Lavell Thompson - VellSells.com
    First-Time Seller Guide

    30 Days to Selling Your Los Angeles Home

    Fourteen steps across four phases, built for Los Angeles County sellers. Here's exactly what happens — and where I step in, which is most of it.

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    20+
    Years selling in LA County
    30+
    San Fernando Valley communities
    35
    Five-star client reviews

    Don't have 30 days? Most of my sellers compress this into two or three weeks. The order matters more than the calendar.

    Who does what

    Fourteen steps below. Four of them are yours.

    Selling your first home shouldn't feel like a second job. Here's the honest division of labor.

    What you actually do
    • Gather your paperwork
    • Clear out what you don't want to move
    • Choose your repairs
    • Decide where you land next
    • Say yes to the right offer
    What I handle
    • Pricing, comps, and your net sheet
    • Inspections, retrofit, and 9A reports
    • Disclosure packet, start to finish
    • Photo, video, staging, and marketing
    • Showings, offers, negotiation, escrow
    What are you selling?
    Phase 1

    Get your bearings

    Before a single box gets packed, we get clear on your market, your money, and your timeline. Mostly a conversation — I do the digging.

    Step1
    We do it together

    Decide your why and your timeline

    "The LA market" doesn't exist. Encino behaves nothing like Pacoima, and Santa Clarita behaves nothing like either. Start with why you're moving and when you need to be out — everything else is built around those two answers. Then look at the last 90 days of closed sales within about a mile of your front door, in your price band and property type.

    We'll set the timeline together on our first call, and I'll pull the closed-sale data around your block so the timing is based on something real.

    • What did comparable homes actually close for — not list for?
    • How many days on market, and how many price reductions along the way?
    • How many active listings compete with you right now?
    • Where are 30-year rates, and what does that do to your buyer pool?
    LA Specific

    Valley buyers shop by school boundary and commute. A home two blocks over in a different district can trade for meaningfully more or less.

    See what your home is worthBrowse Valley community market data
    Step2
    We do it together

    Pick your agent and get a real net sheet

    There are tens of thousands of licensed agents in Los Angeles County and only a fraction sell more than a couple homes a year. Interview two or three, not ten — then ask each of them for a written seller net sheet before you sign anything.

    I'll prepare a written net sheet before you commit to anything — line by line, so you see your walk-away number up front.

    • Look at their marketing on their own listings; that's the marketing you'll get
    • Read Google, Yelp, and Zillow reviews for patterns, not perfection
    • Verify the DRE license number at the California DRE public lookup
    • Get the net sheet in writing: transfer taxes, escrow, title, compensation, credits
    LA Specific

    In the City of LA, budget county transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 plus city transfer tax of $4.50 per $1,000. Measure ULA only hits sales around $5.3M and above, and only inside city limits.

    Read my client reviewsSee recent sales I've closed
    Step3
    You handle this

    Pull your paperwork together

    The single biggest cause of escrow delays in California is missing documents. Start a folder now, and call your lender for an exact payoff demand — not your statement balance.

    This one's yours, but I'll send you a one-page checklist so you're not guessing what matters. Anything you can't find, I can usually pull.

    • Grant deed and most recent title policy
    • Permits and final sign-offs from city or county Building & Safety
    • HOA governing documents, budget, and reserve study if applicable
    • Receipts for the roof, HVAC, sewer line, panel, and any additions
    • Solar lease, PPA, or loan documents — plus any PACE/HERO assessment
    • Exact mortgage payoff, second liens, and HELOCs that must clear escrow
    LA Specific

    Unpermitted additions, converted garages, and older ADUs are extremely common in the Valley. Disclose them; don't market them as permitted square footage.

    Run the numbers on your next home
    Step4
    We handle this

    Understand what you must disclose in California

    California is one of the most disclosure-heavy states in the country, and getting ahead of it is the difference between a smooth escrow and a renegotiation. Know the stack before you list.

    You don't fill out the disclosure packet alone. I walk every form with you, explain what each question is really asking, and handle the delivery and timing.

    • Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) and Seller Property Questionnaire (SPQ)
    • Natural Hazard Disclosure — flood, fire, earthquake fault, seismic, liquefaction
    • Lead-based paint disclosure for homes built before 1978
    • Megan's Law and death-on-property (3-year) disclosures
    • HOA disclosures and Mello-Roos / special assessment notices
    LA Specific

    Much of LA County sits in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, an Alquist-Priolo fault zone, or a methane zone. The NHD report will say so — disclose it early rather than letting it blow up an inspection contingency.

    Read: Selling a home with tenants in LA
    What done looks like

    Phase 1 is done when you've signed with an agent, know your payoff, and have your paperwork in one folder.

    Phase 2

    Know your numbers, start the prep

    Now you find out what selling actually costs in Los Angeles. I handle the pricing and the reports; you start clearing out what you don't want to move.

    Step5
    We handle this

    Set the price with real Valley comps

    Pricing slightly under the obvious round number to attract multiple offers usually beats pricing above it and chasing the market down. Decide your strategy, your review-offers date, and your walk-away number now — not after week three on market.

    Pricing is my job. I build the comp analysis, defend the number, and adjust it with you as showings come in.

    • Under three months of inventory is a seller's market; over six favors buyers
    • Track list-to-sale ratio in your specific pocket, not the county average
    • Price to the search brackets buyers actually use online
    Get a free home valuation
    Step6
    We handle this

    Order inspections before the buyer does

    Getting ahead of the report removes leverage from buyers later. You'd rather find the problem on your schedule than during a 17-day contingency window.

    I order the inspections, coordinate access, and review the reports with you before anything gets disclosed.

    • General home inspection
    • Termite / wood-destroying pest report (routinely requested here)
    • Sewer lateral camera scope — critical on older Valley homes with clay lines
    • Roof certification if the roof is over 15 years old
    Read: What to fix and what to skip
    Step7
    We handle this

    Handle California and City of LA requirements

    Some items aren't optional in California. Handle them now instead of during escrow, when they cost you negotiating room.

    Retrofit, 9A, smoke and CO — I order the reports, line up the vendors, and track the certificates through to close.

    • Smoke alarms in every bedroom, hallway, and level
    • Carbon monoxide alarms on every level with sleeping areas
    • Water heater double-strapped for seismic
    • Low-flow toilets and showerheads (state retrofit requirement)
    • Pool or spa: compliant safety features per state law
    LA Specific

    City of LA also requires a Residential Property Report (9A) from LADBS before recording, and soft-story or older multi-family buildings may carry retrofit obligations.

    Read: What a City of LA 9A report actually is
    Step8
    You handle this

    Declutter, donate, and pre-pack

    Every closet, cupboard, and cabinet gets opened by buyers. Target roughly 30% less stuff than you live with. Family photos, diplomas, religious items, and political items come down. A storage unit is cheaper than a price reduction.

    Yours to sort, but I'll arrange the donation pickup and point you to the Valley charities that actually come to the house.

    Read: Donating and clearing out before you sell
    What done looks like

    Phase 2 is done when you have a price range you believe in, inspections ordered, and a third of your stuff gone.

    Phase 3

    Fix, stage, prepare

    This is the phase the house stops being your home and starts being a product. You choose the repairs — I bring the crews, the stager, and the schedule.

    Step9
    We do it together

    Repairs that return money vs. repairs that don't

    Paint is the highest return you'll get. Neutral warm white throughout, fresh trim, clean ceilings. Then work the small stuff, because buyers price small defects like large ones.

    I'll walk the house with you and tell you plainly what earns money back and what doesn't. You make the call; I bring the contractors.

    • Sticking doors, torn screens, cracked switch plates
    • Dripping faucets, running toilets, slow drains
    • Burned-out bulbs — replace every one, matched color temperature
    • Skip the full kitchen remodel; you rarely get it back at resale
    Read: What to fix and what to skip
    Step10
    We handle this

    Curb appeal and the first-photo shot

    Curb appeal is the first showing. In LA, drought-tolerant and tidy beats lush and shaggy.

    Landscaping, paint touch-ups, pressure wash — I coordinate the crew and schedule it around the photo date.

    • Fresh mulch or gravel, crisp edges, trimmed hedges
    • Power-wash driveway, walkway, and stucco
    • Paint the front door, polish hardware, replace the mat
    • Stage the patio — outdoor living is a real value driver here
    Read: Prepping the day before photos
    Step11
    We handle this

    Stage the rooms buyers score you on

    Staged homes photograph better and sell faster. Even a light occupied-stage — furniture edit, rugs, art, linens — changes the photos dramatically. Then a professional deep clean, top to bottom: grout, oven, inside cabinets, baseboards, light fixtures, windows and tracks.

    I bring in the stager and handle the plan, the load-in, and the reset before photos.

    Step12
    You handle this

    Plan the move-out and where you land next

    In LA the safest play is usually to sell with a rent-back. California contracts routinely allow a Seller in Possession addendum for up to 29 days after close, which buys you time to move without a double mortgage. While you're at it, decide where the dog goes and where the kids do homework during showings.

    Where you land next is your decision. When you're ready, I'll line up the search or the rental so there's no gap.

    • Sell first with a 14–29 day rent-back (lowest risk)
    • Buy first using a bridge loan or HELOC (highest flexibility, highest cost)
    • Contingent offers are weak in competitive Valley price bands
    Read: Selling with kids at homeEstimate your next payment
    What done looks like

    Phase 3 is done when the house is painted, cleaned, staged, and you know where you're going next.

    Phase 4

    Launch

    The last phase is where price gets made, and it's the part you can hand to me entirely. Marketing, showings, offers, escrow — that's my job.

    Step13
    We handle this

    Photo, video, and marketing day

    Twilight exteriors, drone where legal, full walkthrough video, and a measured floor plan. Over 95% of buyers start online — the photos are the product. Approve everything before it goes live: MLS remarks, photo order, the property site, social and email campaigns, broker preview, and the open house schedule.

    Photographer, video, drone, floor plan, copy, and the full marketing rollout — all mine, all paid for by me.

    Read: Prepping the day before photosSee how I market listings
    Step14
    We handle this

    Go live, showings, offers, escrow

    Lights on, blinds open, counters clear, cars off the driveway, valuables and prescriptions locked away. Disclosures — TDS, SPQ, NHD, agency, advisories — get delivered up front, which shortens contingency periods and reduces renegotiation.

    Showings, feedback, offer review, negotiation, and escrow coordination. From here to the keys, I'm driving.

    • Default contract: 17 days for inspection and appraisal, 21 for loan
    • Initial deposit typically 3% into escrow within 3 days
    • Request for Repair typically arrives around day 10–14
    • No attorneys, no closing table — escrow funds and the county records the deed
    LA Specific

    Expect a final utility read, a signed 9A report where required, and possession delivered per contract — usually at recording or per your rent-back.

    Talk through your sale with me
    What done looks like

    Phase 4 is done when the sign is in the yard, disclosures are delivered, and offers start coming in.

    The Numbers

    What it costs to sell in LA

    County documentary transfer tax$1.10 per $1,000 of sale price
    City of LA transfer tax$4.50 per $1,000 (city limits only)
    Measure ULA (City of LA)4% at ~$5.3M+, 5.5% at ~$10.6M+
    Escrow feeRoughly $2 per $1,000 plus a base fee
    Owner's title policyVaries by price; customarily seller-paid
    Natural Hazard Disclosure report$100–$150
    Termite report and any Section 1 work$150 report; repairs negotiable
    City of LA 9A Report~$70–$90 where required
    HOA document package$200–$500 if applicable
    Brokerage compensationNegotiable — set in your listing agreement

    Estimates for general guidance only. Rates, thresholds, and customary practices change and vary by city. I'll prepare a written net sheet specific to your property before you list.

    Common Questions

    Common questions

    Let's start with what it's worth.

    No pressure, no obligation — just a real number and a straight conversation about your options.

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