Why Cutting the Price After Ten Showings Is the Most Expensive Mistake You Can Make

A broker walking through the first two weeks of a listing says he doesn't price a house to get an offer. He prices it to get a specific number of people through the door — "in the first 10 days, 10 to 14 days, I want 10 showings" — and he expects those ten to produce exactly one offer.

So at day fourteen he counts showings first, and the count tells him which problem he has:

Few showings

It's the price or the photos — those are what decide whether the house even shows up in a buyer's search.

Ten showings, no offers

It's the house, not the price. "the price is fine initially, but when they get to the house, they don't like what they see, they don't like what they"

His list of culprits for the second one is specific: "weird sounds, there could be a gas station across the street, there could be something unknown when they show"

This settles the argument agents lose every day. When a listing sits, the seller says the market is soft and the agent says drop the price, and neither has evidence.

Reducing on a house that's already getting showings is the most expensive common mistake in the business. It costs the seller real money and it doesn't fix the smell, the neighbor, or the layout.

1. Say the number at the listing appointment — ten showings in fourteen days, one offer expected — and put it in the marketing plan.
2. At day fourteen, count showings before you talk about price.
3. If it's the house, get real feedback from three showing agents first.