MY HOUSE SHOULD SELL FOR MORE THAN MY NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE!
Few absurdities compare with getting locked into an imaginary competition with a neighbor who made a bundle on their house and has since moved on! We understand your frustration. But even if your house is superior in every single respect to your nemesis neighbor's property, he or she already one-upped you by having better timing.
You're right ... It's not fair! But it happens every day. Price exists in space and time and can change at any time for any reason, regardless of how subjective or arbitrary that reason may seem to you. The sooner you accept this dismal reality the sooner you can throw away that bottle of anti-depressants sell your house and get on with your life. The alternative is to continue doing the same thing over and over again and to expect different results, Albert Einstein's Theory of Insanity.
Professional builders are certainly aware that home values change. Think about what a tricky situation they're in, especially in the final phases of a development in a declining market. Early buyers won't like it if new buyers are paying less. So instead of lowering prices builders have historically offered upgrades as an incentive. But when a so-called housing bubble bursts builders, like anyone else, will do whatever it takes, whether that is offering greater incentives or the dreaded price reduction.
Bottom line, if beating out your neighbor is something you've got to try please don't attempt this for more than two weeks. If you're not getting any action from buyers, a good way to hold yourself accountable is to put it in the listing agreement that you'll decrease the price by a specific amount within a specific time.
Neither you nor your real estate agent dictate price. The market alone determines value. Learn this, know this, live this.
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