BIC TIP #1190: How to Get the Listing Every Time (and Why You Should Not)
Want a 100 percent listing appointment conversion rate? Stephen Long, The Notorious BIC, has the secret, and it is shockingly simple: tell the seller exactly the price they want to hear. Done. Listing signed. Of course, there is a catch. That approach will get you the listing. It will not get you paid.
Winning the Listing Is Not Winning
Inflating a price to win an appointment is often called “buying the listing.” It feels great when the seller signs. Then the property sits. The showings dry up. The price reductions start. Meanwhile, you are paying for signs, photography, and marketing on a home the market has already decided is overpriced.
Stephen’s description of the outcome is blunt: you spend your money on signs and marketing, never get any of it back, and end up with a disgruntled consumer at the end.
The Market Sets the Price. Period.
No real estate agent on the planet can make a house sell for more than the market will bear. Price is set by the market, not by the listing broker and not by the seller’s hopes. Buyers, appraisers, and comparable sales will tell the truth eventually, whether you do or not.
That means price should never be the reason a seller hires you or does not hire you. If the only thing separating you from the competition is a bigger number, you are competing on a promise you cannot keep.
Tell Them What They Need to Hear
A prudent broker has real conversations with sellers. Walk them through the data, discuss condition and presentation, and set realistic expectations from the very first meeting. The goal is to position the home to get the most money in the least amount of time.
Some sellers will not like hearing it, and you may lose an appointment now and then. That is fine. The listings you do take will be priced to sell, and those sellers will trust you because you were honest from the start.
The Practical Takeaway
Never be the agent who tells sellers what they want to hear just to get the signature. Bring the data, have the hard conversation, and price the home where the market says it belongs. If you want to stay compliant, stay productive, and you happen to like money, honesty at the listing table is the only strategy that actually pays.
This BIC Tip is general real estate education for licensees and consumers, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules and forms change, so verify current NCREC rules, MLS rules, and standard forms, and consult a North Carolina attorney or qualified professional about your specific situation. See Disclaimers & Disclosures.
