Article

🛑 THE "PRICE IT RIGHT" PARADOX: Why Testing the Market is the Most Expensive Mistake in 2026
By Matthew Powell

Well, I guess we need to have "the talk."

You know, the one about price.

If you’re thinking about selling your home in Northern Colorado this year, you’ve probably had the thought:

"Why don't we just list it a little high and see what happens? We can always lower it later."

I mean, I get it. It’s your biggest asset. You want to maximize your profit. And honestly, I feel bad when people feel like they might be leaving money on the table. But here’s the risk.

"Testing the market" in 2026 isn’t a strategy. It’s actually the quickest way to net LESS money.

And when I say that, I mean you end up chasing the market down rather than leading it.

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THE DANGER OF "CHASING THE MARKET DOWN" 📉

Here’s the thing. Buyers today are a lot more educated than they were in the past. They have the apps—Zillow, Realtor.com—and they are plugged in. They get an alert the second your house hits the market.

If you come out of the gate priced too high, you don’t just get ignored—you get stigmatized.

The buyers look at it, they see the price is out of whack compared to the comps, and they move on. Then, two weeks later, you drop the price. Now, instead of looking like a fresh, exciting listing, you look like a "problem."

Buyers start wondering, "What’s wrong with it?" or "How desperate are they?"

That’s basically it. You lose your leverage.

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STALE BREAD AND "BUMPS IN THE ROAD" 🍞

I like to use a hybrid approach here because I know raw data doesn't register with everyone, but the story behind the data usually does.

Think of your listing like a loaf of bread. It’s most valuable when it’s fresh out of the oven. The longer it sits on the shelf, the less people are willing to pay for it.

In a normalized market like we have now, a listing that sits for 30 or 40 days starts to smell stale. And once you’re stale, the only way to get attention is a price cut that is usually DEEPER than if we had just priced it right to begin with.

We want to avoid those bumps in the road. We want a clean, efficient process where you are in the driver's seat.

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THE "SOLUTION-BASED" REALITY

Look, I don’t have a horse in the race when it comes to what price we set. I play for the team, not myself. My only goal is to make sure you net the most money possible at the closing table.

The data shows us clearly: Homes that are priced accurately at launch sell faster and for closer to (or above) the asking price than homes that start high and have to undergo price cuts.

So, coming from a position of help, here is the reality: The market dictates the price, not us. My job—my efficient self—is to interpret that market for you so we can execute a strategy that actually works.

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A FAIR BEST NEXT STEP 🤝

If you’re worried about pricing, or if you just want to know what’s actually happening in your neighborhood without the fluff, let’s sit down.

We can look at the numbers, look at the "why" behind them, and come up with a realistic, fair best next step.

And if you have questions or someone you know has questions or just wants to get a cup of coffee to talk about this... happy to do that.

Matthew Powell Northern Colorado Real Estate Advisor 📱 970-420-6195 📧 Matthew@NoCoHomeAdvisor.com 💻 NoCoHomeAdvisor.com