05/15/2026
Sellers, the number in your head is rarely the number the market is paying.
That gap is the most expensive misalignment in real estate.
Most sellers walk into a listing conversation with a price built from one of four places:
What they paid for the home.
What they've put into renovations and updates.
What a neighbor listed for last month.
What they need to net to make their next move work.
The market doesn't price your home off any of those. The market prices your home off of three signals:
Recent SOLD comps, not active listings. Actives tell you what sellers hope to get. Solds tell you what buyers actually paid.
Current buyer conditions in your area. Are buyers competing? Is inventory climbing? How long are similar homes sitting?
The condition of your home relative to those comps. Updates, deferred maintenance, layout, lot, light. All of it gets priced in.
When your number and the market's number are far apart, here's what happens:
The home goes live at the seller's number. The first two weeks pass with fewer showings than average. Days on market climb. Buyers see the DoM and think something is wrong. Seller does a price reduction. The reduced price is now competing with fresher inventory at that level. More days pass. Another reduction. By the time the home sells, the seller has chased the market down and netted thousands less than if they had priced right at launch.
This is the most common way sellers leave equity on the table in 2026. Not from underpricing. From overpricing and then chasing.
Here's how to check before you list:
Pull your own SOLD comps. Last 60 days. Half mile radius. Same beds and baths, similar square footage and lot. Take the three closest matches. Average them. Adjust up for clearly better condition or features. Adjust down for deferred items.
That's the market's number. Where it lands relative to yours is the most important pre-listing conversation to have with your agent.
If you have questions about listing or know anyone who does, don't hesitate to contact me.
Email: [email protected]
📞 Direct: 410.206.1751
Office: 443.574.1600
🏢 Office: The Ben Daniels Team of The KW Collective
📍 8820 Columbia 100 Pkwy., Ste. 315
Columbia, MD 21045
