Selling your home in Silicon Valley is one of the most significant financial decisions you will ever make. The first step — and the most important one — is choosing the right real estate professional. Get this right, and everything that follows becomes clearer, smoother, and more profitable.
"If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait until you hire an amateur."
— Red Adair
The very first step to selling your home is to hire a REALTOR® — but not just any agent. You want the best possible professional for your specific situation, your goals, and your timeline. Referrals from people you trust are a great starting point. Spend time reading client reviews. Schedule brief phone conversations. Then meet in person with the agents who stand out. We hope you will add The Dawn Thomas Team to that short list.
Finding the right REALTOR® is deeply personal. You need someone who understands your lifestyle, your goals, and what this move means for your family. Capability and experience matter — but so does connection. You will be working closely with this person through one of the most significant decisions of your life. That relationship matters as much as the credentials.
Once you’ve found your agent, you will sign a listing agreement — a formal contract that authorizes your REALTOR® to represent you and begin the process of bringing your home to market.
Three things happen immediately after you hire your REALTOR®:
You will review and complete disclosure documents, set a target date to go on the market, and begin identifying what makes your home uniquely valuable to buyers. We guide you through every piece of it.
Selling a home has significant financial implications — and that means your real estate advisor should not be your only advisor. Your financial planner, CPA, and possibly an attorney should all be part of this conversation early. The more informed you are going in, the better every decision that follows will be.
Choosing the right agent is a very personal decision. You want someone knowledgeable, experienced, and deeply committed to acting in your best interest. Someone who will advocate for you and negotiate on your behalf — always. It is equally important to choose someone you like and respect. You will be working closely with this person. That rapport — or the absence of it — shapes the entire experience.
Studies show that 90% of consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from people they know. Start by asking two or three people in your network if they have worked with a REALTOR® they would enthusiastically recommend. We hope that process leads you here. Backed by Compass, Dawn and The Team bring access to world-class global resources, a REALM luxury network, and over 20 years of Silicon Valley market expertise to every sale.
Once you have a short list, do your research. Read client reviews. Notice how agents communicate — and how quickly they respond. If an agent takes days to respond to a potential seller, ask yourself: how will they respond to potential buyers for your home?
Before meeting in person, schedule a brief phone call. Get a sense of each agent’s experience, their knowledge of your neighborhood, and how they approach pricing. Ask the ones you connect with most to come prepared with a comparable market analysis (CMA) for your home.
KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK EVERY AGENT YOU INTERVIEW:
Be honest with each agent about your timeline, any known issues with the property, and your goals for the sale. If an agent pressures you to sign a listing agreement before you feel ready, or if you don’t feel comfortable sharing the full picture with them — that is a clear signal they are not the right fit. The right agent makes you feel at ease, not pressured.
CONTRACT DATES
The start and termination dates of the agreement — your agent cannot represent you beyond these dates without renewal.
LIST PRICE
The agreed price your home will be listed at, based on market data and your specific goals.
AGENT'S COMPENSATION
Either a flat fee or a percentage of the final sale price — agreed upon before any work begins.
SCOPE OF REPRESENTATION
What the agent is authorized to do on your behalf, including marketing, showings, and negotiations.
Once the listing agreement is signed, the real work begins. Your REALTOR® will initiate the preparation process — disclosures, staging consultations, photography, and your official market launch date. At The Dawn Thomas Team, that preparation is handled with precision and care from day one.
Disclosure documents come first. One of the first things your agent will do is provide you with a disclosure packet. These documents inform potential buyers of any known issues or defects with the property. They also protect you, the seller, from future legal exposure. Completing them thoroughly and accurately is one of the most important things you will do in this process.
Setting your market date. Together, we will work backward from your ideal closing date to determine the right time to go on the market. The timing takes everything into account: how long preparation and staging will take, when photography is scheduled, whether any work needs to be done on the property, and — in some cases — whether a move needs to happen first. We will find a date that makes sense for you and positions your home to launch with maximum impact.
Telling us what makes your home special. No one knows your home better than you do. Tell us what you love most about it. The morning light in the kitchen. The proximity to a favorite hiking trail or a great school. The neighbors who have become friends over the years. These are the details that connect emotionally with buyers — and they are just as important as the square footage and the chef’s kitchen. Our team will use everything you share to market your home in a way that resonates.
WHAT YOUR AGENT WILL NEED FROM YOU:
One important tip: update your social media privacy settings now. Change them to the highest level so that only your connections can see your posts. Buyers and their agents actively research sellers online. Information about your timeline, motivation, or next move can — and does — affect your negotiating position. This is a simple step that protects you.
Your REALTOR® is your advocate in the transaction — but they are not your financial planner or your attorney. Selling a home has real tax implications, legal considerations, and long-term financial consequences that deserve their own dedicated conversations. The earlier you have them, the better positioned you will be.
Understanding capital gains when selling your home. For most homeowners, the sale of their residence is their single largest financial transaction. It is highly likely that capital gains will be a factor. The good news: if specific conditions are met, you may be able to exclude up to $250,000 of gains as a single filer or $500,000 if you are married filing jointly.
Subscribe to receive the latest real estate market updates, luxury trends, curated listings, local lifestyle, and more!
LOCATION
OFFICE
2200 UNION STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123
DAWN THOMAS TEAM
DAWN@SILICONVALLEYANDBEYOND.COM
(650) 701-7822 | OFFICE
(650) 215-5990 | DAWN
SILICON VALLEY AND BEYOND™ (AND ALL VARIATIONS) IS A TRADEMARK OF DAWN THOMAS TEAM, INC. | DRE# 01460529
ALL CONTENT ON THIS SITE IS SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT © 2004-2026 FOR DAWN THOMAS TEAM, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate. If your property is currently listed for sale this is not a solicitation.