When there is a buzz about home sellers being greedy, you know home sales are doing well. So, not surprisingly, along with last year’s record home sales came the reports of greedy home sellers. Are you a greedy home seller? Or are you adjusting to a market where home prices are increasing?
Greed has developed a bad rap. Surely there is an evolutionary basis for greed. Many believe that early hominids promoted personal and group survival by being “greedy” (although disputed by some). Those who hoarded food, so as to have more than enough, lived through difficult winters and droughts. During times of financial prosperity, greed is looked upon favorably. However, in the aftermath of a recession, greed is thought of as the basis for fiscal calamity. Immortalized in Gordon Geckko’s famous “greed is good” speech in the 1987 movie Wall Street, “greed” is a cinematic vehicle to show the fine line between a healthy desire to prosper and a corrupt drive to have more than enough.
Avoid being viewed as a greedy home seller by creating a realistic pricing strategy. Creating a pricing strategy is an art and a science. When selling a home, you have to determine the list price. There are many factors to consider besides recent neighborhood sales, such as condition of your home, sales trends, mortgage interest rates, economic trends, etc. Like other home sellers, you fall into a conundrum. If you price your home too high, then it will limit potential home buyers who visit. However, if you price your home too low to increase home buyer interest, you may not get the price you want.
Contrary to some assertions that a home’s list price doesn’t play a role in the sale, there is evidence to suggest that it really does matter. Lu Han and William C. Strange determined that a lower list price does increase home buyer visits – but only to a point (What is the Role of the Asking Price for a House? University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management; 2012). They concluded that there is a point at which the home price is perceived to attract too much buyer competition, which may turn off other home buyers. Furthermore, their data shows that there is a negative relationship between a list price and the number of home buyers: meaning that the higher the list price relative to the neighborhood, the lower number of home buyer visits, and vice-versa.
If you fear being a greedy home seller by asking for a high price for your home, there is research to suggest that you’ll let go of the greed in order to make a deal. A 2013 study by Nuno T. Magessi and Luis Antunes looked at how the emotions of fear and greed compete internally (Agent’s fear monitors the spread of greed in a social network; Proceedings of the 11th European Workshop on Multi‐Agent Systems EUMAS, 12-13). They concluded that greed is mitigated by the fear of loss within the confines of a social network. When applied to a home sale, the fear of not selling a home competes with the impulse to hold out for the high price. Deducing further, there is a need to fit within one’s social network by trying to sell a home for the most money, and yet avoid the stigma of a failed home sale.
Don’t be a greedy home seller. RealtorMag described three common home seller mistakes in a 2015 post (3 Mistakes Sellers Often Make; realtormag.realtor.org; April 12, 2015). Included were “Not being honest with the home’s history,” “Not making a better home presentation,” and “Being unrealistic about the home’s value.” About unrealistic home value, it was said:
“…Despite tight inventories of homes for-sale in many markets, sellers still need to be careful not to get too greedy with their list price, say real estate professionals…Home owners tend to get a much lower price when they overprice a home at the onset and then drop the price several times. The longer the home lingers on a market, the more likely it will receive a deeper discount…”
If your home doesn’t sell, you must examine your pricing strategy. Was the price realistic, or were you too greedy?
Original published at https://dankrell.com/blog/2017/01/06/greedy-home-seller/
Copyright © Dan Krell
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Disclaimer. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws.
