What to Expect When Selling Your Home

Trust us, most of these things will happen. This is the list we walk through with our sellers before the sign goes up, so that none of it arrives as a surprise. Every item on it is ordinary. Knowing about it in advance is the difference between an irritation and a crisis.

Before the sign goes up

• Selling a home can be stressful. You'll probably become anxious or nervous.
• If your home is in a trust, make sure you let us know. If not, it may cause a delay later in the process.
• We don't attach the lockbox to the door because it can damage the door and doorframe.
• Don't put your only key in the lockbox, because you won't be able to open it. Have a spare made.

Showings, and what they actually look like

• Showings will be requested and cancelled at the last minute.
• You may receive a showing request, look outside, and see them sitting in your driveway.
• Some showings will last 5 minutes, others will last 1.5 hours, some may not show up at all.
• Buyers may knock on the door without notice and ask to see the house. Get their name and call us.
• Don't be surprised if you receive showing requests on the day your home is listed.
• But don't be discouraged if it takes a few days to receive your first showing request.
• It's okay if showing times overlap. Simultaneous showings create urgency.
• Showing feedback usually takes 24 hours. On the weekends, it can take longer.
• Unfortunately, some agents don't give any feedback.
• Don't be surprised by low-ball offers.

Inspections, the appraisal, and the parts that take longer than you expect

• The buyer is responsible for any and all home inspections. The seller is responsible for the well and septic inspection if applicable.
• It usually takes a few days to hear back about each inspection.
• You probably won't find out what your home appraises for, unless the value comes in low.
• If the appraisal value comes in low, we have strategies to help with this.
• We don't recommend major packing until inspections and the appraisal are done.
• Pending and Sold signs won't go up until after inspection and appraisal, respectively.

Closing

• The closing date on your contract is only an estimate. It may change, perhaps multiple times.
• Don't forget your driver's license. You'll need it at the closing, and you can't close without it.
• We'll provide an estimate after an accepted offer, but you won't know exactly how much money you'll receive at closing until a couple of days before.
• When you get to closing, expect to sign your name a lot.

How we price and sell

What that looks like in practice. Across the trailing 12 months as of August 2026, the Luke Bouman Team sold 95 homes as the listing agent, at a median of 9 days on market and a median of 99.9 percent of list price. 47 of those 95 closed at or above the asking price. Source: MichRIC MLS.

The Luke Bouman Team is the Lakeshore's most reviewed real estate team, with 450+ five-star Google reviews and over 1,000 five-star reviews across all major platforms. If you want to walk through any of this before you list, call or text (616) 344-9923.

The one page version

The same list as a single page you can print or keep on your phone.