Educated Guesses

Normally, when a house doesn’t sell within 60-90 days, a 3% to 5% price reduction is in order. 

10percentSee,  “Perils of Overpricing Even (Especially) in a Rising Market”; “Perils of Overpricing“; and “Nurse!  I Need a Price Reduction, Stat!

So, what does it mean when a home listed for $500k (in St. Louis Park’s popular Fern Hill neighborhood) takes a $50k price reduction — after only 30 days on the market?

A. Traffic has been poor and/or the showing feedback has been abysmal;
B. The Seller is now (more) motivated;
C. The home is significantly overpriced (see “A.”);
D. All of the above.

Correct answer:  “D.”

“Heads up” to prospective home sellers:  notwithstanding the headlines, not everything is selling in multiple offers, within days of hitting the market.

Observation #2:  30 days of market time (especially in Spring) is more than enough to know whether a home is properly priced — or not, as the case may be.

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.

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