Local Experts. Independent Advice. Personal Service. We Work for You.
Selling your home is one of the most important financial decisions you’ll ever make. Whether you’ve done it before or this is your first time, the process can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
At Zuber Realty, we help homeowners across Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lancaster, Lehigh, and Montgomery Counties navigate the selling process from start to finish with clarity, care, and expert guidance. Our deep local roots and unmatched area knowledge make us the top independent real estate agency in the region.
Your Home Selling Journey with Zuber Realty
- What to Expect When Selling Your Home
- Choosing the Right Real Estate Agent
- How to Price Your Home for Maximum Buyer Interest
- Get Your Home Ready for the Market
- Marketing Your Home with Zuber’s Proven Plan
- Showings, Feedback, and Buyer Activity
- Reviewing Offers and Negotiating Terms
- What Happens After You Accept an Offer
- Top Questions Home Sellers Ask
- What Are Your Responsibilities as a Home Seller?
- Why Homeowners Trust Zuber Realty
What to Expect When Selling Your Home
Every successful sale follows a process. Here’s how we guide you step by step:
- Choosing the Right Real Estate Agent
- How to Price Your Home for Maximum Buyer Interest
- Get Your Home Ready for the Market
- Marketing Your Home with Zuber’s Proven Plan
- Showings, Feedback, and Buyer Activity
- Reviewing Offers and Negotiating Terms
- What Happens After You Accept an Offer
We’ll walk with you through each step answering questions, managing details, and working to get you the best outcome.
Step 1: Choosing the Right Real Estate Agent
Your agent is more than just someone who lists your property—they’re your advisor, negotiator, and advocate throughout the sale. It’s important to choose someone who understands local market trends, pricing strategy, and the legal changes that affect your transaction.
What to Look for in a Real Estate Agent:
- Deep knowledge of your neighborhood and recent home sales
- Clear explanation of your listing contract, including fees and responsibilities
- Transparent communication about your options when it comes to buyer agent compensation
- A proactive marketing and negotiation strategy that fits your goals
Important Change: Buyer Agent Compensation Is No Longer Published
As of August 17, 2024, due to the NAR settlement, real estate commissions are no longer displayed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). While commission agreements have always been negotiable, this change brings greater transparency and responsibility to both sellers and buyers.
What’s Changed:
- Compensation to buyer agents is no longer advertised in the MLS.
Buyer agents must now contact the listing agent directly to ask what, if any, compensation is being offered by the seller to the buyer’s agent. - Buyer agency contracts are now required before showings.
Real estate agents must have buyers sign a written agreement before showing properties. These contracts typically state what the buyer agrees to pay their agent—and if your listing contract doesn’t offer enough compensation to the buyer’s agent, the buyer may be obligated to cover the difference. This may discourage some buyers from seeing your home. - Sellers must now make a more informed decision about buyer agent compensation.
Your listing contract will outline this clearly. You are not required to offer compensation—but if you don’t, it may limit your home’s exposure. Most sellers still choose to offer compensation to help attract qualified buyers and ensure smooth negotiations. - Many buyers don’t fully understand what they’re signing.
The new rules aim to make these obligations clearer, but confusion may still arise. If a buyer isn’t aware they’ll owe their buyer’s agent a commission, they may be caught off guard, and choose to avoid homes that don’t offer seller compensation to the buyer’s agent.
What This Means for You:
Traditionally, sellers offered a portion of the commission to the buyer’s agent. This helped encourage showings and gave buyers confidence that their agent would be paid. That hasn’t changed, but how that information is shared has.
You can still offer compensation to the buyer’s agent, but:
- It won’t be published in the MLS
- It must be clearly stated in your listing agreement
- It may now be offered as a seller assist at closing rather than a co-brokerage commission
- It’s a strategic decision that can influence how many agents will bring buyers to your home and how many buyers will make an offer your home
- These decisions now require more discussion up front with your listing agent
How Zuber Realty Helps You Navigate It:
Unlike some brokerages, Zuber Realty has created a dedicated report system to privately share buyer agent compensation details with other brokers and agents. This ensures your listing remains competitive even with the new MLS restrictions.
Your Zuber agent will:
- Explain your options for offering or not offering buyer agent compensation
- Help you understand the buyer-side risks and how they affect demand
- Strategically position your home to maximize exposure and minimize surprises
- Ensure both your listing agreement and negotiation strategy reflect your decisions
- Communicate your terms professionally to other agents to maintain strong buyer activity
These conversations are more important than ever, and we’ll guide you through every detail so you feel confident in your choices.
Step 2: How to Price Your Home for Maximum Buyer Interest
Pricing your home correctly from the start is one of the most important parts of a successful sale. The goal isn’t just to list your home, it’s to sell it at the best possible price in the current market.
At Zuber Realty, we use local data and decades of experience to help you determine the Fair Market Value—the price a ready, willing, and able buyer will pay under normal conditions.
But pricing is more than a formula. It’s a strategy that considers multiple factors that impact how quickly your home sells and how close it gets to your ideal price.
Factors That Affect the Sale of Your Home
Before recommending a price, we evaluate:
- Timing: What’s happening seasonally in your market?
- Competition: What are similar homes nearby selling for?
- Price: How does your home compare in value and appeal?
- Your Property: What are your home’s unique features, condition, or upgrades?
- Financing: How are interest rates and loan availability influencing buyer budgets?
- Economic Conditions: Is buyer demand rising or cooling in your area?
- Marketing: How your home is presented and promoted matters—Zuber’s strategy helps you stand out.
These elements help us not only set a price but also anticipate buyer response, appraisal outcomes, and how long your home might stay on the market.
How We Determine Your Fair Market Value
We’ll guide you through a step-by-step pricing process:
- Collect property details and improvements
- Analyze recently sold properties (past 6–12 months)
- Evaluate current active and pending listings
- Consider likely mortgage appraisal guidelines
- Adjust for home features and local demand
Remember: The right price attracts strong buyers early—when interest is highest.
Step 3: Get Your Home Ready for the Market
Before we go live with your listing, we’ll guide you on how to get your home show-ready.
We’ll help you:
- Determine cost-effective repairs and improvements
- Recommend what to declutter and stage for photos and showings
Create a welcoming environment for buyers
You’ll also complete a seller’s disclosure and sign the listing agreement so we can market your property.
Step 4: Marketing Your Home with Zuber’s Proven Plan
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all marketing. Your home is unique—and we treat it that way.
Your customized plan may include:
Online Exposure
- Bright MLS, Lehigh Valley MLS
- Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and more
- ZuberRealty.com + national syndication
Local and Visual Marketing
- YouTube video tours
- Social media
- Professional signs, flyers, brochures
Teamwide Support
- Office-wide caravan tours
- Sales team meetings and collaboration
With Zuber, your listing gets full visibility—not just from one agent, but from our entire team.
Step 5: Showings, Feedback, and Buyer Activity
Once your listing is live, showings begin. We’ll:
- Schedule and confirm all showings
- Gather and share buyer feedback
- Advise you on interest level and possible improvements
Your flexibility with showing times helps increase buyer access and potential offers.
Step 6: Reviewing Offers and Negotiating Terms
When a buyer submits an offer, it’s about more than just the price—they’re also including terms that can affect your net proceeds, timeline, and responsibilities. Your Zuber agent will help you review the full offer and decide how to respond.
What’s Included in an Offer?
Most offers include:
- Purchase price
- Settlement date
- Financing terms (if any)
- Requested inspections
- Contingencies and deadlines
Inspections as Contingencies of Sale
In Pennsylvania, inspections are not required by law, but most buyers include them as contingencies in the agreement of sale. This gives the buyer the right to:
- Conduct inspections (such as home, radon, water, termite, septic, etc.)
- Review the results and request repairs or financial credits
- Cancel the agreement if issues can’t be resolved within the contingency timeline
In addition:
- Most mortgage lenders require certain inspections or property conditions to be met before they’ll approve financing. This includes issues related to safety, structural integrity, water quality (for well systems), and more.
Your Zuber agent will:
- Help you understand the buyer’s inspection requests and timelines
- Advise you on how to respond to repair or credit requests
Negotiate terms that protect your interests while keeping the deal moving forward - Coordinate any follow-up work needed to satisfy lender requirements
Tip: A well-prepared and properly priced home can reduce inspection surprises and strengthen your position in negotiations.
Step 7: What Happens After You Accept an Offer
Once terms are agreed upon, we help coordinate:
- Title search and payoff of any existing liens
- Buyer’s mortgage and underwriting process
- Final paperwork, ID verification, and utilities
- Pre-settlement walk-through
- Transfer of keys and documentation at settlement
- Settlement checklist and tips
If you’re not attending settlement in person, we’ll ensure all paperwork is notarized and a representative is authorized to sign on your behalf.
Top Questions Home Sellers Ask
Every home sale is different, and we tailor our advice to your situation. But here are some of the most common questions we help sellers answer:
Is now a good time to sell my home?
That depends on a few factors like local market trends, interest rates, and your personal goals. In a seller’s market (when demand exceeds supply), you may get multiple offers and a strong sale price. Even in a more balanced or buyer-friendly market, you can still achieve a successful sale with the right strategy. Your Zuber real estate agent can provide a market analysis and help you decide if now is the right time for you.
Should I buy or sell my existing home first?
That depends on your timeline, financing, and comfort level. We’ll help you weigh the pros and cons and can advise if a swing loan is right for you.
How do I choose the right realtor to sell my home?
Look for someone with local market expertise, a strong marketing plan, and great communication skills. Ask about their experience, sales track record, and how they’ll keep you informed throughout the process. Most importantly, choose someone who listens to your needs and makes you feel confident and supported.
What should I do to get my house ready for a sale?
Start by decluttering, deep cleaning, and making minor repairs. Fresh paint, updated lighting, and curb appeal upgrades can go a long way. A professional realtor can also recommend staging ideas or connect you with trusted service providers to help your home stand out to buyers.
How do I price my house?
Pricing your home correctly is key to attracting serious buyers. A good realtor will prepare a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to look at recent sales of similar homes in your area. Together, you’ll consider the market, your home’s condition, location, and upgrades to set a competitive price that balances speed and return.
What do I have to disclose when selling my house?
Sellers are legally required to disclose known material defects that could affect a buyer’s decision—such as roof leaks, foundation issues, or past water damage. Disclosure laws vary by state, so your agent can walk you through what’s required and help ensure all paperwork is properly completed.
How long is it going to take to sell my home?
The timeline can vary based on market conditions, your home’s price, and its condition. On average, homes may take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to go under contract. Your agent can provide a realistic estimate and advise you on ways to speed up the process—from professional staging to strategic pricing and marketing.
What kind of loan will my buyer likely use?
Knowing the types of loans buyers may use helps us prepare for appraisal and condition requirements.
What inspections are required?
In Pennsylvania, there are no mandatory inspections—but most buyers will request them. We’ll explain what to expect.
Do I need an attorney?
While not required, some sellers choose to involve an attorney. We’ll help you understand if that makes sense for you.
What is title insurance and why is it important?
Title insurance protects the buyer and lender from future title claims. The buyer usually pays, but the seller must cooperate with title clearance.
What Are Your Responsibilities as a Home Seller?
While we handle most of the details, here’s what we’ll need from you:
- Prepare your home for listing
- Be flexible with showing times
- Review and respond to offers
- Move out before closing
- Bring required ID and documentation to settlement
- Transfer utilities and deliver all keys
Why Homeowners Trust Zuber Realty
We’re not a franchise or a national chain. We’re an independent, full-service real estate firm deeply rooted in your community. Our agents know the streets, the schools, the neighborhoods—and how to get your home sold.
With our presence in Boyertown, Morgantown, Pottstown, Royersford, Phoenixville and Red Hill, we cover six counties and work together as one unified team.
Thinking of selling your home? Contact our team today to get a personalized home valuation and expert guidance from Zuber Realty where we work for you.
We worked with Connie and Jody to sell our challenging property. There were no comparables for our unique situation, but the ladies worked hard and were able to sell our property for more than the asking price. We highly recommend Zuber for their professionalism and hard work. Thank you! – Amy Parsons
If you ever need anybody to sell your home or you’re looking for a home, ask for Vanessa Deskie. She’s always on the ball. You can always get a hold of her anytime you need her. She will always answer you and she will always help you in any way. She is a wonderful person.
– Jennine Davis
The process of selling our property was a good experience. Zuber Realty and Connie Dolansky were very effective and efficient during the listing process, the showings, and final sale of our property. Would definitely recommend them as realtors for selling a property!
– Robbin Miller-Hawk
I recently worked with Jody Dolansky. Jody made the process of selling my house fairly painless and as pleasant as possible. She did her best to settle our anxiety. From the first meeting we had with Jody until we were at the table for settlement, everything went as planned. Everything from showings to offers to settlement happened the way she told us it would go. So after everything is all said and done, I would recommend Jody for anyone looking to buy or sell their home.
– Amos Jokar