I had a conversation with clients recently that I keep thinking about.

We were talking through the plan for prepping and listing their home — pricing strategy, timing, presentation — and they casually mentioned that they were expecting about 60 to 90 days on market before finding a buyer.

I stopped them right there.

Where That Number Is Coming From

"Where did you learn that?" I asked. "That is not accurate for a home that's priced correctly, presented well, and in a good location."

They'd read something online — some national average, some article about a slow market in a completely different part of the country — and assumed it applied here. It didn't. Not even close.

This happens more than you'd think. People absorb information about real estate from news articles, national statistics, conversations with neighbors, or things they read years ago — and they carry those assumptions into a market conversation where the reality is completely different.

The Seattle and Eastside Market Doesn't Work Like Most Markets

Our market moves fast when a property is priced and presented correctly. Days on market in well-located King County neighborhoods can be measured in days, not months. When a home sits for 60 to 90 days, it's almost always a signal that something is off — usually pricing.

And the other assumption I hear constantly: "We'll list high and come down if needed." I understand the instinct. You want to leave room to negotiate. But this strategy actively hurts sellers in our market. Buyers here are data-savvy. They watch days on market. A home that's been sitting for three weeks at an inflated price gets mentally discounted before they ever walk through the door. The data on this is very clear.

Markets Change Fast

Here's the other thing I told them: this market can shift in five days. Literally five days. Interest rates move, new inventory hits, a local economic event creates hesitation — and the window you had last week is different from the window you have now.

If you're planning to sell, talk to someone who is in this market every single week. Not someone who sold a house two years ago. Not a national real estate site's automated estimate. Someone who knows what homes near yours are actually selling for, how long they're taking, and why.

It doesn't have to be us — though we'd love to help. Just make sure whoever you talk to actually knows what's happening right now.

Watch the original video: youtube.com/watch?v=-789X3FDBD8