There is an understanding in real estate circles that no one really wants to say out loud: the biggest liar gets the listing. It is blunt; maybe a little unfair in how it sounds, but it exists for a reason. When sellers meet multiple agents, they often hear different opinions on price. Naturally, one number stands out above the rest. The highest one. The one that feels best. The one that sounds like validation. And that is the trap.
In that moment, you are not really choosing between pricing strategies. You are choosing between feelings. One agent is offering hope. Another is offering reality. Hope almost always feels better. When someone tells you your home might be worth more, it creates a sense of relief and possibility. It feels reassuring. But it is not always grounded. It can be an empty promise. And promises do not move markets. Buyers, and their offers, do.
An unrealistic price does not create more value. It creates hesitation. Fewer showings. Less urgency. Buyers do not negotiate with a number they do not believe in. They simply move on. What starts as optimism often turns into silence, followed by price reductions. The same agent who secured the listing with a high number is then left managing those reductions as the market pushes back, often pointing to external factors to explain the shift. By the time the home sells, it is often for less than it could have achieved with a more honest strategy from the start.
So, when you hear a higher number, it is worth pausing. Not to reject it, but to examine it. What is driving that number? And more importantly, how are buyers likely to respond to it?
You do not need an agent who tells you what you want to hear. You need one who understands how buyers actually behave and is willing to tell you the truth early, when it matters most. Because in the end, you are not just choosing between agents. You are choosing between the promise of hope and the proof of belief. And the market only rewards one of those.
Your Trusted Advisors,
Peter and Tregg