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Bidding Wars in a "Soft" "Cool" Buyers Market?

By
Real Estate Agent

If it's priced right the buyers will bid on it. I recently had a properrty on the market for 6 months.  After 2 price reductions totalling almost $100,000 of the original listing price I received multiple bids. I heard several similar stories from other agents in my office today.

One had the property on the market for a year lowered the price several times and finally got multiple bids. Another agent with a property on the market for a long time lowered the price lowered again and had it staged and then received multiple bids. It seems that once the right price level is reached all of a sudden it's bid on. If it's priced low enough it is perceived as a great deal and more than one buyer want it.

This pricing strategy worked the last few years when the market was very hot. I think it works in a cool market as well. It's just not the same frenzy. Last year I had a seller who wanted $725,000 for his place. I had to convince him that a listing price of $699,000 would be a better strategy to acheive a sale price of $725,000. I explained that buyers today are searching the internet, they have to type in a price range. The comps for his apartment were around $650,000 -$700,00. I told him that he would miss all the $650,000 - $700,000 buyers who probably could spend more but they have to be exposed to it. It was a beautifully renovated condo with a great view. I knew it would be bid up if it was exposed to as many buyers as possible. He received 11 offers several were at or above $725,000.

In the old days like 2002 :-) people still looked in the newspaper, many still do The New York Times still pulls but they search differently in the paper it's set up by neighborhoods not price. A buyer would still see an ad for a property that maybe was a little above their price range and would go see it. A computer search has a minimum and a maximum. They will only be exposed to exactlty what they type in. Technology makes pricing more important. I beleive a lower listing price with maximum exposure will give the seller a higher sale price in the end than with a higher list price.

 

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Maureen Francis
Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel - Bloomfield Hills, MI
Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel
Well said.  Everyone seems to want to "test the market" at the higher price.  In the end they've lost time and money waiting for a bid that the market will support.  The longer they wait, generally, the less they will get.
Aug 15, 2006 10:55 AM