THE JOHNSON & MUSMANN SYSTEM
Most agents sell themselves. We show you the plan.
Nearly every agent walks into a listing appointment and spends an hour explaining how great they are. Ask them exactly what they’ll do to get your home sold, or what the most important moment in the transaction is, and the room gets quiet. We do it the other way around. We built a step-by-step system for selling and buying South Bay homes, we believe it’s the best one available, and we’ll walk you through every step of it before you ever sign anything.
ONE GOAL
Find the one buyer who will pay the most for your home, as quickly as possible.
That’s the whole job. Not “get a listing.” Not “get an offer.” Find the single buyer who values your home more than anyone else, so you walk away with more money, bottom line, than you could get any other way. Every step of our system exists to serve that goal, and every step is one we can explain to you in plain English.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Six principles most agents get wrong
1. The asking price sets the timeline, not the price.
Homes sell below asking all the time. They sell above asking all the time. The market decides what your home is worth before the sign goes up. When you choose an asking price, you’re really choosing how long it takes to get what the market will pay. (If list price set sale price, we’d list every house for a billion dollars and retire.)
2. Price for how buyers actually search.
Buyers are approved for a monthly payment, but they search in round numbers. We price just under the top of a search band so your home lands in front of the largest pool of qualified buyers. An “in-between” price reaches zero new buyers and quietly gives money away.
3. Price adjustments are planned on day one.
Serious buyers need about two weeks to find, see, and act on a new listing. If that window passes without the right response, we move to the next search band, a step we agreed on together before listing. No panicked, random reductions three months in.
4. Competition is the only way to find top dollar.
The one reliable way to learn the most anyone will pay is to have the two strongest buyers competing for your home. So our first job is discovering the top price. Selling is job number two, and you decide whether that price is enough.
5. We negotiate. We never send “highest and best.”
Asking every buyer for their “highest and best” makes them draw a line in the sand, and then stop. We keep every buyer in the conversation, and we negotiate more than price: closing date, deposit, loan type, contingencies, and as-is terms.
6. Marketing should weed buyers in, not out.
Every detail a buyer reads before they fall in love with a home is a potential reason to skip the showing. We aim marketing at the buyers most likely to pay the most, and focus on one thing: getting the right people through the door.
Fair Housing Commitment
Our marketing strategy targets buyers most likely to appreciate and compete for your home based on property features, comparable sales analysis, buyer pre-approval and financial qualification, neighborhood and market position, and relevant lifestyle factors.
Our marketing never uses protected characteristics in targeting decisions, including race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, age, genetic information, or marital status. We comply with the Fair Housing Act, California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, and all applicable federal and state fair housing laws.
PRICING, VISUALIZED
Cross a search band and the buyer pool jumps.
Buyers and their agents search in round-number bands. Each step down in price doesn’t add a few more buyers; it opens the door to a much larger pool. That’s why we price just under a band’s edge, and why every planned adjustment moves to the next band rather than nibbling at the price.
The mistake we see most: listing at $1,950,000 instead of $1,999,000. Every buyer willing to look at $1,950,000 would also look at $1,999,000, but a buyer who falls in love at $1,950,000 will never offer $1,999,000. That’s $49,000 handed away without reaching a single new buyer.
Nobody cares what we think. Including us.
It doesn’t matter what you think your home is worth, or what we think. It matters what the two best buyers think when they’re competing for it. That’s why we will never inflate a price just to win your listing. Telling sellers what they want to hear to get a signature is how homes sit, go stale, and end up expired. You’ll get our honest read, a clear plan, and a conservative estimate of the number on your check at close of escrow.
Slightly underpricing isn’t the risk. Accepting the first offer too eagerly is.
SELLING WITH US
Eight steps, in order, every time
- Understand your plans. Where you’re going, when, and what a great outcome looks like to you.
- Walk your home. We note everything a buyer will love and how we’ll describe it.
- Build the pricing strategy. Real market research, not an online estimate, plus the adjustment plan, agreed in advance.
- Estimate your net. A conservative figure for your check at close of escrow.
- Prepare to act. The best buyer may want to move in fast. We plan for it together.
- Market to the right buyers. Targeted at the people most likely to pay the most.
- Present and negotiate offers. The most important moment in the process. We’re beside you with a net sheet for every option: one number, no guessing.
- Contract to close. Clear terms, plain-language cost allocation, and steady guidance through escrow.
BUYING WITH US
The best house, not the “best deal”
A bargain price in a great neighborhood rarely exists; low prices usually mean condition or location problems. A great deal is the right home, in the right neighborhood, that grows in value over time. Our buyer process gets you there first.
- Meet in person. Your plans, your budget comfort zone, your true must-haves.
- Preapproval first. You’ll never fall in love with a home you can’t buy.
- Search wide, weed fast. Every home that meets your minimums, narrowed quickly by you.
- Be ready to move. Your favorite house is everyone’s favorite house.
- Offer, inspect, appraise. Know exactly what’s true about the home before you own it.
- Walk-through and keys. Handed over the moment you’re the legal owner.
And we stay objective. If we recommend a home, it’s because it’s the best one for you. We would rather talk you out of the wrong house than into it.
Straight answers
Won’t pricing just under a band cost me money?
No. The market sets what your home is worth; your asking price only controls how many buyers see it and how fast they compete. More qualified buyers competing is how prices go up, not down. The only real risk is accepting the first offer too quickly, and we won’t let that happen without a conversation.
Why don’t you ask for “highest and best” offers?
Because it ends the negotiation instead of conducting it. Each buyer names a number and stops. We keep every buyer engaged, give each one a real chance to win, and weigh price alongside closing date, deposit, financing, and contingencies.
Do open houses sell homes?
Rarely the one they’re held in. They’re great for agents to meet buyers, and we’ll tell you that honestly. Your marketing plan is built around what actually brings serious, qualified buyers to your door.
Why are you an independent brokerage?
It gives us the best chance of finding your ideal buyer wherever that buyer comes from. No pressure to keep deals in-house, and full freedom to use whatever tools serve you best.
Understanding “conservative estimate”
When we provide a conservative estimate of your net proceeds at close of escrow, we calculate your check by accounting for standard closing costs (title insurance, settlement fees), transfer taxes and county/city transfer taxes, HOA clearance letters and prorations, and seller-paid inspection or buyer closing costs (which vary by market).
This estimate is based on current market comparable sales, standard closing cost percentages (typically 1–2% of sale price), and your specific property details and location.
Actual net proceeds will depend on: Final sale price and negotiated terms; actual closing costs when they appear on the closing disclosure; any lender-required repairs or inspections; actual inspection results and title issues; and market conditions and interest rates at close.
Our formal net sheet (provided during your initial consultation) details all anticipated costs in writing and is reviewed with you step-by-step before you commit. We update this estimate as terms and inspections clarify, so you always know exactly where you stand.
See the system applied to your home.
Sit down with Steve and Michelle. We’ll walk through your plans, show you exactly how we’d price, market, and negotiate, and give you a conservative estimate of your net. If you’re not convinced it’s the best plan available, you shouldn’t hire us.