3 Questions Agents Must Ask Before Accepting an Overpriced Listing

By Bob Sophiea

Founder and CEO of New Home Collective, established the company in 2014 with a mission to revolutionize the real estate industry.

Before you take on another overpriced listing, stop and ask yourself: Is this home actually going to sell, or is it just going to drain your time, energy, and mental bandwidth for the next 90 days?

I’ve taken plenty of overpriced listings in my career. Some sold, but many didn’t. And when they didn’t, it meant stress, tough conversations, wasted weekends, and awkward price drops that could’ve been avoided.

Not every listing is worth taking. But how do you know when to walk away?

I’ve learned, especially from helping dozens of expired listings finally sell, that a home sitting on the market doesn’t always mean the seller is unmotivated. Sometimes, it’s timing, sometimes it’s emotion, and a lot of times, it’s bad information.

More often than we’d like to admit, we, as agents, agree to a price we shouldn’t have or set unrealistic expectations.

Our team sells over 20 expired listings yearly; our highest record is 29 homes. The reason is simple: we follow a filter, a short checklist that helps us decide if a listing is truly worth taking, even when the price feels a little high.

If you start asking yourself these three questions before you say yes, you’ll save yourself time, stress, and a whole lot of sanity.

1. Are they coachable? This means that the seller will actually listen to market feedback. If they say things like, “We’re open to adjusting the price if we’re not getting any traffic,” that’s a good sign. It shows they’re realistic and willing to follow the process.

But if they say, “This is what I need to walk away with,” or ignore the comps entirely, that’s a red flag. You’re about to be their emotional punching bag.

2. Is the home unique or in a hot market? If the house has one-of-a-kind features, is in a low inventory market, is in a specific school district, or has something special, demand might overcome the bad pricing.

But if it’s a cookie-cutter home in a neighborhood full of for-sale signs, it means buyers have options, and overpriced homes get skipped every time.

3. Where are they going when the home sells? You have to know the real reason why they’re selling their home. If the sellers are relocating, downsizing, or they’ve already moved, they usually have a clear motivation to sell. That kind of urgency can overcome pricing obstacles. But if they’re just “testing the market,” there’s a good chance they’ll be stuck in place—and so will you.

Here’s my approach: If you get a yes on two or more of these questions, take the listing but set firm expectations. If you get no on all three, it’s best to let it go. Alternatively, be prepared to list it with another agent once it expires, as it likely will.

Remember that many people feel let down by real estate agents, not because they don’t care, but because they fail to ask these three important questions before agreeing to a listing.

Real estate agents: You don’t need to take every listing that comes your way. You just need to focus on the right properties with sellers who are ready, realistic, and willing to work with you.

Create better systems, set better expectations, and you’ll have better results. Let’s stop setting ourselves up for frustration.

If you’re considering buying, selling, or investing in real estate, reach out. You can work with me or one of the experienced agents on our team by booking a call using the link: callnhc.com. Feel free to contact us directly at (859) 721-2200 or bob@nhc.com. Start filtering your listings and protect your business and sanity before you ever put that sign in the yard.