Selling, from first call to closing.
What to fix and what to skip, the Iowa paperwork every seller signs, and what happens each step from listing to the closing table.
Four stages, start to finish.
Homes here sell fast. In June 2026, Linn County single-family homes went under contract in a median of 4 days. That means most of the work happens before your home goes live, not after.
Your price range from recent sales, a net sheet, a short prep list, and the disclosure statement filled in. Septic inspection if you have one.
Photos, the listing, showings and offers. I compare offers by what you net, not just the price on top.
The buyer's inspection, appraisal and loan approval. Repair requests get priced and negotiated, and the abstract gets updated.
Final walk-through, signing and your proceeds. You hand over the keys, or stay for an agreed rent-back.
Prep that pays back.
The goal isn't a remodel. It's a clean inspection and good photos. Spend where a buyer's inspector or a buyer's first impression would cost you, and skip the rest.
Drips, loose fixtures, burned-out bulbs, sticking doors. Small items on an inspection report turn into big asks in negotiation.
Iowa homes average about 8.5 pCi/L of radon, more than double the EPA's 4.0 action level. Knowing your number before a buyer tests keeps it from becoming a surprise.
Declutter, deep clean and service the furnace, and keep the receipt. Buyers notice space and care more than finishes.
A new kitchen right before you sell rarely comes back in full. Price the home for what it is instead.
Bold paint or new flooring picked to sell usually isn't what the next owner wants. Neutral touch-ups are enough.
Before you spend real money, send me a photo. I'll tell you whether it changes the price or just the to-do list.
What every seller signs.
None of this is hard, but some of it has to happen before you accept an offer. Here's what Iowa and federal law ask of sellers, in plain words.
Required on most sales of homes with 1 to 4 units. You fill in what you know about the roof, basement water, systems, radon, lead paint and more, and the buyer gets it before you accept an offer. If it's delivered late, the buyer can back out within 3 days (5 if it was mailed or sent electronically). Since Jan. 1, 2026 it also asks about lead service lines.
Estate, foreclosure and some family transfers are exempt. I'll tell you if yours is.
Radon is one of the items on the disclosure, and the buyer receives the state's radon fact sheet. Iowa HHS estimates as many as 5 in 7 Iowa homes have elevated radon.
Federal law requires a lead disclosure form, the EPA's lead pamphlet, any reports you have, and a 10-day window for the buyer to test, which can be changed or waived in writing.
Only needed if the property has a well, a septic system, an underground tank, a waste site or a private burial site. If it has none of those, a one-line statement goes on the deed instead.
A home on a private septic system needs a time-of-transfer inspection by a DNR-certified inspector before it changes hands. It's good for 2 years. If the system fails, it has to be brought up to standard, by you or, if you agree, by the buyer.
Sources: Iowa Code 558A.1, 558A.2, 558.69 and 455B.172; Iowa DNR (time-of-transfer and groundwater hazard pages, August 2026); Iowa HHS radon fact sheet; U.S. EPA lead disclosure rule; Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors via The Gazette (June 2026). This is general information, not legal advice.
What you keep.
Your net is the sale price minus your payoff and the costs of selling. The net sheet on the Sell page walks through every line, including the Iowa transfer tax and the property tax proration that catches most sellers.
On taxes: if you've owned and lived in the home for 2 of the last 5 years, you can usually exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Iowa starts from your federal taxable income, so gain excluded federally isn't taxed by Iowa either. Ask your tax preparer about your situation.
Sources: IRS Tax Topic 701 (updated Sept. 2026); Iowa Department of Revenue, conformity with the Internal Revenue Code. Not tax advice.
What sellers ask me.
How do you set the price?
From what similar homes nearby actually sold for, adjusted for what's different about yours. You see the sales I used, and you get a price range and a net figure together.
Do I have to fix everything the inspector finds?
No. Repair requests are a negotiation. Some are worth fixing, some are worth a credit, and some are worth saying no to. I'll price each one so you can decide.
What if I'm buying my next home too?
Then timing matters as much as price. The buying and selling guide covers the options, from rent-backs to bridge loans.
What do you charge?
It's negotiable and it's written into the listing agreement before anything happens. Ask me on the call and I'll tell you plainly, along with what you get for it.
Start with your number.
The first call is free, by phone or over coffee somewhere in the Cedar Rapids area. You'll leave with a price range, your likely net and a short prep list.