You don’t have to be ready to list your house before you call a REALTOR®. In fact, for a major move, starting the conversation early can make everything that follows much easier.
One of the things I hear surprisingly often from homeowners is some version of, “I didn’t want to call you yet because I’m not ready to sell.”
My answer is always pretty much the same: That’s okay. You don’t have to be.
If you’re starting to think about downsizing, relocating, or making another significant move, talking with a REALTOR® doesn’t need to be the last step before putting a For Sale sign in the yard. I actually think it should be one of the first.
That’s especially true if you’ve lived in your home for a long time. There may be a lot more involved in your move than simply deciding on a listing price and taking some pictures of the house. You may be wondering where you’ll go, whether you should buy or sell first, what you need to do to prepare your current home, how much work it needs, what to do with decades of belongings, or whether the move even makes financial sense.
You don’t need to answer all of those questions before calling me. Figuring out those answers is part of what I can help you do.
Start With the Whole Picture
When I first sit down with someone who’s considering a move, I’m not interested only in the house.
I want to know what you’re worried about. What do you want? What do you need? What’s making you hesitate? What would make the move feel worthwhile? What’s your ideal timeline—and what might get in the way of it?
Sometimes that first conversation uncovers things the homeowner hadn’t even realized needed to be considered.
Maybe selling first and then buying sounds terrifying because you don’t want to move twice. Maybe you’ve accumulated enough equity that there are financing options that could allow you to purchase your next home first. Maybe the house needs some work before it goes on the market, but you’d rather spread those expenses over the next year instead of paying for everything at once.
Maybe you’re not even sure you’re ready to move.
That’s okay, too.
The purpose of that early conversation isn’t to convince you to sell. It’s to understand what you’re trying to accomplish and start figuring out what would have to happen to make it possible.
Your REALTOR® Can Help Build the Rest of the Team
This is another reason I think it makes sense to start with your real estate professional.
A significant move can involve quite a few people besides the REALTOR®. Depending on your circumstances, you might need a real estate attorney, an estate-planning attorney, a lender, a home inspector, a contractor, a painter, a cleaner, a stager, an estate-sale professional, an organizer, or someone to help remove the things you no longer want.
You probably don’t need every person on that list. But you also shouldn’t have to figure out by yourself which ones you need or start Googling strangers when the time comes.
Part of my job is helping assemble the right team around the homeowner.
I’ve spent decades working in real estate in Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut. That means I’ve built relationships with professionals I can bring into the process when they’re needed. We can put the pieces in place in the right order instead of waiting until something becomes urgent and then scrambling to solve it.
That’s what planning ahead buys you: options and time.
A First Meeting Doesn’t Have to Be a Listing Appointment
I think this is the part some homeowners don’t realize.
We can sit down for an hour and simply talk.
No paperwork needs to be signed. Your house doesn’t need to be ready for photographs. You don’t have to know your moving date, and I’m certainly not showing up with a For Sale sign tucked under my arm.
We’re talking about your life and what you’re considering doing next.
If the answer at the end of that conversation is, “This makes sense, but I’m probably two years away,” that’s useful information. Now we have two years to prepare instead of two weeks.
We can identify projects that actually matter before you spend money on things that don’t. We can talk about your likely selling price and how that may affect what you can do next. We can determine who else should be part of the conversation and when they need to become involved.
And perhaps most importantly, you can stop carrying every unanswered question around in your own head.
When Is the Best Time to Call a REALTOR®?
Earlier than you probably think.
If you’re considering selling in six months, call.
If you’re thinking it might happen next year, call.
If your last child just left for college and you’re saying, “Once they graduate, I think we’re finally going to get out of this big house,” that’s a perfectly reasonable time to start a conversation, too.
You aren’t wasting my time because you aren’t ready to sign a listing agreement. Planning is part of the work.
For homeowners who are downsizing or making a major lifestyle move, I would much rather have plenty of time to help you make thoughtful decisions than meet you when you’re already overwhelmed and everything needs to happen immediately.
The goal isn’t to get your house on the market as quickly as possible.
The goal is to help you get from the life you’re living now to the life you want next, with as little unnecessary stress as we can manage along the way.
You Can Start Before You Know Exactly Where You’re Going
If you’ve started wondering whether your current home still makes sense for your next chapter, that’s enough of a reason to begin exploring your options.
If you’re in Westfield, Southwick, Agawam, West Springfield, Granville, or elsewhere in Western Massachusetts, or Granby, Suffield and the Northern Connecticut communities I serve, I’m happy to have that first conversation long before you’re ready to sell. We can talk about your timeline, your concerns, your home and what you hope comes next, and start putting together a plan that makes sense for you.
There doesn’t have to be a listing appointment at the end of it.
Sometimes the best first step is simply finding out what your next steps could be.
Continue Planning Your Next Move
If you’re still at the beginning of this process, my Second Act Move Plan was created specifically for this stage—the time when you’re thinking about a change but don’t necessarily have all the answers yet.
Start with the Second Act Move Plan
You may also want to read Why Downsizing Feels So Overwhelming—It’s About More Than Stuff, especially if the emotional and practical pieces of moving are starting to feel tangled together.
Read Why Downsizing Feels So Overwhelming
Frequently Asked Questions About Talking to a REALTOR® Before Selling
How early should I contact a REALTOR® before selling my house?
You don’t need to wait until you’re ready to put your home on the market. If you’re considering a move six months, a year, or even several years from now, an early conversation can help you understand what your home may need, what your options are, and what steps make sense to take now rather than later.
Do I need to have my house ready before meeting with a REALTOR®?
Absolutely not. Please don’t clean out the basement, paint three rooms, replace the countertops or start making expensive repairs because you think you need to get the house “ready” for me. I’d much rather see the home as it is and help you decide what is—and isn’t—worth doing before you spend your time or money.
What if I’m thinking about downsizing but don’t know where I want to move?
That’s a perfectly good time to start talking. You don’t need to know exactly where you’re going before you begin planning. We can look at your current home, your finances and equity, the kind of lifestyle you want next, and the different ways we might coordinate selling and buying.
Will I have to sign a listing agreement at the first meeting?
No. An early planning conversation doesn’t have to be a listing appointment. We can sit down, talk about your situation and begin developing a plan without putting your house on the market or signing a listing agreement.
Should I sell my current home before I start looking for another one?
It depends on your individual situation. Your equity, financing, local market conditions and comfort level all matter. There are several ways to coordinate selling one home and buying another, which is another reason it’s helpful to start planning before you’re actively house hunting.
Not Ready to Sell? That’s Actually a Great Time to Start
If you’re thinking about downsizing or making a move but still have more questions than answers, I’ve put together a larger resource to help. Thinking About Downsizing in Western Massachusetts or Northern Connecticut? Start Here includes my complete Right-Sizing Your Life conversation and goes much deeper into the decisions that come before a move—from figuring out where you’ll go and dealing with decades of belongings to coordinating the sale of one home with the purchase of another.
And if you’re in Western Massachusetts or Northern Connecticut and would rather talk through your own situation, you’re welcome to reach out to me before you’ve made any decisions. You don’t need a moving date, a cleaned-out basement or a house that’s ready to list. We can start with a conversation about where you are now, where you might like to go next, and what it would take to get you there comfortably. That’s often the best place to begin.
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