Are you okay, Sara? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.
Oh, I’m fine, but could you bring me a glass of water, please? Sometimes the ‘glamourous and high-paying world of New Mexico real estate’ can be overwhelming.
Who was that on the phone? Was it the Placitas house again? It seems to me that couple is out of control. Here’s your water.
Thanks, Emma. You know, they really are nice people, but after forty showings they still haven’t had any offers, and the husband has his own ideas of how to do business. I told him I thought it was time to consider lowering the price, but he . . . are you ready for this? He said on the phone he wants to raise the asking price by ten thousand.
What? Raise the asking price? You’re kidding.
I wish. Actually, he first suggested we change the listing to show an increase of twenty-five thousand. I thought he might be joking with me, but then he laid down a whole song and dance about how he wants to be appealing to a different demographic.
How is raising the price supposed to help anything?
He said he wants to deal with the big spenders. He thinks that if they ask for more money, they won’t have to do as many showings. I tried to tell him that it doesn’t work that way, but I might as well have been talking to a tree. My guess is that they are tired of showing altogether. He said, “Think about it, Sara. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from the agents. They mostly comment that the property shows really well, and after all the work we put into getting ready to list, I agree completely. It’s a hell of a nice house. I suspect that we’ve been dealing with shoppers interested in a lower price point, trying to get a deal. Let’s try marketing to the group that is able to spend whatever it takes to get what they want. It’s a little like playing hard to get. All of a sudden, raise the price and you’re irresistible. Besides, there’s a word for people who keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.”
Is this man out of his mind?
He just wants to sell the house, that’s all, and trust me, there’s nothing I’d enjoy more.
Harpeth Rivers is a writer, musician and happy homeowner still living and working in New Mexico. Check out his latest book, Proof, an illustrated fable, on Amazon.
