Discovery Script

(Jane), (Mike) — before we dive in, I promise: by the time we finish today, you’ll have a clear, customized plan for selling this home, one you can compare with others.

Are you getting other opinions on listing your home as well?

Great — smart sellers often do. What matters most to you in choosing who to work with?

I appreciate the trust. By the end, we’ll both know whether we’re the right fit.

To make sure we cover everything and use our time well, here’s our roadmap to build your plan.
First — I want to understand your situation and your goals.
Next — we’ll build a plan together to make your home stand out.
Then — I’ll walk you through the Pinnacle Blueprint to show you exactly how I’ll sell your home.
After that — the comparative market analysis, to establish your home’s value range.
And we’ll finish with the launch strategy and decide how to price your home to your advantage.

With your permission, may I ask a few questions?

Thank you. Let’s start with the big picture. What’s bringing you to the point of thinking about selling right now?

That’s exciting. My job is to make this easy, so you can focus on what’s next.

Has something changed recently, or has this been building for a while?

What are you looking forward to most about this change?

If everything goes perfectly, what does this move really allow you to do next?

That makes total sense. So where does this journey take you next?

Have you started looking for your next place, or found something already?

(Great / That’s nice / Wonderful) — tell me about it.

What do you love most about it?
(After they answer) Have you made an offer on it yet?
(If yes) Is it firm — and when do you close?

What are you looking for in your next home?

(After they answer) And roughly what price range are you targeting?

Are you looking on your own for now, or is someone helping you with the search?

Good — I’ll make sure we coordinate the timing with them.

That makes sense.

So you’re moving to (location / type) because (their life reason). That sounds like a great fit for what you described.

Thank you for sharing — I know that’s not easy. This stays completely confidential, and I’ve helped families in situations like this move forward quickly and discreetly.

And let me be clear about what confidential means: it’s anything you’d rather buyers and their agents not know.

So what’s the plan from here — have you started looking for your next place, or is that still open?

Have you made an offer on it yet?
(If yes) Is it firm — and when do you close?

What are you looking for in your next home?
(After they answer) And roughly what price range are you targeting?

So you’re moving to (location / type), and the timing matters.

To keep you safe financially — does this home need to sell before you can buy the next one?

What’s your ideal move-out date?
(After they answer) Are there any must-hit deadlines — a job start, school, or a lease ending?

And if it hasn’t sold by then, what happens?

And is that timing something you’d rather buyers not know?

So the date that really matters is (their date), and if it slips, (consequence). Everything we build today works backwards from that. Have I got that right?

Great — that gives me a clear picture.

Since you started thinking about selling, what have you found yourself spending the most time on?

Then that’s what the plan has to handle.

I want to take the weight off your shoulders. If you could eliminate one specific worry from this process right now, what would it be?

Is it strangers walking through your home, the negotiation, or just the uncertainty of not knowing the timeline?

Thank you — that’s exactly what the plan has to handle.

When it comes to selling, what’s most important to you? Some people tell me the absolute highest price possible. Others want a quick sale so they can move on, and some just want it to be as low-stress as possible. What feels most important for you?

That’s very common. If you had to rank them — price, speed, and low stress — how would you order them?

Price gets the headlines, but the terms are what keep you safe. Besides price, is there anything that would be a deal-breaker for you in an offer?

Conditions, for instance — financing, inspection, the buyer needing to sell their own place first. Is there one you’d never accept?

(Echo their deal-breaker in their own words.) Noted.

When you picture your home going on the market — the photos, the listing, the open houses — is there anything you’d want to be sure we do? Maybe something that caught your eye on another listing.

Good — I’m writing that down. You’ll see exactly where it goes today.

Let me come back to that before we finish today. I want to give you a full answer, not a quick one.

That’s normal. Most sellers haven’t thought about it yet — that’s my job, not yours. But if something comes to mind later today, stop me. I’d rather hear it then than after we launch.

That’s the one I hear most, so let me note it now. You’ll see exactly how I handle it before we finish today.

When offers come in, how would you like the negotiation handled? Maybe something from a past sale — yours, or someone you know — you’d want done the same way, or differently.

Fair enough — that’s what everyone wants, and it’s my job.

It does — and whatever comes in, I’ll bring you every offer on a one-page summary, and we’ll walk through it together. You decide.

That’s exactly what I need to know. It means when I bring you something clean, I’m not going to be pushing you past where you want to go.

Then you’ll want me coming back to you with a recommendation, not just a number. Noted.

But that was that house. Yours may want a different approach — that’s why I asked.

That’s fine — I’ll walk you through every step, and we build it together when the time comes. What I’ll do is bring you every offer on a one-page summary, and we’ll go through it together. You decide.

When this is all done, what would make you feel like it was a complete success?

Thank you. This next one isn’t about the outcome — it’s about the experience of getting there. When all is said and done, what’s the one thing that will make you feel truly taken care of?

Just to make sure I’ve got everything straight — it sounds like the main reason you’re selling is (motivation). You’re hoping to (next plans), ideally around (timeline). And if that date slips, (consequence).

You want to make sure (key concerns) are handled well. Your top priorities are (priorities, in order), and (deal-breaker) is off the table. A complete success looks like (their success answer).

And you’re looking for an agent who (what they said matters). (only if they’re getting other opinions) What would make this feel like you were truly taken care of is (their words).

Did I miss anything, or get anything wrong? I want to be sure I’m seeing it exactly the way you do.

Perfect. That’s what any plan has to deliver — and it’s what I’ll hold mine to today.

Just between us — I want to make sure whatever we do works for your next chapter. What’s the dream price you’re quietly hoping for?

And on the other side — is there a floor, a number below which this sale would feel uncomfortable? Even a ballpark on either end helps.

And where did those come from — a neighbour’s sale, something you saw online, what you still owe or need for the next place, or just a feeling?

Thanks for trusting me with that. One more thing, so I get this right later — if the numbers I pull tell a different story, would you want me to tell you straight?

Excellent question. We’ll go through every cost line by line when we set the price, so you see everything before you decide.

Thank you for helping me understand your situation and your goals. (Their date) and (their top priority) — everything we do next works around those two, starting with building a plan to make your home stand out. And I mean with you.

If a seller asks “how do you negotiate?”, an explanation sounds like a pitch. A short, specific story shows how you work without claiming anything. It also keeps Discovery about them: you tell it, then hand the conversation straight back.

Here are two model stories. They’re examples of the shape, not real sales, so don’t tell them to a seller as they stand. Every detail in brackets is there to be replaced with a sale you actually handled. Each one fits one of the two stories sellers most often bring to Step 8.

“Last (spring), I listed a (detached home near Bayview). The sellers had already bought their next place, so they told me: ‘We need this to close — we can’t have it fall apart.’ We had (two) offers. One was ($30,000) higher, but it was conditional on financing and the buyer selling their own home. The other was firm, with a ($100,000) deposit. I put both on a one-page offer summary — side by side, and what could go wrong with each. My recommendation was the firm one, and I told them why. They chose it. It closed on the exact date they needed, with nothing renegotiated. The higher offer would have left them carrying two homes.”

“But that was that house. Yours may want a different approach — that’s why I asked.”

About 130 words. What it shows: you listen first, you give a recommendation with reasons, and the seller decides. It matches Negotiation Phase 2 in the Blueprint.

“A couple of years ago, I had a (townhouse in Markham). The first offer came in at ($40,000) under list, and the seller’s first instinct was to meet them halfway just to get it done. I asked for one day. We went back with a counter and a reason the buyer’s agent could take to their buyer: (two comparable sales) from the last month, and (eleven) showings in the first week. We didn’t move on price — we gave them a closing date that worked better for them instead. They came up ($32,000). The seller told me afterwards that she’d have taken the first number.”

“But that was that house. Yours may want a different approach — that’s why I asked.”

About 125 words. What it shows: every counter carries a reason, and when you give something, you get something back. It matches Negotiation Phase 2 and the “counter with a reason” line.

• Pick one real sale for each shape, or just one, if one sale fits better.

• Replace every bracketed detail with the real fact. If a detail doesn’t match what actually happened, change the sentence rather than the facts.

• Keep one number as the result, and keep the seller anonymous.

• Say it at your calm pace. It should take 50–60 seconds with the hand-back line.