Selling a home brings a long list of questions, and knowing what to ask early can make a significant difference in your timing, strategy, and final outcome. In this episode of How to Sell Your Atlanta Home with Sage and Grace, Judy Jernigan is joined by teammate Kristy Kadolph to unpack the most common questions home sellers ask and how to approach them with clarity.
Whether you're months away from listing or simply preparing for the future, this conversation offers grounded guidance meant to protect your equity and support a smooth next chapter.
Judy and Kristy walk through the most common questions that come up when a homeowner considers selling. From timelines to repairs to pricing, the pair explain how the right questions set the stage for a confident, well-planned sale.
Value matters, but it’s only part of the overall strategy. Kristy shares how understanding goals, upcoming life changes, and your ideal timing can be just as important.
Clarity and communication make all the difference. The episode explores how to identify the agent who will advocate for your goals, protect your equity, and offer strategic, educational guidance.
Judy and Kristy discuss how strong planning reduces uncertainty. From staging to pricing to navigating shifting market conditions, a clear plan helps sellers feel informed and supported.
A well-prepared listing performs better. The episode outlines what sellers need to consider long before photos or showings begin.
Your agent is your advocate. Judy and Kristy highlight why trust, transparency, and experience are essential to a strong partnership and outcome.
Kristy Kadolph, REALTOR® with Sage and Grace Realty Group, is a former special education teacher and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Her background in education, behavior science, and communication allows her to guide homebuyers and home sellers with clarity, precision, and an understanding of individual needs.
She lives in Atlanta with her husband, two children, and rescue dog. Outside of real estate, she enjoys discovering new Atlanta restaurants, practicing yoga, and taking on DIY interior design projects.
Instagram: @kristykadolphrealtor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-kadolph
Selling a home can feel overwhelming, but clarity helps you take control. The questions you ask at the beginning of your journey guide every decision that follows. This episode provides a framework for those early conversations so you can move forward with purpose, confidence, and a strategy that honors your financial and emotional goals.
These resources pair well with the topics discussed in this episode:
Why This Real Estate Power Move Matters for Atlanta Homeowners
Selling your home is a major life event. If you're looking for a strategy that honors your financial, logistical, and emotional priorities, Judy is here to help.
Schedule a personal strategy consultation
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Transcript
[Speaker 1] What about my sweet puppy dogs? Do I have to remodel the kitchen? Do I have to clean? Do I have to move out first? Home sellers have lots of questions for us when they're thinking about getting their home ready to list for sale. Here are the top questions that home sellers ask and what you need to know on this episode of How to Sell Your Home with Sage and Grace, smart homeowner strategies for successful real estate sales. Selling a home isn't just about putting up a for sale sign. It's about strategy, marketing and negotiation. But how do you know if you're making the right moves? I'm Judy Jernigan, recognized among the top 5% by the Atlanta Realtors and your host of How to Sell Your Atlanta Home with Sage and Grace, smart homeowner strategies, successful real estate sales. With a background in broadcasting, negotiation and education, I bring a unique perspective to home sales, helping homeowners sell faster for top dollar and with less hassle while understanding not just the financial side, but also the logistical and emotional considerations of a move. This show helps you plan ahead, navigate the market and work more effectively with a realtor like me. You'll get expert insights from my guests plus real actionable strategies to sell with confidence. Now here's the show moving you forward with Sage Advice and Grace. I'm Judy Jernigan with Sage and Grace Realty Group. My co-host today is Kristi Kadoff, an agent with Sage and Grace Realty. Thank you for having me. Thank you. Welcome. So do I have to move out before selling my home? [Speaker 2] No. No. I think a lot of this episode hopefully will ease people's minds if they're thinking about selling because it is very anxiety-inducing to even think about the whole process, right? It can be. Oh my gosh, all these things I've got to get together, but I really want to move out, right? And so it's how do I get to the new house? How do I get to that next step? [Speaker 1] So we have asked our followers some questions that they have. And as you and I have worked with our home sellers over the years, we know what the common questions are. So today we're going to try to answer some of those common questions. [Speaker 2] So I guess we'll start with, can I sell my house if it's messy and outdated? [Speaker 1] So I like to break that into two different things. Messy is one thing. Outdated is another thing. So outdated, you don't need to remodel your bathroom or your kitchen necessarily, or do a complete overhaul. Messy though, really? No, your home shouldn't be messy. [Speaker 2] Very rarely is messy okay. Because that's assuming that buyers come in and can see a vision for your home and not every buyer walks in with the ability to see the vision or potential of the home. Right. If things are cluttered and messy. [Speaker 1] So I have to start this episode with saying when I'm working with home sellers and answering these questions for them, we always take it from what is your priority. I want to sell your home as fast as possible or on the timeline that you want, your desired timeline at the highest price possible with as least amount of hassle or stress or inconvenience for you as possible. But those three things inform each other, the speed or timeline, the hassle or convenience, and then the price. So if you want to sell for top dollar, there may be some hassle and inconvenience that comes with that. And how quickly you want to sell, if you're really in a big hurry, then that may be counteractive to wanting to sell for top dollar or to having less convenience. You know, the hassle of showings and the hassle of having to tidy up and not have messiness. So what is your priority if you have to pick one? So I come at these questions through that lens. I guess most people want to sell for top dollar. So if you want to sell for top dollar, then no, your home shouldn't be messy. But as far as outdated goes, you have people say, you know, what do you think of this bathroom? Do I need to do a complete remodel of this bathroom? [Speaker 2] We definitely get those questions, but what you think looks good might be different than what buyers come in and want to do with the place anyway. And so it's hard to balance that. [Speaker 1] Usually the ROI, the return on investment, isn't there for a complete gut and remodel. Updating some light fixtures, maybe the faucet, making sure it's clean, clean, clean. That's something we should say is no, your home shouldn't be messy and it should be as clean as possible. But usually just a few. It's going to, of course, depend, the answer to all these questions is going to depend on the property and their goals. But often what we see is no, even if your bathroom is original or outdated, you don't, the return on investment isn't going to be there to do a complete overhaul. Just make sure it's clean and maybe consider a new light fixture. [Speaker 2] Yeah. And on top of the light fixtures, even just like the cabinet poles in the kitchen, for example, replacing that. Wow. Can make a big difference. Even just the, bear with me, the cabinet door. Like let's say, it's solid, but you want to change the door or change the paint color of that. That's one thing to do too. That's cheaper, DIY potentially, but when people walk in, they see those updates. [Speaker 1] Yeah. So we always tell our home sellers, first off, the home has to, if you do nothing else clean, there are four things to consider. The first thing is the home must be clean. If you do nothing else, clean, clean, clean. The second is to take care of any little maintenance handyman issues, no drippy faucets, no squeaky doors that won't open or close properly, cabinets falling off the hinges, these little handyman things, get all those taken care of. Otherwise people think it's indicative, maybe a bigger neglect for bigger issues in the home. And then, so if you only do two things, clean and take care of any little handyman things. And the third thing to consider is paint, fresh paint can go a long way. And these top three things are less expensive than a complete remodel of any kind. So clean maintenance and yeah, fresh paint. It doesn't have to be the whole home either, just high traffic areas. Right. Thoughts on paint color? Yeah. Something neutral, of course. We can advise our seller clients on what's going to match with their kitchen cabinetry or kitchen countertops. You don't want to do a paint color that's going to clash with your existing kitchen countertops. But yeah, usually right now we did have many years of gray and stark white being on trend. We are now seeing the color start to warm up a little bit, but it changes every few years. The color that's on trend changes a little bit, but it's always a neutral. [Speaker 2] Lighter color. Yeah. [Speaker 1] Usually a little bit lighter. And then the fourth thing, when you're getting your home ready to sell, it often helps people answer these questions that they have. The fourth thing is, do I need to stage? Do I need to declutter? Do I need to bring in a professional stager or furniture? And the first three things have to come first, but then the fourth thing is important. But do I have to declutter? Where should I put all my stuff? [Speaker 2] You can have a pod, right? You can put those boxes in the garage. There's ways to declutter. [Speaker 1] So yes, you do need to declutter if, again, you want to sell for top dollar. And yeah, I love pods, like the storage, the portable storage units. They'll bring them to your house, set it in your driveway or at the curb. You fill it up with as much as you can prepack that you don't need. And they can either stay there in your driveway if it must be, or the storage, the pod company will take it and put it in their storage unit and take it to your new home when you're ready. [Speaker 2] Definitely. I mean, I do, I will say I've had some pushback on staging, right? Because it is an extra cost. Can you talk a little bit about, will I see those extra dollars reflected in the long run? How does that typically work? [Speaker 1] So staging comes in different forms. So just decluttering and prepacking is a form of staging. Making sure that your own, I mean, you can use your own furnishings, but taking out any extra furniture that you don't need, your extra collections, your personal items, just making the home look as spacious and neutral as possible with your own furnishings is something that we can help you do. And that is occupied, a form of occupied home staging. And it can be so helpful if you have an agent who can help you do that. And again, it's your weighing time, price and convenience. But backing up for a second, you mentioned, we mentioned the storage pods, also the garage. I have had people be like, oh, I hate to, we have this great two car garage. We hate to fill it up with boxes. I get where they're coming from, but if it's either a stack of boxes in the garage or a home full of your collections and too many personal items, we definitely prefer the boxes in the garage. It's okay to see a pile of boxes in the garage. [Speaker 2] Yeah. You're moving, right? [Speaker 1] That's the goal. That's right. So you're going to have boxes. Much more important to have the home be decluttered and depersonalized. What do you think as far as occupied home staging? [Speaker 2] I think it's effective when done correctly. And I think the big thing you said is getting rid of the extraneous things and having the basics. So people can still feel like they can maneuver around the home, but see how the home could be laid out. Like I said, some people walk in and they have a vision and they don't need to see the staging of the furniture, but a lot of people need to come in and say, okay, this type of kitchen table would work here. You know, the rectangle fits here, whatever. So people really need, I'd say the majority need to see the home staged to really feel like they can make it happen. And this could be their home. [Speaker 1] I have a listing right now where the home seller has moved out, but she was able to leave her dining room table, able to leave a sofa, coffee table, a few things just to provide a sense of scale and help people see how the layout would work. And that helps a lot. It also, when there are furnishings in a home, it helps give a sense of scale and see how the home could flow, what could go where, give each room purpose, but it also makes every little scuff on the wall or ding here and there less noticeable because there are other things to look at. Whereas if it's completely empty, then your walls are going to need to be perfect and your flooring is going to need to be perfect. [Speaker 2] Right. [Speaker 1] Because that's what they're focused on. That's all there is to see. This is a good question for you because you really have an eye for design. So what is the difference? This is something we get from our home sellers. What's the difference between staging and decorating? Does staging just mean I'm going to set my table pretty? [Speaker 2] No, I'd say staging is more the furniture in different areas to show the layout and structure of the home and where things could go. And this is where I have my morning coffee. And then I can come over and sit here. It's like a lifestyle. [Speaker 1] Yes. [Speaker 2] That's what you're selling. You're selling the lifestyle. Absolutely. And then decorating, of course, but that really is more of contributing to the feeling of a room. The lifestyle, showing this is where you have your morning coffee. [Speaker 1] If you want to set a coffee set on the table, maybe that's part of the decorating. But secondarily, an important part of staging is drawing your eye to the important features of the home. So I had a home I was selling where I intentionally did not put anything on the dining room table because I didn't want people's eye to stop at a lovely centerpiece. I wanted it to go beyond the table to the bay window and the view outside that bay window. So that was making sure that I drew people's eye where we wanted it to go to the important architectural qualities of the things that convey with the home. [Speaker 2] Right. And that's strategic on your part, the things that you have to do behind the scenes to prepare for showings. Yeah, exactly. That's taking it just to the next level. [Speaker 1] So people ask us, I'm going to read this question here from one of our followers. Do I need to make repairs before selling? And what if I can't afford them? [Speaker 2] Yeah. So in general, things that, I mean, like we were saying earlier, like the basics, the rickety door that squeak, like- The drippy faucet. The drippy faucets. Those things, yes, should be complete. And like you said, if buyers see, this is kind of hanging off the hinge. You do start to kind of develop that, well, what else is going on here? Right. So I think those surface level repairs, yes, for sure. [Speaker 1] What are your thoughts? Oh, I agree. Talk with your real estate professional who's helping you. There are some contractors who will do some work for you and are okay getting paid at closing. As long as you list fairly and have a listing strategy and are going to close, that's sometimes an option. [Speaker 2] Yes. So you do have options, but you need to know what those are. [Speaker 1] And of course, it depends on what repair we're talking about here. But I absolutely agree with you that any smaller things absolutely should be taken care of. And any bigger things, you're going to just make sure you disclose it would be my suggestion. [Speaker 2] Right. Definitely. All right. Let me see what other questions we have. How long will it take to sell my house? [Speaker 1] Yes. We get that one a lot. That's a fair question. People want to know how long will it take to sell my home? There's different ways we can answer it. Like right now at the time of this recording in Atlanta, overall, the average days on market before a home goes under contract is 45. But that is an average and it changes every day, every month. And it's also is time your biggest concern? Because if so, there are things we can do to get things under contract faster. Right. So what are some of those things? So price and like we talked about convenience or hassle. So maybe making some of those updates, maybe doing some fresh paint, making sure the home looks absolutely 100% as good as it possibly can and pricing it right, then that's how you're going to sell it more quickly. So if time is the most important of those three things, then yeah, that's what informs price and convenience. [Speaker 2] I'm going to throw a question at you. How would you define priced right? [Speaker 1] Well, that is between you and your real estate professional. And a list price is not just a number. It's a strategy. It's part of your overall strategy and back to your priorities. So priced right has to do with what is the right price to align with your Mr. Homeowner or Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner, your strategy. What is most important? Is it going to be absolutely selling as fast as possible? Selling for absolute top dollar? Or maybe you don't want to have any showings because you have children and you have pets and you just want to do two open houses and as few showings as possible. And that comes down to and selling as is. You don't want to make any updates or repairs or that's the inconvenience to you or convenience is your top priority. So pricing it right is going to depend on, of course, the market conditions, the market trends in your specific neighborhood, but really it plays into your priorities and your goals and coming up with a list price that is going to help you achieve your goals. So pricing it right is very personal and it's not something where I can just look at all the comparable sales and give you a number. We need to have a conversation on what your goals and your priorities are. [Speaker 2] Right. [Speaker 1] And then come up with an overall strategy to get you there. [Speaker 2] Yes. I like that answer. Comprehensive. It's not just one thing, right? It's looking at the entire picture for that homeowner. Yeah, definitely. I was going to talk about just some people, again, this is a tough question, believe that the list price should be way higher and that because it's higher, they're going to get offers at the price that they actually want to sell it at. Does that make sense? Yeah. [Speaker 1] Some people think that you need to list high to leave room for negotiations. And there are some in their defense, while there are several flaws to that logic, there are some home buyers who think they're not getting a good deal unless they negotiate way down from the list price. Yeah. I will say that is, as you know, very uncommon in this market at this time. [Speaker 2] Yes. [Speaker 1] The fun fact is, and this has been the statistic in Atlanta for the past two years, is that homes are going under contract for 98 to 99% of the list price. That's the average in the greater Atlanta area for the past two years. Back during the pandemic years, the average was like 100%, 101%. So that's a way of helping us inform our clients, our home sellers, and letting them know this. What is common in this area right now, and there are always anomalies, is to try to list things usually right around fair market value, and that they do usually go under contract on average for about 99% of the price. But of course, it's going to depend on your goals, your strategy, your timeline, and then in your neighborhood too, what's going on in your neighborhood. [Speaker 2] Right. You need a tailored plan that you feel comfortable with. [Speaker 1] Exactly. [Speaker 2] You mentioned as-is. Can you expand on that? If you have a seller that says, I'm just selling as-is, what does that mean? Yeah. What does that mean? [Speaker 1] It doesn't really mean anything. No. That's something that I will sometimes see in marketing for a property is this property is being sold as-is. I usually, depending on the circumstances, advise my seller clients not to use that phrase because it can scare off a buyer thinking that they're saying that there are several things wrong with the home. Maybe there aren't. Maybe the home seller doesn't know of anything majorly wrong with the home, but they just don't want to make any little repairs. They want to let people know upfront, hey, we're not going to fix the leaky, drippy faucet, whatever the case may be, but you're going to scare people with that as-is. Homes in Georgia, the way our contract is written, homes in Georgia are sold as-is. Anyway, there is nothing that a homeowner has to fix. All homebuyers are encouraged to have a home inspector come and look things over so that they know exactly what they are buying, but there is no obligation for a home seller to fix anything at all whatsoever. Of course, that is negotiable. Usually a homebuyer has a due diligence period and they don't have to move forward with the purchase of the home, so it is all negotiable no matter what the listing says. While it is good to set expectations upfront that can be done as the agents talk with each other, I would never market a property. Never say never, but I don't usually recommend advertising selling a property as-is. It can unnecessarily decrease your buyer pool. [Speaker 2] Yeah. You're going in as the buyer and buyer's agent. You're going into that home, if it says sold as-is, and you're looking for every single thing that, well, what did they mean? What's wrong with it? What are the things that they don't want to fix? Exactly. It does detract a little bit. [Speaker 1] Don't scare people unnecessarily. Right. Can you help me explain? This is a question we get. What's the difference between under contract versus closing? [Speaker 2] Under contract means you as the buyer, well, the buyer presents an offer to the seller, and the seller signs that contract, agrees to the terms after usually much negotiation on both sides, come to an agreement that the two parties are typically comfortable with, and the seller will sign the contract. Then it's officially, once both parties sign, a binding contract. It's a legally binding document. You are under contract. The closing is, we can talk about how long typically a closing occurs from being under contract, but it is typically in this market about 30 days. You'll be under contract, and then the closing occurs, and that is when you're signing all of the documents, and it officially becomes the home buyer's property at the closing table. There's a lot of things that go on between under contract and closing them. [Speaker 1] There are. There's a lot. There's many steps to the process, we call it. It is a process, but no, you explained that. You explained that well. I have a question here from Collected by Karen. Do home buyers really care about small things like burnt out light bulbs? [Speaker 2] No, but it just, again, it contributes to the overall feel of a place. When you try and turn on the switch and nothing works, you're like, well, does anything work? You just, again, it sends some of those alarm bells. [Speaker 1] One burnt out light bulb, maybe not a big deal, but we do find that our home buyers really like spaces that are light and bright, and that they can see, and having being able to turn all the lights on when we walk in, or having them already on, better yet, is really, yes, home buyers really do care about the small things, especially because it's accumulative, all the small things add up. [Speaker 2] Yes. When you keep trying those light switches and nothing works, it's just, you're just like, what's going on here? [Speaker 1] I am a licensed broker in the state of Georgia, also a real estate broker in North Carolina. In North Carolina, people move with their refrigerators. They take their refrigerators with them most of the time. Here in Georgia- Interesting. What do you think? Should I leave the appliances or take them with me, is a question that we get. [Speaker 2] I would say in the state of Georgia, most people leave all appliances. The two that I see are most commonly taken are the washer and the dryer. I've never seen a refrigerator taken. It is negotiable. [Speaker 1] It is more common for the refrigerator to stay and convey with the home. [Speaker 2] Yes. It doesn't have to, but- It's a lot of work too on the agent, or sorry, on the sellers to bring a bigger refrigerator. I think sometimes ease might impact their decision, but in general, we see that most appliances convey. Yeah. [Speaker 1] Except maybe not washer and dryer. [Speaker 2] Yes. I've had clients be upset, buyer clients be upset when they see that the washer and dryer is not conveying with the purchase of the home. They just think it's a cheap move. [Speaker 1] We have to explain that that is not as customary. Sometimes people do move with their washer and dryer around here, but- Right. Especially if it's brand new, if they love it, they just bought it. Okay. Maybe they want to bring it. I will say our contracts do a really good job of helping keep everyone on the same page. There's a nice little checklist that says what stays and what goes. We, as your real estate professional, needs to work with you to make sure that that's filled out correctly. Even the refrigerator, someone may say the refrigerator stays. If it's a really nice refrigerator, you may want to make sure that you put in the model number or some specifics so that you're not left with a small... People have horror stories. I personally haven't seen it, but of a seller having moved out and left a small dorm fridge in place of the big kitchen refrigerator. Being like, what? You said- But it's a fridge. It's a fridge. Here it is. [Speaker 2] Right. Oh my God. [Speaker 1] We don't like those surprises. [Speaker 2] That's funny. I guess speaking of the process between going under contract to the closing table, due diligence, the due diligence period, what is that and how does that protect a buyer? [Speaker 1] As far as the questions that we get from our sellers wanting to know what they need to worry about during the due diligence period, the big question is, am I going to have to make repairs? How long can the buyer get out of the contract? The due diligence period is a negotiable amount of time for a negotiable amount of money during which the home buyer has to do their due diligence, get any questions that they have answered, and should a deal breaker arise, they can... Or they just change their mind or get cold feet. They can get out of the contract without penalty. This is a time that home sellers are left biting their nails. They're in limbo. They don't know if the home buyer is going to move forward or not. There's not a whole lot they can do other than be cooperative and have the home inspection go as good as possible by taking care of those maintenance things that we talked about earlier. Did that answer your question? [Speaker 2] Yeah, definitely. Just be willing to answer questions that the buyers bring up. [Speaker 1] Yes. If they have questions about the Homeowners Association, for example, the homeowners are the ones who are going to be able to get them copies of the covenants or just the community rules and regulations, and just being cooperative and helping with any questions is really a big help when home sellers are willing to do that and can help the whole process go more smoothly. Definitely. Mm-hmm. Do I have to leave the house during showings? Yes. Yes. Yes. What happens if I have my home listed for sale, I'm still living there, and a home buyer or someone shows up late or without an appointment, knocks on my front door, and wants to look around? [Speaker 2] Yeah, that's a tough one. Do they have an agent with them or is it just them? Just a random person. Yeah. Let's say it's just a random person. No. Don't let them in your home. [Speaker 1] Don't let a random person, as much as you want to sell your home and we want to help you sell your home, do not let a random person in your home. Give them your agent's card or phone number or tell them, call my real estate agent, and they'll help you schedule a tour. Yes. [Speaker 2] I think that that's fair. [Speaker 1] And if they're with another agent, you have to say, you need to call. Call my agent. Same if you have a home, if your paths cross, maybe you left for a showing and you left as the home seller and you came back and they're just now leaving the property, maybe they're running behind or whatnot, and your paths cross and the home buyer wants to talk with you directly as the home seller. Don't do it. Be friendly, but really, anything you say can and will be used against you. It is true. That's the thing. Thank them for stopping by and say, you're in a hurry. Just say, please, thank you so much for your questions and your interest. Talk to my agent. That's what you hired us to do. That's what you hired us for. Let us handle all the questions and all the communication. [Speaker 2] Yeah. Because when you start saying, well, I'm moving out to Arizona and I started a new job and next month- You may be hurting your negotiating power. Now the buyers have something more that they wouldn't have known. [Speaker 1] They may read into things that you never implied, never intended, that you'd never guessed. Just let your agent handle it. Yes. [Speaker 2] Keep it short. [Speaker 1] What if I get multiple offers? How do I pick the best one? [Speaker 2] This is a fantastic problem to have. Yes. This is where your agent is working with you directly, going over every single piece of the offers that you've received. Exactly. [Speaker 1] Because it isn't always all about the purchase price. [Speaker 2] No. You've got to look at those terms and you really have to see closing date, for example. This buyer wants to close this month. Okay. Well, this buyer is offering just a little bit more, but they want to close in 60 days. Those things- And how does that mesh with your timeline? [Speaker 1] Financing. The higher purchase price, if the financing isn't there, if they're not qualified, if we're not certain they're going to be able to actually pay that higher purchase price, then that may not be the offer you want to go with. [Speaker 2] Right. Your agent should walk you through every piece of the offers that you receive. [Speaker 1] Right. There's a lot more to it, again, than purchase price. All the different terms, as you call them. Terms or closing date.