We have very few price reductions on our listings. Some agents believe in taking expired listings at the same price at which they expired. While price may not be the only reason....it often is a large part of the reason. That was another blog...we don't believe in setting sellers up to fail...in wasting their initial grand entrance on the market at a price that won't pass appraisal to appease a seller...for the moment, until the ink is dry on the listing contract.
Talking with someone in the management of a broker the other day, he confided that he spends some part of every day on the phone with sellers who do the "Your agent wasn't fair" chant while they complain that the agent wouldn't list for the price they "knew was right." 
No ethical agent would wish a home to sell for less....No ethical agent would price a home for more...The first days on market are golden...it can be exciting, it can be a POP of PROMOTION,. something new in the neighborhood, an opportunity for a family to move on and one to move in....
Sellers..If an agent gave you a price you were not expecting....look at how the price was determined.
- Are the homes that sold comparable to yours ?
- Was the sale recent and in the same area or one that is like yours ?
- Is the agent experienced and successful ?
- How many price reductions does that agent gave a higher price average ? (Ask for verification)
- What is the Agent's list to sale ratio ?
- If the list price is 30% what the home sold for...you have an agent who bought your listing...not likely a buyer who will buy your house.
- Can the agent furnish you with references for past clients and customers ?
- Why would an agent want to make less money selling your home at a lower price?
Sometimes we hear sellers who have taken great care of their homes and see the comps at less than they wished they could get say.."BUT....that was a short sale, that was a foreclosure, those Sellers HAD to sell"...the reason is not important for selling...that number that it sold for IS....and that is the comparable that an appraiser will use for the buyer of the home.
Without an appraisal that agrees with the price that the buyer agreed to pay...the Seller is looking for buyer who wants to pay cash and does not want an appraisal. We don't know any buyers like that...regardless of the price of the house...and no matter what market you are in...chances are..there is no such person.
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