The Only Question I Ask Before I List Your Home

Any agent can bring comps. Any agent can hand you a glossy brochure and a listing presentation with their photo on the cover. I bring those too — that part isn't hard, and it isn't what sets anyone apart.

Before I get to any of it, I ask you one question.

"What else?"

Then I ask it again. And again. I keep asking until you sit back and say, "That's it — that's everything." Because until I hear that, I don't actually know what I'm working for. And I can't do right by you if I'm guessing at what you want.

Why one question beats a whole presentation

Here's what I've learned selling homes across San Diego: the price on the comps is the easy part. What's hard — and what actually matters — is understanding what you need this sale to do for you.

Two people can own the same floor plan on the same street in North Park and want completely different things. One needs top dollar and has all the time in the world. The other needs to be out by September because a job starts in Denver, and would trade a few thousand dollars for the certainty of a clean, on-time close. Same house. Opposite game plans.

If I walk in and start talking about my marketing before I understand which one you are, I'm just another agent performing a listing presentation. So I don't lead with me. I lead with you.

What "what else?" actually pulls out

When I ask it the first time, most people give me the obvious answer: "I want to get a good price." Sure. Everyone does. So I ask again.

The second and third time is where the real stuff comes out:

"I don't want a lockbox and strangers walking through while my kids are home."

"I need to close before the new school year."

"I've got equity but I don't actually understand how much — I need someone to walk me through the numbers honestly."

"My last agent went dark on me for a week. I never want to feel that again."

"Honestly, I'm not even sure I should sell yet."

None of that shows up on a comp sheet. But every one of those answers changes how I'd price your home, how I'd market it, how I'd schedule showings, and how often I'd call you. That's the whole point. Your priorities set the strategy — not the other way around.

Your wants come first. Always.

I want to be clear about something, because it's the core of how I work: my job is not to talk you into listing tomorrow. My job is to understand what you actually want, and then tell you the truth about how to get there.

Sometimes that means a full-court press for the highest possible price. Sometimes it means a faster, quieter sale because your peace of mind is worth more to you than the last few thousand dollars. Sometimes — and I mean this — it means telling you that now isn't your moment, and that waiting a few months or making a couple of small fixes first would serve you better.

I'd rather give you the honest answer and lose the listing than win it by telling you what you want to hear. That's not a sales tactic. It's just the only way I know how to do this and still sleep at night.

Then, and only then, the comps

Once I know what you're really after, everything else finally means something.

I'll pull the real comparable sales for your block — actual homes near you that sold recently, not a Zillow guess and not the county headline. As of mid-2026 the San Diego County median is sitting somewhere around $905K–$950K, but that number won't price your home. What sold two doors down last month will. I'll give you an honest range, walk you through what you'd net, and lay out a plan built around the priorities you just gave me.

The comps, the brochure, the marketing plan — they're all still there. They just come second, where they belong. First I find out what winning looks like for you. Then I go build the plan to get you there.

Let's start with the easy part

If you're thinking about selling anywhere in coastal-central San Diego — Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, North Park, Hillcrest — or up in North County coastal like Carlsbad and Encinitas, let's just talk. No listing agreement. No pressure.

I'll ask you what you want out of this. Then I'll ask "what else?" a few more times until we've got the full picture. From there I'll pull your comps, give you an honest number, and tell you straight whether now's your time or not.

Call or text me at 858-735-3225, or reach out here. The conversation costs you nothing — and by the end of it, you'll know exactly where you stand.

— Richard Torres, Realtor | Shore Realty | CA DRE# 02006826
Your Home. Your Story. Your San Diego.