We've commented on and analyzed pricing, and pricing strategy, for nearly 20 years here on MBC.
We also list properties locally and represent buyers locally. That activity gives us lots of "practice" at figuring out the mystery of proper pricing.
Trying to sell? We find it's often best to list very close to the price where you expect the home to trade, to make sure it's attractive.
Overpricing usually requires more time to sell, and often results in a sale price that's "too low." Time on market is not a seller's friend.
Trying to buy? You need to take stock of comps – the more similar, the better – know how the market is running at the moment you're in, and try to assess the interest level there might be in a property. If you're going to be facing multiple offers, you'll need a strategy for that, too.
That's just an overview of how our days work here.
Recently, as our office has sold some listings over asking price, we've gotten a little feedback.
The theme from one commenter, acerbic at times, is that when Edge sells a listing over asking price, that is no accomplishment at all. It means the listing brokerage did a bad job with pricing.
If a listing sells quickly over asking:
it didn't have sufficient time exposed on the market to find the right buyer... [and] it was priced too low to begin with."
Well, you can't please all the people all the time. Our first duty is to our seller clients, not potential commenters.
For instance, if our sellers tell us that they want to be sure to get a price between x and y, and they don't want the process to drag on, and they price the listing to get instant activity, they are usually pretty happy when the results come in exactly as they requested.
Even if at least one observer might think everyone involved was foolish.
But this is all sort of a wind-up to a remarkable discovery we stumbled across regarding another agent's business. We're keeping everyone anonymous here, but we'll offer some details.
Eye-Opening Track Record
This agent whose data we found has been active for about 7 years, but a few of those years have seen nearly no business. They sold 3 listings last year, but already have 5 closings here in 2026.
Out of 20 total listings dating back to 2019, the agent has sold a remarkable 17 over asking.
Drop out one that was not in the agent's principal area of focus (Torrance), and it's a remarkable 89% rate of selling listings over asking.
What's more, the agent's "list/sold ratio" is over 106%. That also tells you they mostly sell listings well over asking. (Last we calculated, Dave's ratio was 100%, meaning we sell some under, some over, but it balances out to suggest that our list prices are always pretty close.) Here's a chart:
During the boom years of 2021-22, the Torrance agent sold listings 12%, 15%, 16% and 18% over asking. That's a lot, but it was also a crazy time. (After the low-rate bubble popped, the agent's next listing sold 7% under asking.)
The agent's 2023-24 Torrance-area listings sold 3%, 8%, 9% and 11% over asking. (That -9% in the middle was in Long Beach.)
Last year, their performance on those 3 listings sold was more moderate: just 1% or 2% over asking.
But this year, they're repeating earlier feats, selling 7%, 9%, 10% and 12% over asking, with just one under asking (-$4K on a $1.4M listing).
Every single one of those listings was launched with an OFFER DEADLINE announced in ALL CAPS. Most sold in 7 days or less.
And suddenly, it's like we're seeing exactly what our frequent commenter sees.
Are they even trying to price it right?
Is less than a week of market exposure really enough?
If every listing is underpriced, and driven up to market levels by multiple offers, how does this show off the listing agent's knowledge and competence?
And... How do they get sellers to go for it every time?
One might say, hey, the Torrance market from $1.4-$2.0M has been hot, hot, hot – so maybe this is not a gambit. The agent – and their sellers – are just consistently underestimating buyers. Heck, we had our own sale in a view location in Torrance this year that went 10% over asking. (Whoops, not supposed to brag, it makes us look incompetent.)
But really, we think with this agent, it's a conscious strategy – especially with all those built-in offer deadlines upon launch.
We've joked before that you could list every home for $1.99 and just wait to see where the market goes. But no one does that.
There's an international brokerage that pops up once in a while here that literally offers "auction" style listings. There's a reason that's not popular.
And there's always the cautionary tale we discussed earlier this year (in "Did We Say 'Underpriced?"): 2422 N. Ardmore had some time on market at a higher price, didn't sell, quickly cut 10% and pushed out an offer deadline.
The expectation? To have the market drive up the price. It didn't. They sold for the (seemingly low) new asking price. That's the huge risk with knowingly pricing "low."
Some of this is on our minds today because we're in the middle of working on a potential listing, where we were compelled to present the seller with two options:
1) Price low, as-is, and let bids drive the price up.
2) Do a greater amount of market prep and price to market later.
Option #1 just always seems the riskier bet, but it makes sense as a possibility for this seller.
And we also stumbled across something else today: A reminder that the frequent commenter we mentioned has their own house on the market, priced 25% above any prior comparable sale, and among the longest-running listings in town.
We'll do that seller/commenter a little favor soon, and sell our own listing at a new record price for their area. At least they won't be 25% overpriced anymore.
