Esquire Realty Ciaramella & Co.

One of the easiest ways for a realtor to win a listing is to promise the highest price.Sometimes I simply refuse to do that.

There have been many appointments where I sat down with a seller, reviewed the numbers, and told them something they did not want to hear. Occasionally that means I lose the listing. But I would rather lose the listing than price a home in a way that makes no sense for the market.

When a home is dramatically overpriced, the result is usually the same. The seller becomes frustrated, the agent spends months working on something that cannot realistically sell, and the property eventually ends up selling for less than it might have if it had been priced correctly from the start.

That is not good for you and it is not good for my reputation as someone who understands this market.When I prepare a pricing analysis, I always ask sellers to look carefully at the comparables I bring. Not just the homes that are for sale, but the homes that have actually sold. Active listings show what people hope to get. Sold properties show what buyers were actually willing to pay.

There are situations where pricing slightly higher can make sense. When I represent a fiduciary such as an Executor or Trustee, there can be a responsibility to demonstrate that the property was properly exposed to the market to capture full value. In those cases a slightly higher starting price can sometimes be appropriate. But even then, the pricing still has to live in the realm of reality.

My job is not to tell you what you want to hear.

My job is to help you price your home in a way that gives it the best chance to sell well.