Selling a home is a project with deadlines, financial decisions, and occasionally one more trip to the hardware store than anyone planned. A good process keeps the moving pieces under control.

Step 1: Price and position

Begin with a comparative market analysis, property walk-through, disclosure review, and honest discussion of repairs and improvements.

Step 2: Prepare the property

Prioritize cleaning, decluttering, needed repairs, photography, floor plans, and staging when appropriate. Obtain realistic timelines from vendors.

Step 3: Launch thoughtfully

Coordinate professional marketing, MLS details, showings, open houses where useful, and a clear plan for review of market feedback.

Step 4: Negotiate and close

Compare offer price alongside contingencies, financing, closing dates, and buyer reliability. Track escrow, disclosures, inspections, and contractual duties carefully.

What this means for you

Every San Mateo property has its own competition, condition, and financial considerations. The right decision comes from evaluating real numbers and your priorities, not assuming that one headline works for everyone.

I’m Olivia McNally. For more than 13 years, I’ve helped Bay Area clients navigate important real estate decisions with thoughtful, candid guidance. What would you most like to understand about your San Mateo property or next move? Let's talk through the options.

My Seven-Step Listing Process

1. Initial phone consultation: I listen to the seller's motivations, timeline, and financial objectives.
2. Business introduction: My team shares a Highnote presentation explaining our approach, marketing, checklists, and process, without prematurely suggesting a list price.
3. Personal property tour: I evaluate natural light, floor plan, condition, finishes, landscaping, and how buyers may experience the home.
4. Detailed listing consultation: Only after that visit do I analyze comparable sales, inventory, pricing strategy, improvements, and timing.
5. Preparation management: My team and I coordinate vendors and appropriate improvements, with my personal oversight of key decisions.
6. Launch and negotiation: We coordinate staging, professional photography and video, marketing, and offer assessment beyond price alone.
7. Escrow through closing: I remain involved with inspections, contingencies, negotiations, and problem-solving. My clients hire me to manage an important financial transaction, not simply put a sign in the yard.

Olivia's Peninsula-Level Perspective

My sequence begins with a phone call and Highnote business introduction. Only after personally touring the property do I prepare the formal pricing and listing consultation. My team and I oversee preparation, staging, photography, marketing, buyer feedback, negotiations and escrow. I remain involved in critical decisions throughout.

The seven stages are a service promise

I start by listening, then provide information about my business, personally tour the home, prepare a formal pricing and improvement consultation, coordinate preparation, launch the marketing, and remain active through escrow. The most important distinction is that I don't issue a serious list price before seeing the property. For the reasoning behind that approach, read my pricing guide.

What I'd want you to understand before deciding

The first conversation is about you. I ask why you're moving, what the finances need to look like and whether you've reviewed how I work. The second substantive conversation comes after I personally tour the home, review its condition and look at actual comparables. I don't want to anchor you to a sales price before I know what I'm pricing. By the time we choose a list date, we've talked about repairs, vendor timing, presentation, offer review and escrow as one connected strategy.