Is there a magical number when it comes to pricing a listing? No, not really. But there IS a way to walk into every listing appointment confident, prepared, and ready to have a real conversation about price with your sellers.

In this episode, we are finally tackling the how-to of pricing a listing. We have touched on it before, but today we are getting into the actual nuts and bolts of how we prep, what we bring, what we say, and how we guide sellers through one of the most important (and emotional) parts of the listing process.

We are sharing the exact questions we ask on that first call, how we prep our CMAs, the talking points we lean on every single time, and the framework that has never failed us: price, location, and condition. We also dig into the pricing pyramid, the buyer pool conversation, and why the data has to drive every decision, even when sellers want a number that the data just does not support.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

• The questions we ask on the very first seller call

• How we prep before walking into a listing appointment

• Why we never give a price before we see the house in person

• How to use the CMA summary as a collaborative tool with sellers

• Why price per square foot is a guide, not a rule

• The three components of every listing: price, location, and condition

• The pricing pyramid and how it impacts your buyer pool

• What to say when sellers want a number the data does not support

• How to handle the "how did you come up with this price?" question

• Why pending and active listings matter as much as solds

• How to set up neighborhood searches to keep sellers engaged before they list

• How to talk about price reductions before they happen

• The detective work that sets you apart from every other agent

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

• "I am a data driven person. I come from a family of appraisers. I want the numbers to fit in a box." Alissa

• "I do not want you doing showings for 90 days. I want you to do it right for two weeks or less." Katy

• "When I list your house and another agent calls me to ask how I came up with that price, I need to be able to support it with data." Alissa

• "If we have no showings, it is the price. If we have lots of showings but no offers, it is the condition." Katy

• "There is no magic number. You have to do the work, and you have to be ready to adjust." Alissa

Products, People & Previous Episodes Mentioned:

• Episode 97: How to Do a CMA (hustlehumblypodcast.com)

• Episode 144: Numbers to Know (hustlehumblypodcast.com)

• Episode 321: Pre-Listing Appraisal: Helpful or Hindering? (hustlehumblypodcast.com)

• Seller Net Sheet + Buyer Cost Sheet (hustlehumblypodcast.com/netsheet)

• Agent Systems 101

• Hustle Humbly Community

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This is the follow up to our buyer myths episode, and y'all, sellers have some misconceptions of their own that we need to talk about.

We kick things off with a hilarious story about Alissa's seller who found the podcast, started listening to staging episodes while packing boxes, and voluntarily took down more decor than they even discussed. (If only every seller came with a built-in podcast habit, right?) This episode is a great one to share with your sellers, especially first timers who might need a little myth busting before they list.

From Zestimates and spring selling to price reductions and open houses, we're breaking down the biggest home selling myths that trip up sellers and agents all the time. Plus, we're sharing our individual top three myths and some real stories from the trenches.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

• The Zestimate: how accurate is it really, and what Zillow's own data says about their error rates

• Why spring isn't automatically the best time to sell (and when winter buyers can actually work in your favor)

• Breaking even on a sale doesn't mean you lost money

• Your house doesn't have to be perfect to sell, but it does need to be clean & priced right

• Why longer days on market doesn't always mean something is wrong with the house

• The neighbor comparison trap and how to handle sellers fixated on what the house next door sold for

• Why a price reduction is not a failure (and why sitting on the market for three years IS)

• The truth about open houses and what they actually accomplish

• Why buyers almost never prefer an allowance over the work being done

• The danger of rejecting your first offer

• Why your listing agent can't just "bring the buyer"

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

• "If we had left that stinky carpet, they would not have been able to overlook the smell, and we would still be on the market." Alissa

• "Your first buyer is your buyer. They committed to putting it in writing and saying, I want to buy your house." Katy

• "This is the only person asking us to the dance right now. If you want to go to the dance, this is your opportunity." Alissa

• "A price change gives the message that you're not stuck." Katy

• "I'm not here to design your home. I am here to neutralize it to get the biggest buyer pool." Alissa

Products, People & Previous Episodes Mentioned:

• Zillow Zestimate accuracy page (zillow.com/zestimate)

• Hustle Humbly Podcast episode categories (hustlehumblypodcast.com/categories)

• Hustle Humbly Community

Want to toast someone on the show? Send us a voice or video message with your name, who you're toasting, and why! Email it to team@hustlehumblypodcast.com.

Leave us a review at http://ratethispodcast.com/hustlehumbly

We finally did it. We sat down with the man behind the numbers AND we recorded it live at the NAR podcast studio in Chicago.

If you've ever been at a dinner party, a showing, or a closing table and gotten hit with "so... how's the market?", this episode is for you. We got to chat with Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors, and y'all, we had SO many questions. We're the data nerds who cover the NAR Home Buyers and Sellers Profile Report every single year, so getting face time with the person behind all that research? It was kind of a big deal for us.

Dr. Yun has been at NAR since 2000 and stepped into the Chief Economist role in 2008 right in the middle of the foreclosure crisis. He's testified before Congress, appeared on C-SPAN, and was recognized by the Wall Street Journal for having one of the closest forecasts for 2024. Basically, if there's someone you want breaking down housing market trends for Realtors, it's him.

We cover a lot of ground in this one, from the housing shortage and what's actually being done about it, to the lock-in effect, affordability challenges for first-time buyers, capital gains tax reform, and what a "sweet spot" interest rate would even look like. Dr. Yun also shares something we weren't expecting, a really personal story about his family immigrating to the U.S. and how home ownership shaped his perspective on wealth and the American dream.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

• Why the answer to "how's the market?" is always local — and how to explain that to clients

• The housing shortage by the numbers (hint: we're still millions of units short)

• Why the median age of first-time buyers hitting 40 is "the most depressing statistic" of last year

• The lock-in effect: who it really impacts and why it may be loosening

• Why 6% isn't actually a high rate historically but still feels impossible for today's buyers

• How home prices rising 50% since pre-COVID has changed the affordability conversation

• The capital gains tax exemption that hasn't been updated in 30 years (and why that matters for your sellers AND your investment properties)

• What the Housing for the 21st Century Act could actually do

• How investors releasing rental properties could help the first-time buyer shortage

• What we need to build annually to get out of the housing shortage

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

• "Is it a good time to buy? That's not the right question. Do you want to build wealth over time or not?" Dr. Lawrence Yun

• "Your house was $60,000. Their rate is 6% AND the house is $400,000. It's not the same math." Alissa

• "Median age of the first-time buyer is now 40. That is the most depressing statistic of last year." Dr. Lawrence Yun

• "I had 24 showings and five offers in one day at $175K. The same week, a $500K listing could sit for 50 days. Same market. Totally different world." Katy

• "If you are listening to this podcast, you are already ahead." Dr. Lawrence Yun

Products, People & Previous Episodes Mentioned:

• NAR Home Buyers and Sellers Profile Report(2025 in episode 338)

• NAR Affordability Index

• NAR Existing Home Sales Statistics

• Housing for the 21st Century Act (bipartisan housing legislation)

• Ability to Repay Act (post-2008 mortgage reform legislation)

• Blue Chip Council (economic forecasting panel)

• Wall Street Journal Forecasting Survey

• Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University

• Hustle Humbly Community

Want to toast someone on the show?
Send us a voice or video message with your name, who you're toasting, and why! Email it to team@hustlehumblypodcast.com.

Leave us a review at http://ratethispodcast.com/hustlehumbly