsie brings the buyer, .5% added at closing. Buyer agent fees negotiated with offers. $395 transaction fee at closing.
Everything in Plus, plus:
Brokerage shows unrepresented buyers. If Kelsie brings the buyer, no added fee. Buyer agent fees negotiated with offers. Transaction fee waived.
Cancel anytime. Zillow Showcase listings sell for about 2% more on average than similar non-Showcase listings. Commission structures are negotiable and not set by law.
Kelsie did an amazing job helping us sell our home. She is very knowledgeable, personable and professional. Our listing was priced right and included amazing photos. Our home sold very quickly and above asking price. There were no ongoing negotiations needed because she had the needed terms included in the initial offer. Kelsie attended the closing, in which we had no problems or surprises. Overall, Kelsie exceeded our expectations in every way!
Lisa G.
Kelsie was amazing assisting us with the sale of our previous home and the purchase of our new home. She kept us updated on everything that was going on and was so patient to explain everything that we didn't understand. She is so kind and she really makes sure she is doing what is best for her clients. I will be recommending her to all of my family and friends. We had an amazing experience!
Savanna L.
This agent handles all aspects of selling a home, she is honest, talented, and knows how to hustle. I recommend her to all my family and friends!
Dianne J.
I do not deliver a valuation without walking your property first, and honestly, you would not want one. A number pulled from paper misses what your home actually has: the upgrades records never captured, the condition photos cannot show, the things comparable sales get wrong about your street. The visit is unhurried, there is no obligation, and you will walk away knowing your real number and exactly what would be worth doing before a sale, whether that sale is this spring or three years out.
Kelsie Jimenez
The Perry Group · Real Broker LLC
801.420.2284 · kelsie.jimenez@theperry.group
This guide is for general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Market conditions change; pricing and prep decisions depend on your specific home and situation. Kelsie Jimenez · License #11407496-SA00 · The Perry Group at Real Broker LLC · 2168 W Grove Pkwy Suite 225, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062. Commission structures are negotiable and not set by law.