In a near record slow market for our area, 22 months of inventory, I recently put a $239,900 home under contract at full price within two days. How? The home was meticulously maintained and the seller, while upside down like many today, was well educated about the local market and absolutely realistic.

Gulf Breeze, FL Home - Priced Right, Sold Quickly
We have to do our best, for our clients and ourselves, to explain the real market picture . . . ugly as it might be for a seller. I'd hazard a guess that I'm not the only one who has chased the market down with more than one listing over the past year or so. Everyone suffers in this scenario.
I remember the advice that the best time to buy is when you need to . . . same goes for selling and it isn't always when the market is hot.

Thats a right on! Great job! I have turned away many listings due to over price listings. It only cost me to sit on them paying for advertising.
If the home is listed right it will sell!
Key word is "need to sell". WWW.HARTMANNTEAM.COM
Congratulations....the market has all appearances of picking up - internet leads, walk-in leads, buyers and contracts have all inceased substantially in the last month......I look forward to a great spring.
Thanks Shawn, Jennifer, Eric and Deb - Like I mentioned in my post, I have been guilty of letting the seller convince me my comps could be inched up. The reality is, they just can't - the price is what the market dictates and the sold listings tell the story. I have been walking away from unrealistic buyers for close to a year (and watching their listings sit). It was refreshing to work with a seller who really did get it. As another Realtor once said to me, "I want to be that (unrealistic) seller's third Realtor."
Gail - And there are several problems with this. You are spending your money to market the property and eventually they may get tired of having it on the market and you have just wasted who knows how much. It also really skews the time on the market statistics. But you know this, I'm preaching to the choir. I have just gotten to the point that I won't sit on these homes. I'll lose a few here and there, but in the long run I feel certain I'll come out ahead.