Passing on Overpriced Listings

Everyone knows this famous passage from The Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.

–Reinhold Niebuhr

Here’s my version for listing agents (Realtors representing home sellers):

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the listings I can sell
the courage to refuse the listings I cannot
and the wisdom to know the difference.

–Ross Kaplan

So what makes a listing unsellable?

Ultimately, just one thing: price.

Everything else — condition, curb appeal, location, floor plan, etc. — can be overcome if a home is sufficiently discounted.

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

Leave a Reply