Before you list
Three things to figure out first
Your timeline
Buying your next home too? Then the order of the two deals drives everything. Tell us early.
Your real number
What you keep after the mortgage payoff, transfer taxes, attorney and brokerage fee. The estimator below gets you close; we put the real number on paper before you list.
Condition
Sell as it sits, or fix a few things first? The right answer is usually not the expensive one. We will tell you where the line is.
The process
How a sale works, step by step
Tap a step to open it.
1Price it right
Price comes first, because it sets everything else. We build it from closed SIBOR sales, not an online estimate, and adjust for your lot, condition, taxes and any open permits. An overpriced house sits while buyers watch the days add up.
2Get it ready
Small work first, in the order it pays back. The checklist below keeps track.
3Sign the listing agreement
It sets your brokerage fee, which is negotiable and not set by law. Anything offered to a buyer's broker is a separate decision and cannot be advertised on the MLS. We explain both before you sign.
4Market it
Professional photos, a floor plan and video. On the SIBOR MLS and syndicated to Zillow, Realtor.com and Homes.com, plus our social channels and buyer list. Open houses and showings on your schedule.
5Offers and negotiation
We bring you every offer with the terms that matter: financing, down payment, contingencies and closing date. The highest number is not always the best offer.
6Contract and attorneys
In New York the attorneys write the contract. Yours handles the terms and the deposit. We can give you names.
7Inspection, appraisal, title
The buyer inspects, the lender appraises, and title is searched for liens and open permits. Anything found gets negotiated or fixed.
8Closing
You sign, hand over the keys and the money wires. With a mortgage, plan on 60 to 90 days from signed contract to closing. Cash is faster.
Net sheet
What you would walk away with
Put in a price. The transfer taxes fill in on their own; add your fee, attorney and payoff.
$0
$0
- NYC transfer tax. 1% at $500,000 or less, 1.425% above. The seller pays it.
- New York State transfer tax. 0.4% of the price, or 0.65% on a city home sale of $3,000,000 or more. The seller pays it.
- Also: any liens, and capital gains if they apply. Ask your accountant. Out of state sellers make an estimated tax payment at closing; your attorney handles it.
Getting it ready
Small work that pays back
Your phone remembers what you tick.
More for sellers: projects that will not pay you back, how to pick between several offers and when to lower your price.
Paperwork
The disclosure form you now fill out
Since March 20, 2024, sellers of one to four family homes in New York fill out a Property Condition Disclosure Statement before the contract is signed. The old $500 credit in place of the form is gone.
It asks about the house, its systems and its history. Answer from what you know; unknown is a fair answer.
Condos, co-ops and estate sales are exempt. Fill it out with your attorney.
What houses sold for
Prices by zip code
What one, two and three family houses sold for in each zip over the last twelve months. Your price comes from comparable sales; this is a starting point.
All of Staten Island
The middle half sold between $620,000 and $936,790.
| Zip | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 10301 St. George, New Brighton, Tompkinsville, Silver Lake | $755,000 | 185 |
| 10302 Port Richmond, Elm Park | $611,500 | 92 |
| 10303 Mariners Harbor, Graniteville, Arlington, Port Ivory | $585,000 | 132 |
| 10304 Stapleton, Clifton, Concord, Grasmere, Emerson Hill | $710,000 | 231 |
| 10305 South Beach, Arrochar, Dongan Hills, Rosebank, Shore Acres | $750,000 | 252 |
| 10306 New Dorp, Oakwood, Midland Beach, Bay Terrace, Richmondtown | $745,500 | 438 |
| 10307 Tottenville | $997,000 | 126 |
| 10308 Great Kills | $781,500 | 230 |
| 10309 Prince's Bay, Woodrow, Rossville, Charleston, Pleasant Plains | $865,000 | 254 |
| 10310 West Brighton, Randall Manor, Livingston | $670,000 | 127 |
| 10312 Annadale, Eltingville, Huguenot, Arden Heights, Greenridge | $775,000 | 545 |
| 10314 New Springville, Bulls Head, Willowbrook, Westerleigh, Travis | $795,000 | 524 |
One, two and three family houses, September 2025 to August 2026. Source: NYC Department of Finance. Sales under $10,000 and multi-lot sales are left out. A zip median is not the price of any one house.
Timing
When to list
Spring is busiest, with a second wave after Labor Day. More buyers are looking then, but so are more sellers.
What matters more is how many homes in your price range are for sale right now. We check that before we pick a date, and show you what we see.
Questions
What sellers ask us
QHow do you set my asking price?
From closed SIBOR sales of homes like yours, adjusted for condition, lot, taxes and layout. We show you every sale we used.
QWhat commission will I pay?
Whatever we agree to in the listing agreement. It is negotiable and not set by law.
QCan I sell as is?
Yes. Buyers price condition into their offers. You still fill out the disclosure form.
Who you will hear from
Frank and Simon
The Pinnacle Team at RE/MAX Edge, on Willowbrook Road. One of us will be in touch, or you can reach us first.
