It's NOT what you SELL for, it's what you KEEP - Deanna Allen

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If a buyer offered you $600,000 but you’d pocket $500,000, would you still take it over $575,000 that nets you $520,000? That simple question exposes a trap many home sellers fall into: obsessing over sale price while ignoring net proceeds. I’m Deanna Allen hosts today: "I’m sharing the tool we rely on to help homeowners make smarter, calmer real estate decisions: a four-option net sheet comparison."

We break down why two sellers can close at the same price and walk away with totally different results. Closing costs, mortgage payoff, repairs, buyer concessions, carrying costs, time on market, and even the risk of a deal falling apart can quietly erase “top dollar.” We also talk about a reality most people don’t plan for: once inspections happen, many contracts hit turbulence, leading to re-trades, credits, or worse, a canceled deal right when your move is already in motion.

Then we lay out four clear home selling options: for sale by owner, the traditional listing process, conventional Certified Pre-Owned (CPO), and Cash CPO. You’ll hear how CPO flips the script by identifying issues up front through a pre-inspection, helping reduce surprises and improve certainty to closing. We also cover why Cash CPO can be a game changer for sellers who need flexibility, speed, or peace of mind, including relocations, inherited properties, and seniors transitioning to assisted living.

If you’re thinking about selling a house, don’t start with “What’s my home worth?” Start with “What are my options?” Subscribe for more practical real estate guidance, share this with a homeowner who’s weighing a move, and leave a review with the question you want us to tackle next.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:17):
Welcome back to Real Estate News Radio.
I'm Deanna Allen, filling in forRowena Patton, who is out today
helping one of her clients findtheir dream home.
As much as we'd love to have herhere, helping families make
their next move is exactly whatwe do.
So it's a pretty good reason tomiss the show.
Rowena will be back next week,but in the meantime, I'm excited

(00:38):
to spend the next few minuteswith you talking about today's
topic and sharing some valuableinsights that can help
homeowners make smarter realestate decisions.
So grab a cup of coffee, settlein, and let's get started.
Let me ask you a question.
If you could sell your house for$600,000 and put$500,000 in your

(00:58):
pocket, or sell it for$575,000and put$520,000 in your pocket,
which would you choose?
Most people immediately say the$520,000 in their pocket.
And yet every day, sellers makedecisions based on price instead
of what they actually keep ornet.

(01:19):
Today we're going to talk aboutone of the most powerful tools
we use with home sellers ourfor-option net sheet comparison
and why understanding youroptions before you list your
home could save you time,stress, and potentially
thousands of dollars.
One of the first questions thatpeople usually ask me is,
Deanna, what's my house worth?

(01:39):
And that's a great question, butit's not the most important
question.
The better question is, what'sthe best way for me to sell my
home?
And how much money will Iactually walk away with?
Because here's the truth.
Two sellers can sell their homesfor the exact same price and
walk away with completelydifferent amounts of money.

(02:00):
Why is that?
Because sales price is only onepiece of the puzzle.
You also have closing costs,mortgage payoff, repairs, buyer
concessions, carrying costs,time on the market, and the risk
of the deal falling apart.
That's why we start with netsheets.

(02:22):
When I meet with a home seller,I don't just present one option,
I show them four.
The first is for sale by owner.
The second is what I jokinglycall, or we call on our team,
grandma's way of selling, thetraditional listing process,
millions of people have used fordecades, right?
The third is called conventionalcertified preount or CPO.

(02:45):
And the fourth is cash CPO.
Then we sit down at the kitchentable and compare all four side
by side, not just price.
We're comparing convenience,risk, timeline, certainty, and
the estimated net proceeds.
So let's start with the optionone for sale by owner.

(03:06):
Many sellers consider thisbecause they believe that
they'll save money.
And sometimes they do.
But they also become themarketer, the photographer, the
scheduler, the negotiator, thetransaction coordinator, and a
problem solver.
They handle every phone call,every showing, every disclosure,

(03:28):
every negotiation.
And for some people, that'sworth it.
But for others, it's a full-timejob they didn't realize they
were signing up for.
So next is the traditionaltraditional listing or grandma's
way of listing.
Again, nothing wrong with it.
This is how homes have been soldfor generations.
You clean the house, you stageit, you take the photos, you put

(03:52):
a sign in the yard, you hostopen houses, you list it on
Zillow, you negotiate offers,then come the inspections, then
come the repair requests, thenthe appraisal.
Then hopefully, if all goeswell, a successful closing.
The process works, but itrequires patience and it can

(04:13):
also create a lot ofuncertainty.
Here's something most sellersdon't know.
Nationally, approximately oneout of every three homes that
goes under contract experiencessome sort of disruption after
the inspection takes place.
That means renegotiations,repair requests, then you're

(04:33):
coming down and offering sellercredits.
Or in some cases, the buyerwalks away entirely.
So think about that.
You've packed your boxes, you'vestarted planning for your
transition, your next move,you've found your next home.
And then suddenly thetransaction is in jeopardy.
That's stressful.

(04:54):
That's where conventional CPObecomes so powerful.
Certify pre-owned really flipsthat whole process around.
Instead of waiting for the buyerto discover problems, we
identify them up front.
Your home is pre-inspected.
The seller already knows whatissues exist if there are any.
And there typically are 40 to 50things on an inspection report,

(05:16):
even with a brand new house.
The seller then decides what torepair, what to disclose, and
how to position the home beforeit ever hits the market.
So the result with that is fewersurprises, fewer renegotiations,
and most importantly, adramatically lower contract
fallout rate.

(05:37):
Traditional transactions can seea dropout rate of about 33% on
average.
But with our certified pre-ownedprocess, that actually drops to
approximately 7%.
That's huge.
Because getting under contractis only half the battle.
Actually, making it to closingis what matters.

(05:59):
Now let's talk about cash CPO.
This is one of the most excitingoptions available to sellers
today, and they might not evenknow it.
Cash CPO combines thetransparency and the confidence
of the certified pre-ownedprocess with additional
flexibility.
For qualified sellers, cash CPOcan provide access to certainty

(06:24):
now before the home ultimatelysells.
And what I hear from mostclients isn't excitement, it's
actually relief.
Relief that they finally haveoptions, relief that they don't
have to choose betweenconvenience and maximizing
value.
Relief that they have a planthat they can count on.

(06:46):
And this can be especiallyhelpful for seniors
transitioning to assistedliving, families who are
relocating for work, sellerswho've inherited a property,
homeowners who need funds beforetheir next move and want to put
a non-contingent offer on theirnext property.
And people who simply matter offaculty just want some certainty

(07:11):
with an offer that comes in theyknow they can trust.
So let's talk a little bit aboutwhy the net sheet that we
mentioned earlier reallymatters.
Here's what I love most.
When we create the four-optionnet sheet comparison, we're not
telling you as a homeowner or aseller what to do.
We're helping those individualsmake an informed decision.

(07:33):
So sometimes for sale by ownerdoes make sense.
And if that's the case, we'vegot a guide that can help you
get to the closing table.
Sometimes a traditional listingis best.
People trust in what they knowand what that process looks
like.
Sometimes conventional CPOcreates the highest net.
And sometimes cash CPO providesthe best overall outcome.

(07:56):
Ultimately, there isn't oneright answer.
There's only the right answerfor that homeowner.
So if you're thinking aboutselling your home this year,
don't start by asking what yourhouse is worth.
Start by asking, what are myoptions?
Because it's not what you sellfor, it's what you keep.
If you'd like to see these fourselling strategies to compare

(08:18):
for your home, visit cashcpo.comand request your full market
offer today.
We'll be able to show youside-by-side comparisons
wherever you are in the country,looking at for sale by owner, a
traditional listing, aconventional certified pre-owned
home, and then the Cash CPOoffer.
So you can choose the path thatfits your goals, timeline, and

(08:39):
financial needs.
I'm Deanna Allen for Real EstateNews Radio.
Thank you for joining me.
And remember, if you're curiousabout what your home could sell
for today and you'd like tocompare all the options side by
side, head over to CashCPO.com.
Take care till next week.