THE DUNNICAN TEAM • NORTHEAST DALLAS & ROCKWALL COUNTY
Selling a Home in North Texas
How do you sell a home in North Texas? The 8 steps we walk our Rockwall County and Northeast Dallas sellers through before a home goes on the market: pricing strategy, preparation, marketing, and what actually happens between the first showing and the closing table.
A Step-by-Step Guide for home sellers
Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don't know what to expect. Cory and I have guided sellers through this exact process across Rockwall County and the Northeast Dallas suburbs — Rowlett, Rockwall, Wylie, Sachse, Heath, Fate, Royse City, Lavon, and Garland — since 1998. Following the 8 steps below will help you stay organized and sell your home for the best price possible.
STEP 1
UNDERSTAND WHY YOU ARE SELLING
What do you want to accomplish with the sale of your home? Do you want to make a certain amount of money that you can put toward a larger or nicer home? Do you need to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a move to a new city or area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your offer. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you might want to price your home lower than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. Make sure you convey these needs to your team of real estate agents once you choose one so they can adjust your selling price accordingly.
STEP 2
Determine your selling price
Knowing how to price your home is one of the most important parts of the selling process. When you set a fair price in the beginning, you’ll get the most interest from other real estate agents and prospective buyers. Overpricing your home could lead to reduced interest, and underpricing leads to receiving less than what your home is worth. Cory and I have priced homes across this market since 1998 — we'll pull recent comparable sales specific to your neighborhood, evaluate current local conditions, and recommend a home appraisal if it makes sense for your situation.
STEP 3
start preparations
If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.
STEP 4
Develop a Marketing Strategy
We will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. Our team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.
STEP 5
Evaluate offers
Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. We will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.
STEP 6
Accept an offer
Once we deem the offer is acceptable, we will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your team of real estate agents.
STEP 7
get ready to close
You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. But first, you and the buyer must make a list of what needs to be done before closing. In some cases, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. We will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, we will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.
STEP 8
close
You’ve reached the last step in the seller’s process. When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. We will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your team of real estate agents to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Timelines vary by neighborhood and season, but most North Texas sellers can expect several weeks from listing to closing once an offer is accepted, plus time for preparation before you list. Your agent can give you a realistic timeline based on current conditions in your specific area.
No. Texas closings are handled by a title company rather than requiring an attorney, though you're welcome to have one review your contract if you'd like a second set of eyes.
The option period is an early window (typically 3 to 10 days) that gives the buyer an unrestricted right to terminate the contract. Closing happens weeks later, once financing, title work, and any repairs are complete.
An inspection is for the buyer — it evaluates the home's condition and flags repair needs. An appraisal is for the buyer's lender — it confirms the home's market value supports the loan amount. You can have a great inspection and still run into a low appraisal, since they're measuring two different things.
No. In Texas, most homes sell "as is," and any repairs are negotiated between buyer and seller after the inspection, not required by law. You can agree to repairs, offer a credit instead, or decline — it's a negotiation, not an obligation.
Earnest money is a deposit the buyer puts down to show they're serious, held by the title company until closing. Whether you keep it if the buyer terminates depends on when and why they backed out — during the option period, it's typically returned to the buyer; outside it, it often depends on the specific contract terms.
Yes, Texas doesn't require a licensed agent to sell a home — but you're still responsible for pricing correctly, handling disclosures, negotiating the contract, and managing the closing process yourself, which is where most FSBO sellers run into costly mistakes.
AI tools can walk you through the general steps of selling a home, but they can't verify your specific comps, catch a title issue on your property, or negotiate on your behalf — the parts of a sale where local experience actually matters. Good for a quick overview, not a substitute for someone who knows your market.
For a complete overview of everything we cover for sellers — pricing, marketing, and full FAQs — visit our Seller Resources page.
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Reviews
Brady Sacco
Highly likely to recommend
“Working with Cindy and Cory Dunnican was an amazing experience that we will always remember. We worked specifically with Cory and we couldn’t have asked for anyone better. He was extremely helpful and helped us learn so much along the way, while buying our first home. He made us feel like he was helping a family member, he checked in on us even after our purchase and was extremely responsive and helpful throughout the entire process. We were beyond lucky to have such a supportive group to help us. We will continue to recommend Cindy and Cory to anyone we know, buying a house can be stressful but they took a lot of that away and made us feel very lucky to have their support!”
Brady Sacco
Caddo Mills TX
Peggy Primiano
Highly likely to recommend
“The best team ever ! There was so much to do with buying and selling a house but The Dunnican Team took care of everything. Cory and Cindy are so professional and a pleasure to work with. I’ve used them for 3 houses now and wouldn’t think of using anyone else.”
Peggy Primiano
Rockwall TX
Bridgette Moffitt
Highly likely to recommend
“I am updating my review because I recently sold the house I bought 5 years ago and I used Corey as my realtor for a second time. I cannot priase him and his team enough. They put so much time and effort into selling my house! I moved out of state and Corey went to check on my house so many times and took care of some loose ends I had there. He was so hard working and honest. I absolutely recommend him and his team for anyone looking to sell or buy a home. Original review from 5 years ago: After using Corey as my realtor for just 1 and a half weeks, I put in an offer on a house and it was accepted. This was my first house and I knew nothing of the process. Corey was so knowledgeable and made everything as easy as possible for me.”
Bridgette Moffitt
Garland TX
Nannette Gooding
Highly likely to recommend
“Cory's remarkable assistance in selling my dad's house stands as a testament to his expertise and dedication in the real estate field. His proactive approach in keeping you informed about the selling process not only alleviated stress but also provided a seamless experience from start to finish. The involvement of an investor in purchasing my dad's house could have introduced complexity, yet Cory's proficiency shone brightly, guiding you through each phase with ease and confidence. This level of service is not just about executing transactions; it's about creating a supportive and informative environment for clients.”
Nannette Gooding
Rowlett TX
Gerald Madely
Highly likely to recommend
“It was a great pleasure working with Cory Dunnican and his associates on the sale of our house in Garland, Texas. Cory was very helpful at every step of the process and offered valuable advice and suggestions. He always responded to our questions quickly and professionally. Paperwork was prepared promptly and accurately, and we were always advised well in advance when documents were forthcoming and needed action. We were especially impressed with the depth at which Cory and his team familiarized themselves with our property and sales situation. Without any hesitation, we would recommend The Dunnican Team to anyone interested in buying or selling real estate.”
Gerald Madely
Garland TX
Elsie Carroll
Highly likely to recommend
“The Dunnican Team is excellent in real estate transactions and they have high integrity with customer services. My family & I had two real property transactions with Cindy & Cory as our realtors. I highly recommend them.”
Elsie Carroll
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Louie Gutierrez
Highly likely to recommend
“We had an absolutely fantastic experience with Cindy and her team. She advised us on asking price and referred us to a contractor for recommended updates. Two weeks later Cindy’s team staged the house and we had an offer after two days on the market. The house sold above asking which was at the high end, compared to comps in the area.”
Louie Gutierrez
View review on Facebook
Peggy Primiano
Highly likely to recommend
“What a great team ! Helped with all my questions. A lot of questions !! Made the process less stressful. I’ve used them 3 times to buy / sell. Definitely recommend them .If you want a professional team this is the one.”
Peggy Primiano
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Christian Smith
Highly likely to recommend
“Cory & Cindy were more than me and my Fiancé Jason could have ever asked for. My family has been using the Dunnican team for going on 15 years now, so growing up i have experienced their warm hospitality towards my family throughout their home buying and selling experiences. When it came time for me to buy my first home it was a no brainer to go with Cory & Cindy. Now fast-forward a year and we have bought AND sold our first home. One could say that sounds a little stressful, but not with the Dunnican team! Every step of the way both Cory & Cindy were right there making it as smooth as possible for us. There was always a constant open line of communication and I truly couldn't recommend them enough. As for me and my family, we wouldn't use anyone else. Thank you Dunnican Team for making me and my family feel like we are part of yours! We look forward to future purchases.”
Christian Smith
View review on Facebook
Brady A Sacco
Highly likely to recommend
“Working with Cindy and Cory Dunnican was an amazing experience that we will always remember. We worked specifically with Cory and we couldn’t have asked for anyone better. He was extremely helpful and helped us learn so much along the way, while buying our first home. He made us feel like he was helping a family member, he checked in on us even after our purchase and was extremely responsive and helpful throughout the entire process. We were beyond lucky to have such a supportive group to help us. We will continue to recommend Cindy and Cory to anyone we know, buying a house can be stressful but they took a lot of that away and made us feel very lucky to have their support!”