What Should I Bring to a Listing Appointment? A Packing List for Agents
Bring five things to a listing appointment: a pricing analysis for the home, a finished example of your marketing, a one-page marketing plan with dates, the listing paperwork ready to sign, and a way to take notes. Everything else is optional. Sellers remember the agent who was prepared for their home, not the one with the thickest folder.
October 3, 20266 min read
By Tom Van Vechten · Updated
What is the full packing list?
Bring
What it is for
Pricing analysis
Recent comparable sales, active competition, and your suggested range
Market snapshot
Sourced numbers for the seller’s area and property type
A finished listing example
Photos, 3D tour, and floor plan from a past listing, on a tablet
One-page marketing plan
What will be produced for this home, and when
Estimated net sheet
What the seller may walk away with at different prices
Listing agreement and disclosures
Ready to sign if they are ready
Seller prep checklist
What to do before photos
Tablet, charger, and a pen
Don’t rely on the seller’s wifi
Notebook
Write down what they say
Business cards and a leave-behind
One page they can keep
What research should I bring?
The pricing analysis. This is the main event. Bring comparable sales from the last few months, the homes currently for sale that a buyer would compare with theirs, and any that failed to sell. Print it. Sellers like to hold it and point.
A market snapshot. One page with median price, days on market, and months of supply for their property type, with the source named. County-level numbers from the local REALTOR association are a good start, and your MLS has them by zip code. Our market update for agents shows the current county figures.
What you know about the home. The tax record, the permit history if you can get it, the lot size, and the last sale. Note anything that might affect square footage, like an addition or a converted garage. See why square footage disputes happen.
The drone check. Look up whether the address can be flown. It takes two minutes and shows the seller you looked at their home specifically. See the San Diego drone airspace guide.
What marketing materials should I bring?
One finished listing on a tablet. Open it as a buyer would see it. Scroll the photos, open the 3D tour, show the floor plan.
A comparison. A nearby listing with weak photos, shown without comment.
One print piece. A flyer or brochure from a past listing.
The one-page plan. Filled in with the seller’s address and real dates.
If you don't have a past listing to show, bring samples and say so. Our media kit has a sample gallery, a live 3D tour, and a printable plan. How to present all of this is covered in using listing media to win appointments.
From a San Marcos shoot. Bring a full listing, not a single hero photo, so sellers see what every room gets.
What paperwork should I bring?
Bring what you need to take the listing that day. Your broker decides the exact forms, so follow their checklist. In general:
The listing agreement, filled in as far as you can
Agency disclosure forms required in California
Seller disclosure forms to leave with them, so they can start early
Your brokerage’s required advisories
A property release or media permission form if your photographer uses one
Most of this is signed electronically now. Bring paper copies anyway. Some sellers want to read a page before they sign a screen.
Forms and disclosure requirements change. Use your broker’s current list, not this one.
What should I prepare the day before?
Drive past the home and the comparable sales
Look at the home on a map: orientation, lot, what is next door
Read the seller’s previous listing, if there was one, and its photos
Fill in the marketing plan with their address and proposed dates
Check the photographer’s availability for the week you would launch
Download everything to the tablet so it works offline
Write three questions to ask the seller before you present anything
The questions matter most. Why are they selling, when do they need to move, and what worried them about the last sale? The answers tell you which parts of your folder to open.
What should I leave in the car?
A forty-page brokerage presentation
Awards and production rankings, unless they ask
Statistics you can’t source
Anything that promises a sale price or a number of days
A scripted close
Less material, used well, reads as confidence. A seller who has met three agents in a week has seen three folders. What they remember is the one page that had their address on it, the listing they got to scroll through themselves, and whether you asked about their plans before you talked about yours.
What do I do when I leave?
Leave the one-page plan and the pricing analysis
Send a short thank-you that evening, with the listing example link
Answer any question you couldn’t answer on the spot, within a day
If you didn’t, ask what decided it, and write it down
Frequently asked questions
What do I need for a listing appointment?
A pricing analysis, a finished example of your marketing, a one-page marketing plan for the home, the listing paperwork, and something to take notes with.
Should I bring a pre-listing packet?
A short one sent ahead can help. At the appointment itself, one page about their home is worth more than a packet about you.
Should I bring the listing agreement to the first meeting?
Yes. If the seller is ready, you should be. Follow your broker’s forms checklist.
How long should a listing appointment take?
About an hour. Spend the first part listening and walking the home, then pricing, then marketing, then questions.
What if I have no past listings to show?
Bring clearly labeled samples of the marketing the home will get, such as a sample gallery, 3D tour, and floor plan from your photographer.
For your next listing appointment
Get the free listing appointment media kit: samples and a one-page marketing plan to show sellers.
