Price Reductions in a Hot Market

Everyone knows the real estate market is hot, right? Low inventory, multiple offers, homes selling at

prices thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars over asking...all good for home sellers! There's never been a better time to sell! Ask the price you want, put a few photos on the Internet, have an open house and voila, SOLD!

With all the hype, it's easy for a seller to over-estimate what buyers will pay and they are surprised to find out that even in the hottest market, an incorrectly/over-priced house will not meet market expectations and it will languish, become stale and buyers pass it by instead of making an offer. Or else if someone does make an offer it may be so much lower that the seller gets upset and refuses to negotiate.

A lot of home sellers are reluctant to acknowledge that their house is not priced correctly. After all, who likes to admit that they made a mistake or that the value of their home just isn't as much as they thought or wanted? So instead they try offering a credit, advertise that they will fix or replace something, take new photos, and insist that their real estate agent provide the "special marketing" to find the one buyer who will be willing to overpay. They will do anything other than what they know they need to do to fix the problem - change the price!

The reality is that sooner or later home sellers who really want to sell (motivation matters), will come around to the fact if they want to sell, they must reduce the price. But who would have thought that is be happening in Concord and Sudbury, two of the most desirable towns west of Boston? Well, it is! In Concord there have been 87 price reductions during the past 12 months and 22 during the month of May - as of 5/18. In Sudbury, there have been 75 price reductions Y-T-D and 36 month-to-date in May. And, it's happening in other places too! Pricing matters in any market, in any location!

Price reductions may not be what sellers want, but getting the house sold is the goal and reducing the price increases the opportunity to get a house listing in front of the right audience, stimulate interest and accomplish the intended goal. 

And of course for buyers, seeing a price reduction might mean you can finally go after the house you've been waiting for! Keep in mind though, if you've been hoping for a price reduction on a particular house, chances are someone else has too. You still need to be prepared to step up and with the right help an experienced buyer broker to negotiate on your behalf, you can make it happen!
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