TPJG — Library TIER 3 · INTERNAL QA

Standard Listing Pathway — 7 Steps (Hurdles · Delays · Solutions)

The generic listing SOP — Consultation through Close — with the blocker, the wait, and the practical move at each step. Tier 3 [Brokerage]: standard practice, no proprietary estate moves. The base layer the estate pathway sits on top of.
Legend: HURDLES the blocker that can stall/kill the sale   DELAYS what stretches the timeline   SOLUTIONS the practical move.   Process steps come from our own listing SOP (tools/listing_sop.py). Any market STAT is labeled PROVISIONAL (needs 3 independent sources before stated as fact).
Tier 3 [Brokerage]. Generic, practical, what any competent brokerage runs. Solutions here are standard practice — NOT our proprietary estate / Full-Monte moves. This is the base layer the estate pathway sits on top of.
1 Consultation Meet the seller, understand goals, comp the property, set realistic price expectations.
Hurdles
  • Price-expectation gap — seller’s number exceeds what comps support; the #1 listing-appointment failure.
  • Seller “unconscious” about make-ready cost — doesn’t grasp what it takes to be sellable, so net-proceeds math feels like bad news.
  • Thin/atypical subdivision — too few recent solds to comp cleanly (our SOP flags the “subdivision-too-thin” pattern).
Delays
  • Scheduling the in-person consult; gathering loan balance/rate + property facts from the seller.
  • Iterating CMA criteria until ≥3 solds land with acceptable variance.
Solutions
  • Run a real CMA: iterate comparable criteria to ≥3 solds (beds/baths/sqft/half-bath bands), pull CAD record (HCAD/FBCAD/etc.), generate the CMA PDF and highlight the most-likely value.
  • Present as-is value vs make-ready cost SIDE-BY-SIDE so the seller compares NET proceeds of each path — converts a price argument into a numbers conversation.
  • Preliminary seller net sheet at consult ($495 compliance + $650 warranty + tax % from Realist + loan payoff) so the seller sees real take-home up front.
  • ShowingSmart buyer-distribution report to anchor the price band in actual demand, not opinion.
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2 Agreement Listing agreement signed; representation, term, price, and commission set.
Hurdles
  • Commission / term / price not aligned; seller wants a shorter term or lower price than is workable.
  • Multiple decision-makers (co-owners/spouses) not all present or aligned to sign.
Delays
  • Getting all signers in one place; e-sign turnaround.
  • Disclosures and required addenda assembled and signed alongside the agreement.
Solutions
  • Walk the net sheet again at signing so price/commission/term are agreed on evidence, not friction.
  • E-sign all parties; confirm every owner of record signs (title will require it).
  • Log the file (and any referral W9 / referral agreement) at agreement so attribution and compliance are clean from day one.
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3 Make-Ready Repairs, cleaning, staging, professional photography — get the home presentation-ready.
Hurdles
  • Condition + cost — deferred maintenance / dated finishes vs a seller budget that won’t cover them.
  • Vacancy — empty home shows cold, risks pipes/pests/security, and may strain insurance.
  • Scope creep on repairs (one fix reveals the next).
Delays
  • Contractor/vendor scheduling and lead times; staging availability; photographer booking.
  • Round-2 professional photography can’t happen until make-ready is done — sequencing dependency.
Solutions
  • Prioritize the highest-ROI items (the cosmetic 3 F’s — flooring, finishes incl. paint/trim, fixtures) before any big-system spend; match work to budget and target buyer.
  • Light staging or virtual staging for vacant homes; secure the property and verify insurance covers vacancy.
  • Round-1 photos/floor plan early for setup, Round-2 professional photography + reel AFTER make-ready — keep the two rounds sequenced so marketing assets are final.
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4 Listing (Go Live) Go live on MLS — accurate data, complete media, correct price.
Hurdles
  • MLS data errors — wrong sqft/tax/beds pulled from a stale prior record; bad data depresses showings and creates liability.
  • Incomplete media at launch (missing photos/floor plan) → weak first impression.
Delays
  • Final QA of MLS fields; media upload and ordering; go-live timing to hit peak market days.
Solutions
  • Verify every MLS field against the CAD/Realist record before publish — no launch on unverified data.
  • Launch only when media is complete (photo album + reel + floor plan); set price to the CMA band, not aspiration.
  • Time go-live for maximum first-week exposure; the first days drive the most traffic.
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5 Marketing Signage, professional photography, promo, open houses, showings — generate offers.
Hurdles
  • Low showing volume / no offers — price, condition, or presentation is off-market.
  • Seller fatigue / showing access friction (occupied homes, short notice).
Delays
  • Slow absorption in a soft micro-market; time to accumulate enough showings to read demand.
Solutions
  • Full marketing spend: signage, professional photography, promotional materials, staging, open houses.
  • Read showing/feedback data weekly; if showings are high but no offers → condition/terms; if showings are low → price/exposure. Adjust the right lever.
  • “Next to go under contract” competitive-positioning analysis to keep the listing priced ahead of the active comp set.
  • Provide the seller a Market Activity update (listing parameters + MLS result/map + buyer-distribution %) so price adjustments are data-driven, not emotional.
PROVISIONAL (stat — needs 3 independent sources): “well-priced, well-presented listings generate their strongest showing/offer activity in the first 1–2 weeks.” Treat as a working assumption until sourced.
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6 Contract Offer → negotiation → executed contract → option/inspection/appraisal/financing period.
Hurdles
  • Financing fall-through — buyer loan denied or terms change.
  • Appraisal gap — appraised value below contract price.
  • Inspection findings — repair requests or buyer walks during option.
  • Option-period termination — buyer exercises the unrestricted right to terminate.
Delays
  • Negotiation rounds; option/inspection scheduling; lender underwriting and appraisal turnaround.
  • Repair negotiation and re-inspection cycles.
Solutions
  • Vet the offer up front: require pre-approval / proof of funds; weigh terms (financing type, option fee, close date) not just price.
  • For appraisal gaps: appraisal-gap coverage, seller concession, re-negotiation, or contest with comps.
  • Handle inspection items with targeted credits/repairs; keep the deal in option, not in collapse.
  • Track every contract deadline (option, financing, appraisal, close) so nothing lapses silently.
PROVISIONAL (stat — needs 3 independent sources): figures like “~X% of deals fall out of contract” are commonly cited but vary by source/market — label PROVISIONAL until 3 independent sources confirm.
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7 Close Title clearance, funding, final walk-through, keys.
Hurdles
  • Title defects / liens surfacing late (unreleased liens, judgments, clouded chain).
  • Funding delays — lender not clear-to-close, or wire timing.
  • Final walk-through issues — property condition changed, agreed repairs incomplete, or items removed.
Delays
  • Title curative work; lender clear-to-close; banking-day / holiday wire timing; coordinating signing for remote parties.
Solutions
  • Open title EARLY so curative work (liens, releases) runs in parallel, not at the deadline.
  • Confirm lender clear-to-close and verify funds/wire timing ahead of the close date (mind holidays/banking days).
  • Do the final walk-through close to closing; resolve any condition/repair gap before funding — don’t fund into a surprise.
  • Hand over keys/possession only on funding + recording; align possession date with the contract.
Coverage tally: Steps present: Consultation · Agreement · Make-Ready · Listing · Marketing · Contract · Close = 7 ✓. Tier discipline: solutions are standard brokerage practice (CMA, net sheet, side-by-side as-is-vs-make-ready, showing-data reads, deadline tracking, open-title-early). No proprietary estate / Full-Monte moves — those stay Tier 1. Stat claims: 2, both PROVISIONAL pending 3-source confirmation. All process steps are operational/self-proving from tools/listing_sop.py.