A house on Butterfield Stage Road in Temecula sat on the market for 47 days last month. Nice home. Four bed, pool, updated kitchen. The problem wasn't the house. The price came in about $35K over where the comps said it should be, and buyers in that pocket of Wine Country know exactly what things are going for. They're watching. They have alerts set. That first week on market is everything, and this seller burned it.
I bring that up because pricing is the thing most sellers get wrong, and it's the thing most agents are too polite about. There's this idea that you should "test the market" by listing high and adjusting later. I disagree with that strategy almost every time. Overpriced homes train buyers to ignore your listing. By the time you drop the price, the damage is done. You've already lost the crowd that would've made you an offer in week one.
Prepping the house matters, but people overthink it. You don't need to renovate your bathroom. You need to declutter, deep clean, and fix the stuff that shows up in photos. Stained grout, dead landscaping, a garage that looks like a storage unit. That stuff kills first impressions before anyone walks through the door. I'd rather you spend $800 on a junk hauler and a cleaning crew than $15K on a kitchen backsplash that won't move the needle.
Then there's negotiation, which is where I think a lot of sellers lose money without realizing it. A buyer asks for $10K in credits after the inspection. Your gut says no. But the real question is what does it cost you to go back on market, carry another mortgage payment, and start over? Sometimes giving $6K in credits and closing on time nets you more than holding firm and watching the deal fall apart.
Growing up in Southern California, I learned pretty early that people respect straight talk more than a pitch. That's how I try to run my business. I'd rather lose the listing by being honest about price than win it by telling you what you want to hear.
If you're thinking about selling somewhere in the IE or North County, shoot me a message. Even if you're six months out. The conversation is free, and it's better to have it early than late.
What's the one thing about selling that nobody warned you about?