Selling a home involves numerous steps and details, which can be quite overwhelming for new agents and busy, experienced real estate professionals. A listing checklist for real estate agents can help keep you on track. Whether you’re working on your first listing or you’re a veteran in the business, a systematic approach ensures you recognize all important tasks and manage a seamless transaction for your client all the way through closing. With a listing checklist for real estate agents, you’ll impress your clients and earn more referrals for being a great agent.
The easiest way to stay organized is to create and maintain a new listing checklist. While several customer relationship management (CRM) tools are available, as an agent you may be able to manage your listings effectively and inexpensively using a simple Excel or Google Docs spreadsheet that lines out all the necessary steps.
We encourage you to work through the new listing checklist in this article. It should align with your real estate business’s brand, business plan, marketing strategies, and current processes. By tailoring this new seller checklist to your specific needs and brand awareness, you’ll create an essential tool to help you navigate property listings.
There are different stages of the listing process. The first step is pre-listing. The next steps are preparing to market, marketing, closing, and post-close. We’ve detailed each of these steps in this valuable tool.
Stage 1: Pre-listing
Create your own pre-listing checklist.
You may want to develop a specific checklist to work through during your listing appointment with your client. This will help you gather all of the important information about the property so you can prepare the pre-listing presentation and then go live with the listing.
Your pre-listing checklist should include all the steps and items you need to get your new listing onto the market and make a good impression with agents and prospective buyers.

Over time, you’ll develop marketing strategies to share with prospective clients. If you’re just getting started, ask your brokerage if they can help you with marketing strategies proven to work in your local market. A listing appointment checklist will help you gather the important information needed in the pre-listing presentation and listing process.

Get to know local markets like the back of your hand
Get familiar with the type of property and neighborhood for your listing.
Take time to thoroughly understand the type of property and its surroundings thoroughly before you start the actual listing process. Research the background of the seller’s home and its history through online sources and local records. Familiarize yourself with the characteristics and features of the immediate and surrounding neighborhood. This includes any rules or restrictions that may apply to the property, such as historic designations or restrictions on renovation or expansion.
Present a pre-listing package.
In your real estate career, your first goal is establishing a good relationship with potential sellers, earning their trust, and demonstrating your value. A well-organized pre-listing package serves as an introduction to your services and showcases how well you understand the market and your comprehensive approach to marketing a property. It also helps them understand the process and how much time it takes to sell a house.
Your pre-listing package should include:
1. A personal letter to the potential seller. This may be the first time they have sold a home, and a letter will help to put them at ease.
2. A marketing plan about how you’ll promote the property.
3. Performance-based statistics (e.g., number of properties sold, average time on market) and how they affect this particular listing. If you are a new agent and don’t have much experience, lean on the experience of your brokerage for stats.

4. Details about the seller’s property and local real estate market trends and real estate industry trends as a whole.
5. An overview of the basic steps of the sales process.
6. Sample paperwork (disclosures, contracts, checklists), if it would be helpful, review this with them in person.
Ask your potential client if they’d like this package delivered by mail, email, or in person. Industry experts go the extra mile to anticipate and accommodate their clients’ specific needs.
Give a great listing presentation.
Your listing presentation is a great opportunity to help potential clients get to know you and learn about how you do business.Your goal is to build trust and rapport during a listing presentation to show potential clients why they would be making a sound decision if they choose you as their seller’s agent. In your initial meeting, focus on your marketing strategy, highlighting how you plan to promote and sell the property effectively. Emphasize your experience, skills, and expertise of their neighborhood and the local market.
Provide a comparative market analysis.
Correctly pricing your client’s property is vital to a successful real estate transaction. A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) report considers essential details about the property, such as its size, condition, unique features, and renovations. Compare your listing to similar properties that have recently sold in the neighborhood to determine the right listing price. Review the CMA report with your client in person to give them the opportunity to ask questions and understand the reasoning behind the suggested listing price.
Stage 2: Preparing to Market
Advise on cleaning and staging.
A sparkling clean home can make a big difference in attracting potential buyers. Guide the homeowners on proper cleaning so the property will show well both in photos and for the open house and showings. Good staging, which often involves removing furniture and decor, adding a little bit of lighting, and aggressively decluttering is a proven method to help a home sell faster. If physical staging isn’t feasible, consider virtual staging as a cost-effective alternative. Help your clients prepare for virtual staging, where the stager works from photos to suggest how to most effectively present the home. Provide clear instructions on the homeowner’s role, such as gathering floor plans, measurements, and high-quality photos of the rooms.

Stage the home for quality pictures and a quick sale
Help clients prepare the home for photos.
Guide your clients on how to prepare their property for listing photos. This includes removing personal items, minimizing clutter, and preserving the homeowner’s privacy. Choose a photographer with expertise in real estate photography. High-quality images can significantly boost the property’s appeal. Consider including video tours or drone photos. These tools give prospective buyers a complete overview of the property and its unique features.
Confirm showing instructions and security measures.
Before creating an active listing and scheduling any showings be sure to:
1. Obtain clear and thorough instructions and seller expectations regarding their scheduling preferences, timing restrictions, and security measures.
2. Install a lockbox and obtain necessary security codes to ensure smooth access for prospective buyers and their agents.
3.Always gather the most current contact information to reach your client anytime. It may be helpful to have more than one contact in case the primary contact is unavailable.
Submit all listing paperwork to your real estate brokerage.
To activate your listing, you’ll need to make sure all necessary listing paperwork is submitted to your real estate brokerage. This includes the listing agreement, property details, and any other required documents. However, before you submit, double-check the important information to ensure accuracy and completeness.

Use complementary marketing to market the home
Stage 3: Marketing
Implement a comprehensive marketing strategy.
A thorough marketing plan is crucial to reach your target audience and attract potential buyers. Over time, you’ll develop your marketing secret weapon to make sure your listings stand out and your sellers get the right price for their home.
Consider these tactics:
1. Install a lawn sign or yard sign and flyer box (if allowed).
2. Enter the listing into the MLS with all property details and share it with the seller.
3. Confirm syndication to key real estate portals (e.g., Realtor.com, Zillow).
4. Create professional photos and videos.
5. Post social media platforms, be sure to engage with any comments (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
6. Send emails, letters, and postcards to potential buyers. Include your business cards with any letters.
7. Publish a single-property website or landing page, and include key search terms for neighborhood and type of property for search engines to find.
8. Schedule an agent/broker open house.
9. Plan, promote, and host open houses.
10. Create and distribute print advertising materials such as postcards, single-page flyer or tri-fold brochures.
Keep your home sellers informed about your marketing efforts by sending them a summary of your activities and any resulting leads or inquiries.This is critical communication, and an indicator of your service commitment.
Schedule showings and open houses for potential buyers.
On your listing checklist for real estate agents, have a section to set specific dates and times with the seller to hold open houses and showings for prospective buyers and area real estate agents.
In addition to open houses, consider offering virtual tours to accommodate remote buyers or those who prefer to view the property online before scheduling an in-person visit.
Execute contracts and negotiations.
The bottom line is that as the listing real estate agent, you’re the connection between your client as the seller and the buyer’s agent and buyer. Present every offer to your client, even if it’s different from the asking price, and discuss it thoroughly. Help them make an informed decision. Once both parties reach an agreement, ensure they fill out all contract documents and promptly sign and submit them. Walk your clients through the closing process and provide a to-do list to complete.
Stage 4: Closing
Monitor and calculate deadlines.
Identify and track each critical step throughout the transaction process on your listing checklist for real estate agents. There are key dates to hit, such as the due diligence period, dates for all disclosures, and closing dates. Keep your clients updated on progress through each step of the closing progress. Communicate with the buyer’s agent to ensure they meet all the deadlines.

Coordinate access for inspectors and appraisers
Handle the appraisal, title insurance, and home inspection.
Coordinate access to the property for home inspectors to create an inspection report and appraisers to do their appraisals. Inspections and appraisals which are typically scheduled and paid for by the buyer and lender. After receiving the reports, you may need to negotiate closing credits or necessary repairs with the buyer’s agent and monitor any re-inspections or changes. Familiarize yourself with the title insurance requirements in your area, as the seller’s responsibilities may vary depending on location.
Provide sellers with a closing checklist.
Help your sellers prepare for their sale closing and their upcoming move by providing a closing checklist of important tasks, such as:
– Pay any outstanding bills to home-related services
– Schedule a professional deep-cleaning prior to final walk-through.
– Update their postal address
– Take inventory of security codes and keys
– Cancel or utilities
Review the settlement statement.
Before closing, review the settlement statement with the sellers; this is an important step that can help eliminate any uncertainty about final sale numbers. This document details every financial transaction and cost related to the property’s sale. Ensure that your clients clearly understand the financials through the entire sale transaction and address any questions or concerns they may have before they sign off on this important, final decision.
Monitor the status of the closing document.
During the final stage, you will help your seller provide all necessary items and ensure they sign the required documents before closing. You will also be present at the closing to support and help complete the transaction.

After the closing
Stage 5 – After the Closing
After successfully closing the sale, wrap up the transaction with these important tasks:
1. Send a thoughtful housewarming gift to your clients
2. Request online reviews and video testimonial from your clients to post on your website and social media accounts
3. Ask the clients to consider referring you to friends, family members, and business associates who may need your services in the future.
4. Ask if your clients to write a brief testimonial that you can use in your marketing
5. Find creative ways to stay in touch with your clients after the closing such as holiday cards, birthday’s, anniversaries. Thoughtful, ongoing communication and service will keep you top of mind for referrals.
With your new real estate agent checklist, you’ll be well-equipped to manage your listings professionally and efficiently and provide your clients with exceptional service. This list is just a suggestion to get you started to develop your own custom listing checklist that reflects your specific needs and any local requirements.
Free Download: Listing Checklist for Real Estate Agents
To help you streamline your listing process, we’ve created a handy downloadable version of this real estate listing agent checklist. Click here to download your free copy and optimize your listing strategy today!
Final Thoughts
An organized approach to your real estate listings can drive your path to long-term success as an agent. This comprehensive checklist will ensure you handle all important details throughout the listing process. Remember to stay flexible and take note of what works best for your own business situation. You should feel free to adapt your strategies as needed, always keeping your client’s best interests in mind.
As you gain experience and refine your processes, customize this listing checklist for real estate agents to suit your needs and local market conditions. With a client-focused approach, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a top-performing listing agent in your local market.