Updated: October 21, 2026 · By Mark Dietel, Broker/Owner, Mark Dietel Realty · 6-minute read
Quick answer: Compare written scope before you compare price. In Indiana, a listing agent's work runs from pricing and preparation through marketing, negotiation and closing coordination, and state law requires the listing agreement in writing. Mark Dietel Realty gives sellers in Southside Indianapolis and Greenwood that scope in writing.
Key takeaways
- The listing work splits into three phases: before the MLS, on the market, and contract to closing. In our experience, most of the hours land in the first and third, where sellers see the least.
- Scope varies by brokerage, which is why the written service list matters more than any single number.
- Indiana's paperwork is part of the job: the seller's disclosure (State Form 46234) before listing and the Sales Disclosure Form 46021 at closing.
- Indiana law requires the listing agreement in writing, with an expiration date, and a copy in your hands within three business days.
What happens before your home ever hits the market?
Pricing, preparation, and paperwork. The agent builds a comparative market analysis from recent local sales data, walks the home to plan repairs and presentation, coordinates photography, and gets the required Indiana disclosures started, including the Seller's Residential Real Estate Sales Disclosure, State Form 46234.
Indiana sets the floor for this phase. Under Indiana Code 25-34.1-12, the listing agreement itself must be written, must carry a definitive expiration date, and a copy must reach you within three business days of signing. In our experience on the Southside, this is also the phase sellers underestimate most. A comparative market analysis is an argument for a price, built from recently sold homes near yours in Greenwood's 46143 or Indy's 46227, adjusted for condition and features. The prep plan is a triage: decide what to fix, what to disclose and what to leave, and start State Form 46234 early.
What does the marketing phase involve on the Southside?
Entry on the MLS with professional media, syndication to the portals buyers actually use, showing coordination and feedback collection, and a weekly report to you. In August 2026, Johnson County homes went pending in a median of 24 days, so this phase is short and intense when the price is right.
The MLS entry is the hub: photos, remarks, attached disclosures, showing instructions. From there the work becomes coordination: confirming showings, chasing feedback from every buyer's agent who walked through, and telling you the truth about the pattern. If showings keep coming with no offer, the market is saying something, and the weekly update is where you should hear it plainly. Ask any brokerage you interview who does this work and how often you will hear from them.
What is the agent doing between contract and closing?
Negotiating the offer and any counters, managing the inspection response, handling appraisal questions, coordinating with the title company and the buyer's lender, and getting the closing paperwork right, including the State Sales Disclosure Form 46021 filed with every Indiana sale.
Once you accept an offer, the calendar takes over: earnest money deposited, inspection window, appraisal, title work, final walkthrough, closing. Each step has a deadline and a failure mode, and the listing agent's job is to see problems coming, a low appraisal, an inspection report with a scary roof line, a lender running behind, and negotiate the response before it becomes a cancellation. We wrote a full walkthrough of this stretch in What Happens After I Accept an Offer on My House in Indiana? if you want the step-by-step version.
Why does "what is included" matter more than the rate?
Here is what an Indiana seller can insist on that a generic checklist will not mention. Indiana Code 25-34.1-12 already requires the listing agreement to be written, with a definitive expiration date, so ask for the service list to be written into that agreement or attached to it. Then the scope you were promised is part of the contract you sign. Two brokerages can quote similar numbers for very different amounts of work, and commissions in Indiana are negotiable and are not set by law, so compare package against package.
Full-service teams, limited-service listings, and flat-fee entry-only models are all legal in Indiana and all sell houses. The honest difference is who does the work above: with a limited-service model, some of it is yours, and for an experienced seller with time, that can be a fair trade. What we push back on is comparing a number to a number with no scope attached. Ask for the service list in writing from everyone you interview, including us, then read our companion post, Is the Real Estate Commission Negotiable in Indiana?, for how to run that conversation. If you would rather see the do-it-yourself side examined fairly, we did that too in Is Selling Your Home Without a Realtor Worth It in 2026?
What does this look like in Central Indiana?
Here is a hypothetical example: a $330,000 listing in Greenwood, Indiana, at the Johnson County August 2026 median price. The checklist below is the work a full-service listing runs through on a house like that, phase by phase. Use it as a scorecard when you interview brokerages, ours included.
What does this look like in Central Indiana?
| Phase (hypothetical $330,000 Greenwood listing) | What the listing team handles | What you should see |
|---|---|---|
| Before the MLS | Comparative market analysis, prep and repair triage, photography and video, State Form 46234 disclosure, listing agreement per Indiana Code 25-34.1-12 | A written price argument, a prep list, and your signed agreement copy within three business days |
| On the market | MLS entry and syndication, showing coordination, buyer-agent feedback, traffic review, pricing strategy check-ins | A weekly written update with showings, feedback, and a recommendation |
| Contract to closing | Offer and counter negotiation, inspection response, appraisal handling, title and lender coordination, Form 46021, closing prep | Deadlines tracked in writing and a settlement statement that matches your net sheet |
At a median of 24 days from list to pending in Johnson County in August 2026, the middle phase can be the shortest of the three.
When this doesn't apply
If you are selling on your own and comfortable running pricing, marketing, showings, and negotiation yourself, this checklist is simply your to-do list rather than an agent's. It also does not describe builder sales of new construction, where the builder's contract and staff replace most of this work, or auctions and court-ordered sales, or a direct sale to someone you already know. And a limited-service listing, by design, moves rows of the table above from the agent's column to yours; just decide that trade knowingly.
Our view at Mark Dietel Realty: "You may not need a listing agent if you already have a buyer, you are comfortable pricing from public sold data, and you are ready to handle disclosures, showings, negotiation and closing paperwork yourself, or with a real estate attorney. Many people sell that way. If that is you, we will tell you so."
What to do next
Take the table above to any listing interview and ask which lines are included in writing. If you would like to see our version, ask us for the written service list and a net sheet for your address.
Prefer to talk? Call (317) 426-9911. Mark Dietel Realty has offices in Southside Indianapolis, Greenwood and Bloomington.
Read next: Is the Real Estate Commission Negotiable in Indiana? · Do Sellers Still Pay the Buyer's Agent in Indiana? · Listing Expired in Indiana? What to Change Before Relisting
Questions sellers ask us about listing services
Is the agent I hire the same thing as the brokerage?
No. Your listing agreement is with the brokerage, and your agent works under its managing broker. Indiana rule 876 IAC 8-1-8 is why the brokerage name appears on all advertising. In practice you work with the agent and team, but the contractual commitment is the brokerage's.
Can I take on some of the work myself?
Often, yes. Limited-service and entry-only listings exist for exactly that, and within a full-service listing there is room to negotiate scope. Just get the division of labor in writing, because missed showings, slow feedback, and late disclosures are the usual cost of an unclear split.
Who regulates listing agents in Indiana?
The Indiana Real Estate Commission, under Indiana Code 25-34.1 and the rules in 876 IAC. Licenses can be checked on the state's license search site. Membership in the National Association of Realtors adds ethics rules on top of the state requirements.
How long does a listing agreement last, and can it end early?
Indiana Code 25-34.1-12 requires every listing agreement to state a definitive expiration date, so the term is whatever you negotiate. Early-cancellation terms vary by brokerage and belong in the agreement itself. Ask the question before signing and keep the answer in writing.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Contract terms vary, and your situation may differ; talk with a licensed professional about your specific sale.
Mark Dietel Realty — offices in Indianapolis (Southside), Greenwood and Bloomington, Indiana.
Sources
- Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, "Indiana State Law Requires Written Listing and Buyer Agency Agreements" (June 27, 2024): https://www.in.gov/pla/files/IPLA-Press-Release-Indiana-State-Law-Requires-Written-Listing-and-Buyer-Agency-Agreements.pdf
- Indiana Association of REALTORS Housing Data Hub, Johnson County report, August 2026: https://data.indianarealtors.com/viewreport/2/all/18081/
