Chewing on a hard candy listing truely is very hard on the teeth and pocket book.

In Louisiana, they say F'sure !

What’s a hard candy listing? 

Hard candy listings are overpriced from the get-go.
If you take a listing from a seller that wants to play the market, at a price that will not work (ever), for the area you are selling, and you dance to the tune and price that will never get the house sold...Congratulations, YOU are now qualified as a hard candy listing.

Make an appointment with your dentist and your accountant, as it will become expensive quickly.

Although getting a hard candy listing initially seems sweet, and you savor the fact that you will make a nice commission if the property sells at the "play listing price", keep in mind, we are not playing to sell properties, we are working to get properties sold and closed.

"The successful sale never starts with a price that's over the top."  Not altogether true. A little over the top is not deadly. At times you take the listing and then reduce it back to the original recommended price, and many times go even much lower until the seller’s pain threshold is over the top. By this point, you both are ready to dump the house.

You can stop this dilemma, by allowing the seller to “play the market” for only a couple weeks at most, at which point it is automatically reduced due to your now pre-signed reduction agreement that attaches to the listing agreement. Asking for a price reduction three weeks in to the deal, starts to sound a lot like begging. ‘Please, Mr. Seller, you were going to be reasonable.’ Skip the strategy that smells of failure.

Success is measured by the fact the property is sold, But at what cost? Time, money, reputation, aggravation, and exhaustion are wasted efforts when you linger at a high make believe price. Success should be measured by how close the original listed price and the sold price are. (along with days on market) And if I get a higher sales price because of mitigating circumstances…great!

It is better to inform the seller with the truth that hurts his ego, rather than blow smoke in hopes of a fictional sweet deal. Hard candy prices can be tough to sell in this market, but they are the truth. I must add that the uninformed and unaware sellers outnumber the savvy and seasoned. Don't let you listing become hard candy. Your teeth are worth preserving. So is your reputation.

Cheers

Not all Charlotte Homes for Sale are hard candy. Many are chewy and easily consumed. Find out for yourself.

F'sure