The method
The Simple Selling Method™
Seven steps, from before we touch a single closet through to closing day.
Why There Are Seven Steps
Over twenty years I have turned what works into a system. Seven steps, in order, so that at no point are you wondering what happens next or whether something has been forgotten.
It is built for the sale that is not only a sale. If you have been in the same house a long time, the hard part is rarely the listing. It is everything that has to happen before the listing, and that is where this starts.
Every listing is also measured against my 10-10-0 rule. Ten days without a showing, or ten showings without an offer, and something needs to change, either the price or the presentation. We do not sit and hope. We adjust.
Step 1: Clarity and Plan
Before we touch a single closet.
- Understand your timeline, goals, and what matters most
- Talk through the emotional side of leaving a longtime home
- Create a clear, step-by-step game plan
- Identify what needs to happen, and what does not
- Set the pace so this never feels rushed
What this does: removes the "where do we even start?" feeling.
The Simple Selling Method™
Step 2: Sorting and Simplifying
This is where most people get stuck. We do not.
- Bring in trusted professionals to help sort and organize
- Help you decide what to keep, donate, sell, or pass down
- Coordinate donation, removal, and logistics
- Move room by room so it feels manageable
- Zero pressure, zero judgment, always
What this does: takes the emotional and physical weight off your shoulders.
If this is the step you have been dreading, there is more on that here.
Step 3: Home Preparation
We prepare your home to shine, without overdoing it.
- Identify the updates that actually matter to buyers
- Coordinate handyman work and small repairs
- Professional staging to highlight the home's best features
- Deep clean and final touches
- Make sure everything feels intentional, not overwhelming
What this does: turns your home into something buyers connect with immediately.
What that is worth: Amanda's fifteen acres outside Ennis, with river views, had sat more than three years with two other agents. A stager, fresh white paint, new photographs and real online marketing later, she had an offer inside sixty days at $20,000 under asking and a thirty-day close.
Step 4: Lightning Listing Launch
We do not just list your home. We launch it.
- Strategic midweek launch, typically Wednesday
- Build early awareness before going fully live
- Position your home ahead of broker tour activity
- Create anticipation so buyers are already watching
- Maximize first-week momentum, when it matters most
What this does: creates demand and urgency instead of a slow start.
Step 5: Digital Domination
This is how your home becomes the one buyers notice first.
- Professional photography and high-impact video
- Social media strategy that reaches thousands of buyers
- Targeted digital marketing campaigns
- Exposure across multiple platforms where buyers are actually looking
- Consistent promotion to keep your home top of mind
What this does: drives more attention, which means more showings, which means stronger offers.
The distinction that matters here: this reaches thousands of buyers, not just the people who already follow me. An agent's own followers are mostly other agents and people who already know them.
Step 6: Market Response and Negotiation
We do not just wait. We guide the process.
- Manage showings and buyer feedback
- Adjust strategy if needed, in real time
- Navigate offers and multiple-offer scenarios
- Negotiate not just price, but terms that protect you
- Keep everything calm, clear, and on track
What this does: ensures you make the best decision, not a rushed one.
This is also where the 10-10-0 rule earns its keep, because "adjust strategy in real time" needs a trigger rather than a feeling.
Step 7: From Contract to Close
Where deals are either protected, or fall apart.
- Coordinate inspections and next steps
- Negotiate repairs strategically
- Manage timelines and deadlines
- Keep communication proactive and clear
- Guide you all the way through closing day
What this does: protects your sale and gives you complete peace of mind.
If you are buying as well as selling, the buying side runs on its own method. The general selling page is here. Otherwise tell me about your house and I will tell you what I would do with it, or look around the rest of the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 10-10-0 rule?
Ten days without a showing, or ten showings without an offer, and something needs to change, either the price or the presentation. We do not sit and hope. We adjust. The exact numbers shift with how fast the market is moving; the discipline does not.
Do I have to clear the house out before you can list it?
No. That is Step 2, and it is the step where most people get stuck. I bring in trusted professionals to sort and organize, help you decide what to keep, donate, sell or pass down, and coordinate the removal. Room by room, zero pressure, zero judgment.
How much work does my house actually need?
Usually far less than owners fear. Step 3 is about the updates that actually matter to buyers, not doing everything. Amanda's fifteen-acre place near Ennis had sat more than three years with two other agents; a stager, fresh white paint and new photographs got it an offer inside sixty days.
Why launch on a Wednesday?
To build awareness before the home is fully live, get ahead of broker tour activity, and have buyers already watching when it lands. The first week is the week you never get back, so it is worth engineering rather than letting it happen.
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Ready to make your move with Courtney Foster?