For sellers

Selling your home in Whittier

The two decisions that determine what your house sells for are made before it goes live: what you fix, and what you list it at. Marti has been making those calls in this city for over three decades.

Pricing, honestly

Whittier is not one market. A house in Michigan Park and a house in Friendly Hills respond to completely different buyer pools, and an average price per square foot across the city tells you nothing useful about either. We price from the closed sales on your streets, in your condition band, adjusted for what buyers in your specific neighborhood actually pay for.

We will also tell you when we think you should wait. If your home would show dramatically better after six weeks of work, or if three near-identical homes just listed on your block, the right advice is sometimes not to list this month.

What to fix and what to leave alone

Sellers routinely spend money in the wrong places. Full kitchen remodels before listing rarely return their cost, because buyers at most Whittier price points intend to change the kitchen anyway. What does return: landscaping and exterior repair, paint, flooring where it is genuinely failing, and resolving anything a buyer's inspector will turn into a renegotiation.

We order a pre-listing termite report and scope the sewer lateral before the first showing. Knowing about the problem lets us price it in. Discovering it in escrow lets the buyer reprice the whole deal.

How we market the home

Alyson Tietze, our Director of Marketing, handles presentation for every listing: professional photography shot at the right time of day for your orientation, floor plans, video where the layout needs explaining, and neighborhood-specific copy rather than generic listing language. Hillside homes get shot from the rear and at dusk, because that is where their value actually lives.

Beyond the MLS and the portals, we market directly to the buyer pool we already know — our own buyer clients, the agents who work your neighborhood, and in some cases owners we have been in contact with while door knocking for buyers.

Offers, escrow, and getting to recording

We present every offer in writing with the terms that actually matter laid out side by side: financing type, appraisal and loan contingency periods, deposit, and the buyer's actual documented strength. The highest number is frequently not the best offer, and we will say so.

From acceptance forward, Claudia Lopez keeps every deadline and disclosure on track. Most of our sellers hear from us more than they expect to and see less paperwork chaos than they feared.

Whittier seller questions

?What is my Whittier home worth right now?

It depends far more on your neighborhood and condition than on the city-wide average. We prepare a written valuation from closed sales on your streets in your condition band, walk the house with you, and give you a range plus what it would take to reach the top of it. There is no charge and no obligation.

?Should I remodel the kitchen before selling?

Usually not. At most Whittier price points buyers plan to change the kitchen to their own taste, so a full remodel rarely returns its cost. Money spent on landscaping, exterior repair, paint, and fixing anything an inspector will flag returns far more reliably. We will walk the house and give you a specific list.

?How long does it take to sell a home in Whittier?

A correctly priced, well-presented home generally goes into contract within two to three weeks, then takes another 30 to 45 days to close with a financed buyer. Overpriced homes sit, and the longer they sit the deeper the eventual reduction has to be, which is why the first two weeks matter so much.

?Do I have to move out before you list the house?

No. We list occupied homes regularly and stage around how you actually live. What we do ask for is a decluttered house, a clear plan for pets during showings, and a couple of hours of notice flexibility in the first two weekends, when most of the serious buyers come through.

Find out what your home is worth

A written valuation from closed sales on your own streets. No charge, no obligation.

Call (562) 846-6092