Pricing your home: why the first two weeks matter most

A new listing gets more attention in its first days than it ever will again. Here is how we price to make that window count.

When a home hits the market, every active buyer in that price range sees it at once: in their phone alerts, on their agent’s list and on the weekend’s showing schedule. That burst of attention is the most valuable thing a new listing has, and it doesn’t last. Your price decides whether you use it or waste it.

Buyers compare, they don’t guess

Buyers judge your price against the homes they’ve already seen and the ones that sold nearby. If your home looks like the best value on their list, they book a showing quickly and bring their best offer. If it looks expensive next to the others, they wait, and buyers who wait rarely come back offering more.

How we set the number

• Recent sales on your street and in your neighbourhood, adjusted for size, lot, condition and upgrades.
• The homes you’ll compete with today, because buyers see them side by side with yours.
• The homes that didn’t sell, which show where buyers stopped saying yes.
• The season and the mood of the market, which shift what buyers will pay from week to week.

The cost of starting too high

An overpriced listing tends to sit. The longer it sits, the more buyers wonder what’s wrong with it, and the conversation turns from “how do we win this home” to “how much will they take off”. A price cut later rarely wins back the attention the home had on day one.

The right price doesn’t leave money on the table. It puts buyers at the table.

Pricing to compete, or pricing to negotiate

In a busy market we may price to draw several buyers and hold offers to a set date. In a slower market we may list higher and negotiate hard on every offer. The strategy changes with the market. The goal doesn’t: the strongest price and the cleanest terms for you.

Wondering where your home would land? We’ll walk through it with you, show you the sales around it and explain the number before you decide anything.

Talk to us about your move →