A home with an unexpected tradeoff
I had a listing I expected buyers to respond to: an updated single-family home in an established San Francisco neighborhood. But a previous owner had enlarged the primary suite at the expense of the second bedroom, leaving it quite small.
After a week of open houses, private showings, and a broker tour, interest was below expectations. Only one or two disclosure packages had been downloaded when I had expected considerably more.
Changing the strategy
I met with the sellers and recommended a substantial reduction in the asking price rather than a small adjustment. The purpose was to introduce the home to a different pool of buyers and build enough interest to address the layout tradeoff.
We kept the home on the market for another two weeks at the new asking price, then set an offer date.
A different route to the intended result
We received multiple offers and ultimately sold in the price range we had hoped to achieve from the beginning.
That experience reinforced a lesson I have learned many times: a useful listing strategy is not one you follow stubbornly. It is one you know how—and when—to change.
What to take away
Multiple offers and a sale in the hoped-for price range.
Feedback from showings and buyer engagement can help inform a pricing discussion. A lower asking price does not guarantee competition or a particular sale price; the right response depends on the home and the market at the time.
Explore Tim’s selling strategy →Edited from Tim’s account for clarity and client privacy. Transaction dates and identifying details are omitted. This is a past client experience, not a guarantee of similar results or advice about a particular contract.