Case Assignment

You've been offered a job in another state, and have decided to sell your house.

First, you'll need to decide on an asking price. You can either make this decision now, or wait until after you've chosen a real estate agent (if you do). If you settle on a price now, you can either base it on the appraised value of your property, which is on file at the county tax office, or set a price you're confident is too high, but not too high to deter potential buyers who will, in turn, make counteroffers.

The next decision is whether to hire an agent. If you do, you'll need to shop around. Begin by getting a list of agents from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). You'll be looking for an agent who's willing to guarantee a sale by a certain date, or take a negotiated cut in his or her commission. This is important to you, as you need to have a warm feeling that your house isn't going to be on the market forever. Interview an agent. If the agent is willing to guarantee a sale, hire him or her. After consulting with the agent, set an asking price. This is the end of the process.

If the agent's not willing to guarantee a sale, then interview the next one on the list. If you exhaust the list without finding an agent, then you'll have to do without one, and list the house yourself. If you haven't already decided on an asking price, do it now. This is the end of the process.

• Reduce the case to a series of discrete, single activities and decisions.

• Avoid clutter. In the flowchart, abbreviate the activities and decisions. If necessary, explain the abbreviations in a glossary.

• Use standard flowchart symbology.

• Provide a short (one or two paragraph) explanation of the chart. Include citations.