WEALTH
Pricing a Home: More Than Just a Number
When preparing to sell a home, there are a few fundamentals every seller should consider: preparation, pricing, and access for showings. This piece focuses on pricing—because it’s often misunderstood, oversimplified, and sometimes even misused.
Let’s start with a truth that might surprise you: There’s no such thing as the perfect list price. If you were expecting a formula that reveals the one right number—at the risk of losing you here—no such thing exists.
The real estate agent’s role isn’t to give a price. It’s to guide a process.
It’s impossible to predict the exact sales price of a home or to pinpoint the “right” list price with 100% accuracy. What matters more is how the seller responds to market feedback—how quickly and thoughtfully adjustments are made when the market speaks.
Here are the most common types of feedback sellers receive:
The Dream: Immediate showings and strong offers as soon as the home hits the market.
Real Interest: Showings but no offers—or offers below expectations. Buyers see the value differently than the seller.
Crickets: No calls, no showings, no offers. A clear signal something needs to change.
The price is always the seller’s decision. Some believe pricing higher leads to a higher sale price. Sometimes sellers need to test that belief themselves, and the agent’s role is to listen, guide, and prepare them for how buyers and the broader market might respond.
Pricing is a strategy, not a number. It’s about sending a message to the marketplace.
Many sellers rely on comparable sales—but here’s the catch: comps are old data. Real estate markets are fluid. So, when reviewing past sales, we have to ask:
What was the market doing at the time of those sales?
How similar were those homes, really?
Were interest rates lower or higher?
How quickly did those homes sell? Did they linger?
What motivated the buyer or seller in that situation?
These variables—and many more—shape the relevance of comparable sales. They provide context, not answers. And ultimately, it’s up to the buyer and seller to decide how much weight that context carries.
Three main forces influence a home’s sale:
The seller’s expectations (price and terms)
The buyer’s perception of value
The market conditions (interest rates, inventory levels, economic shifts, sales trends)
Out of those three, the seller only controls one: their expectations.
However, sellers can influence buyer perception—through thoughtful pricing, compelling presentation, and easy access for showings.
But market conditions? Those are completely out of anyone’s control. And sellers are never the only home on the market.
The true test of pricing comes only when the home goes live. That’s when real-time feedback begins, and sellers can start responding strategically.
So the next time someone asks, “What do you think my home is worth?”—consider this deeper perspective.
Because the better question might be:
"How do we position this home to meet the market—and attract the right buyer?
WISDOM
Sharing the 2nd of 5 Stoicism posters in my office. What comes to mind for me with this quote is fear, worry and doubt. Just yesterday I listened to a podcast with my coach Steve Shull and friend Jeffrey Saad (you can listen here) where the thought of worry was discussed.
Fear, Worry, and Letting Go: A Thought Worth Sitting With
Even though dinosaurs vanished long before Seneca was born, his wisdom from over 2,000 years ago still rings true today.
Dinosaurs? Sabre-tooth tigers? Yes—back when they roamed the earth, a snap of a twig could mean imminent danger. In those moments, fear was necessary. Life-saving, even. That instinct—the hair standing up on the back of your neck—served a very real purpose.
But what about now?
What role do fear, worry, and doubt play in our lives today? More personally—what role do they play in my life?
Of course, I’m not talking about physical fear. That still has its place. Like the time I sat on a ledge at the Grand Canyon (yes, I really did that). One gust of wind, or a slight earthquake, and it could have been a 1,000-foot drop. In that moment, fear made sense. Awareness was essential. I needed to be present, alert, and thinking clearly.
But the kind of fear we carry around day-to-day? The worry that creeps in while we’re driving, working, or lying awake at night?
Coach Steve once told me that 90% of the things we worry about never actually happen. And the ones that do? They’re usually not as bad as we imagined. (Okay, yes—he probably made up that statistic, but doesn’t it feel true?) The point is: all that time and energy spent worrying is often just wasted time and energy.
Last month, I shared some thoughts inspired by Michael Singer—his podcast, books, and YouTube content—on the ideas of surrender and letting go. These have been life-changing concepts for me, especially over the past year. And yes, I had to also let go of the thought, “I wish I had started this years ago.”
When I asked Coach Steve what he thought I most needed to let go of, his answer was simple and direct:
“Everything.”
Seneca’s quote reminds me to stay in the moment. To be present. To expect the best—and respond well if things don’t go according to plan.
This also ties back to a quote I shared last month from Marcus Aurelius, and the most foundational Stoic principle of all: Be clear on what you can and cannot control.
Let go of the rest.
Be curious. Stay open. Even when something doesn’t go the way you hoped—or even if something painful happens—it won’t break you. In fact, it might just leave you stronger.
WELLNESS
It’s time for me to surrender and let go of trying to share only one podcast with you each month. I’m listening to one to two episodes a day (after a friend turned me on to listening at 1.75x speed - not quite ready for 2x yet). Please find shows I found interesting and worthy of sharing.
Michael Singer:
Michael discusses what it’s like to cease being distracted by the personal mind. How distractions cause suffering and pull consciousness away from its natural state. That spiritual freedom lies in allowing reality to unfold without resistance and practicing letting go on a daily basis. The Art of Undistracted Living
Dr. Mark Hyman:
In this episode Dr. Hyman interviews Steve Martocci, a tech entrepreneur who’s applying smart tools and real data to help people finally make sense of their supplements. They talk about why most people still aren’t getting the nutrients they need. The conversation is centered around something I have not tried, so I am not endorsing this. I will check out the site and service. The platform is called SuppCo. The site is supposed to make it easier to figure out what to take, what to skip, and what to trust.
How to Choose the Right Supplements (and Avoid the Wrong Ones)
Thank you for reading! Always interested in discussing anything shared, and appreciate your feedback and thoughts.