What Working With Jeremy Fishnick Actually Looks Like, Week by Week

"So what actually happens after I call you?" Sellers ask me some version of that all the time, and it's a better question than most. Agents talk about marketing and negotiation in the abstract, but what people want to know is: what happens on Tuesday? When do I hear from you? So here, from me, Jeremy Fishnick, is what working with me looks like from the first call to the closing table, week by week. The example is a traditional listing, with a note at the end for buyers.

Week 0: the first conversation

You call or text 608-732-2564, or fill out a form on one of my sites. Either way you hear back fast; I built my own follow-up system so no lead sits unanswered, even when I'm in a basement doing an inspection. We talk for fifteen or twenty minutes about your house, your timeline, and what you're hoping for. Then we schedule a walkthrough. If you're out of state, which happens a lot with inherited homes in Boscobel or Fennimore, we do it by video and I go through the house on my own.

Week 1: the walkthrough and the pricing conversation

I come to the house wearing both hats. As an agent, I'm looking at layout, light, curb appeal, and what the house's best feature is. As a licensed home inspector, I'm looking at the roof, the foundation, the electrical panel, the water heater, and everything else a buyer's inspector is going to flag. By the time I leave, I can tell you what's going to come up during the buyer's inspection and whether it's worth fixing first. For most houses, the list of things worth doing is shorter than sellers expect.

A day or two later we sit down with the comps. I price the way an appraiser would, using actual recent sales of comparable homes, not an online estimate. Then we talk strategy. Often I'll recommend pricing to create competition, which means a number that draws multiple buyers rather than one that scares them off and gets reduced later. I wrote about the method in how to price a home in southwest Wisconsin.

You'll also pick a service level (Basic MLS, Targeted Marketing, or Maximum Exposure), and we'll sign the listing agreement, which includes my Sold For Top Dollar Guarantee and $0 cancellation policy. I'll go through both line by line.

Week 2: getting ready

This week is prep. You handle any repairs we agreed on and clear out what needs clearing. I handle the Real Estate Condition Report with you, which is the Wisconsin disclosure form every seller fills out; I'll walk you through it so it's complete and accurate, and I'll tell you when a question is one for your attorney instead of me. If you want more on that form, see the Wisconsin Real Estate Condition Report explained.

Toward the end of the week I come back and shoot the house myself: photos and a full 3D walkthrough buyers can tour from their couch. If a room is empty and hard to read, I'll digitally stage it, and the listing will say so. I also design a custom yard sign that features the thing about your house that buyers will care about most, whether that's the view, the shop, or the finished basement.

Meanwhile, postcards are being printed for the surrounding neighborhoods. In a small town the buyer is often someone who already drives past your house.

Week 3: launch

The listing goes live on Thursday. The MLS feed pushes it to Zillow (as a showcase listing), Realtor.com, and the rest. Postcards hit mailboxes. Facebook and Google campaigns start. Showings run Friday through Sunday, and I'll text you after each one with feedback from the buyer's agent.

Monday we review offers together. I'll lay out each one side by side: price, contingencies, financing type, closing date, any credits or concessions, and anything odd in the terms. All of this is on the WB-11 Residential Offer to Purchase, Wisconsin's standard form, and I'll translate it. If there's more than one offer, that's where the pricing strategy pays off, and we may counter to push the terms further. If you need to stay in the house after closing, this is also where I negotiate a rent-back.

If offers are thin, we talk about why. Sometimes it's timing, sometimes it's price, and I'll tell you which I think it is.

Weeks 4 to 6: under contract

Once you accept an offer, the buyer typically orders an inspection. This is where my inspector background earns its keep. When the buyer's agent sends a repair request, I can tell you in plain terms whether the items are real problems, routine maintenance, or an inspector being cautious, and what a fair response looks like. Deals that fall apart here usually fall apart over inspection fear, and fear shrinks when someone can explain what's actually wrong.

If the buyer is financing, the lender orders an appraisal. I'll provide the comps we priced from and meet the appraiser if it helps. If it comes in low, we talk through the options the same day. Throughout this stretch, you hear from me at least weekly even when nothing has changed, because silence is the worst part of being under contract.

Closing week

Wisconsin closings go through a title company. They'll handle the title search, the payoff of your existing mortgage, and the final paperwork. I coordinate with them, the buyer's agent, and the lender so the date holds. You sign, hand over keys (or not yet, if we negotiated a rent-back), and the proceeds are wired to you. I check in afterward too, because questions always come up a week later.

For sellers overseas or out of state, I've compressed this back end into a tight window before. One couple living abroad signed, moved, and closed within seven days of returning because everything was staged ahead of time.

If you're buying instead

The buyer side follows a similar rhythm. We talk about budget, towns, and commute (a lot of my buyers work in Dubuque), and I set you up on the Perfect Home Finder so new listings reach you quickly. At showings you get an inspector's read on each house before you fall in love with it. When you're ready to write, I draft the WB-11 with you, negotiate, and then help you make sense of the inspection and appraisal. First-time buyers get extra patience; one of them, Karen C., wrote that I "helped me find the perfect home in my price range that exceeded what I had expected to be able to buy."

What stays the same the whole way

You get me, not an assistant. You get a plain answer to hard questions. And you get an exit if you ever feel I'm not doing my best. Those three things are the actual product; the timeline is just how they show up on the calendar.

Talk to Jeremy

If that sounds like the kind of process you want, call or text Jeremy Fishnick at 608-732-2564 or email [email protected]. Sellers can start at fishnickrealty.com, and buyers can start a search at jeremyfishnick.com/phf. Week 0 begins whenever you're ready.