Hey Realtor, What? You Can’t Turn Water into Wine?

A lighthearted but real talk about why pricing your home right is the key to selling.

The "Magic" of Real Estate Marketing

Some sellers expect their Realtor to work miracles—like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat or, better yet, turning water into wine. You know, take an overpriced home and somehow convince a buyer to overpay in a market where they have all the leverage.

But here’s the thing: Even the best Realtor in the world can’t defy basic market principles.

🔹 We don’t create demand—we guide sellers to meet demand.

Great marketing can attract buyers, showcase a home in its best light, and generate excitement. But here’s what it can’t do:

🚫 Magically convince a buyer to pay way over market value for an overpriced home.
🚫 Transform a fixer-upper into a luxury listing through Instagram filters.
🚫 Defy the laws of supply, demand, and affordability.

Some sellers assume that if an agent markets hard enough, the perfect buyer will appear—checkbook in hand, ready to overpay.

If that were true, every overpriced listing would sell in a week, and we’d all be turning water into wine. 🍷

But that’s not how this works. Not in 2025.

If your home is overpriced, no amount of marketing, staging, or persuasion will make it sell.

The Reality Check: Why Pricing is More Important Than Ever

The Coachella Valley market has changed. If you’re pricing your home based on 2021-2022 expectations, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

📉 Inventory is up 43% year-over-year—meaning buyers have more choices than ever.
📉 Homes are selling at an average 2.6% discount from list price—buyers are negotiating hard.
📉 Luxury homes ($2M+) are seeing price reductions of 4.4%—even high-end buyers aren’t overpaying.
📉 The average days on market is 43 days—up from last year.

Buyers aren’t throwing money at homes like they did in 2021-2022. They are price-conscious, patient, and willing to walk away.

And here’s the hard truth:

❌ If a home is overpriced, buyers don’t even bother looking at it.
❌ If it sits too long, they assume something is wrong.
❌ And if price cuts come too late, the home is “stale” and sells for less than if it had been priced right from the start.

Marketing Can’t Replace Proper Pricing

Some sellers believe that the right agent, marketing plan, or open house event will magically create demand. But here’s what really happens when a home is overpriced:

🚪 Few showings. (Buyers skip it because better-priced homes are available.)
💸 No offers, or only lowball ones.
📉 Price drops—but by then, the home has lost momentum.

What marketing can do:

✅ Showcase the home’s best features.
✅ Ensure it reaches the right audience.
✅ Create excitement—IF it’s priced competitively.

But marketing alone cannot trick buyers into overpaying.

How to Avoid the “Water into Wine” Pricing Trap

If you’re serious about selling, you have to play the market, not fight it.

✔️ Price competitively from the start. Look at what’s selling, not what you hope to get.
✔️ Be the best deal in your price range. If similar homes are listed for $750K, you won’t sell at $800K.
✔️ Adjust quickly if needed. If there’s no strong activity in 2-3 weeks, it’s time to reevaluate.

Final Thoughts: You CAN Sell—If You Price Right

As a real estate professional, I’ll do everything possible to market your home effectively. But my job isn’t to convince buyers to pay more than market value—it’s to help you price it right, attract strong offers, and close successfully.

📩 Thinking about selling? Let’s talk about a pricing strategy that works in today’s market. Contact me today for an honest market analysis!