Marketplace Sotheby's International Realty

For Sellers

Pricing Strategy That Maximizes Your Return

Pricing is the single most important decision in the selling process. Get it right and everything else is easier. Get it wrong and no amount of marketing can fix it.

The Foundation

Four Principles of Smart Pricing

Every pricing recommendation I make is built on these fundamentals.

01

Price to the Market, Not to the Mortgage

What you paid, what you owe, or what you need for your next home has no bearing on what buyers will offer. Pricing must be anchored to recent comparable sales — similar homes, similar locations, recent closes.

02

The First Two Weeks Are Critical

A properly priced home generates the most activity when it first hits the market. Overpriced homes sit, accumulate DOM, and ultimately sell for less than they would have at the right price from day one.

03

Buyers Are Informed

Modern buyers have access to the same data you do. They have seen what homes in your neighborhood have sold for. If your home is priced above the market, they simply skip it.

04

Price Can Generate Competition

In active markets, pricing a home at or slightly below market value can create a multiple-offer situation that drives the final sale price above list. This is a deliberate, data-backed strategy — not desperation.

The Tool

What Goes Into a CMA

A Comparative Market Analysis is not a Zestimate. It is a detailed, professional review of your home's position in the current market — produced by analyzing actual sales data and adjusting for the specific attributes of your property.

I provide a full CMA for every seller consultation at no cost and with no obligation. It takes 30–45 minutes to walk through together and it is the foundation of every pricing decision we make.

Request a Free CMA

A CMA Includes:

Recent comparable sales — same area, similar size and condition, closed within 90 days

Active competition — what you are competing against right now

Pending sales — where the market is heading, not just where it has been

Price per square foot analysis — adjusted for lot size, condition, and finish quality

Days on market trends by price band — how quickly homes are moving at your target price

Absorption rate — how many months of inventory exist at current demand levels

What to Avoid

Pricing Mistakes That Cost Sellers Money

These are the most common pricing errors — and why they happen.

Pricing high "to leave room to negotiate"

Buyers who would have offered full price at the right number never even schedule a showing. Overpriced homes lose their best buyers in the first week.

Following a neighbor's list price

List prices mean nothing. Comparable sold prices — what buyers actually paid — are the only data point that matters for pricing.

Refusing to reduce after extended days on market

The market has spoken. A timely reduction resets perception, restores momentum, and prevents a longer, more damaging stagnation.

Pricing based on renovation costs

Buyers will not pay dollar-for-dollar for improvements. Market data determines the value of upgrades, not the cost of making them.

Want to Know What Your Home Is Really Worth?

I will produce a full CMA for your home at no charge. No obligation, no pressure — just the data you need to make a confident decision.