Why not price high? We can always come down.
Answered by Chris Deutsch, Founder & Editor
Licensed Minnesota Realtor #20382264 ·
The short answer
Because the market reads a price cut as a confession. Your best offers come in the first two weeks. That's when the alert-driven buyers, the agents' shortlists, and the pent-up demand all see the listing at once. Price above that audience and they don't come lowball you. They don't come at all. The house sits, and the days-on-market counter becomes the first thing every buyer reads. The eventual cut then invites offers below where you'd have sold on day one.
On stage The 60-second answer
Captions on · Transcript below
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Chris's video answer is on its way. Until then, the short answer above says the same thing.
The transcript posts with the video.
The longer answer
I've watched that arc enough times to stop arguing with it: overpriced-then-cut nets less than priced-right — same house, same market.
The exception people are half-remembering: a truly one-of-a-kind property with no comps can test its ceiling, because its buyer isn't shopping on a schedule. A solid house in a normal neighborhood doesn't get that luxury. Price for the audience in week one — that's where your negotiating power actually lives.
The next department over
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From the editor's desk
“As Founder and Editor, I review, correct, and stand behind every answer.”
Is your situation more specific than the market? That's the one worth talking through.