When I meet with homeowners who are preparing to sell, one thing I always want them to understand is this:
You only get one chance to be the new listing.
A lot of sellers assume selling a home is a waiting game. Put the home on the market, see what happens, and if it doesn't sell, adjust the price later.
Unfortunately, that strategy can cost you.
In real estate, the first 14 days your home is on the market are some of the most important days of your entire sale. That's when your home is fresh, buyer interest is typically at its highest, and you have the greatest opportunity to create excitement and competition.
After nearly 20 years of selling real estate in the Knoxville area, I've seen firsthand how important a strong launch can be.
Here's why those first two weeks matter so much.
1. Your Biggest Audience May Be Waiting on Day One
Before your home ever hits the market, there are already buyers searching for a property like yours.
They've saved searches on Zillow and other real estate websites. Their agents have set up MLS searches. They're watching certain neighborhoods, school zones and price ranges.
Then your home hits the market.
Suddenly, you're the new listing.
Notifications go out. Buyers see new photos. Agents send the property to their clients. People start scheduling showings.
That first weekend can tell us a lot.
Are buyers scheduling appointments?
Are they staying in the home during showings or walking out after five minutes?
Are we getting second showings?
What feedback are agents providing?
Are buyers interested but concerned about the price?
Are we receiving offers?
All of that information helps us understand how the market is responding to your home.
2. Your Price Has the Most Power at the Beginning
Pricing is one of the most important pieces of a successful home sale.
And this is where sellers sometimes tell me:
"Let's start high. We can always come down."
Technically, that's true.
Strategically, it isn't always the best move.
When your home first hits the Knoxville MLS, you have the attention of the largest group of buyers who have been waiting for something new in your price range.
If those buyers look at your home and immediately decide it's overpriced compared with other available properties, many won't make an offer.
They simply move on.
Meanwhile, another home that's positioned correctly may get the showing—or the offer—that could have been yours.
By the time you reduce the price several weeks later, you can't recreate that original launch.
Your home is no longer new.
That's why I don't believe in simply picking the highest possible number and "testing the market." Pricing should be part of the overall marketing strategy from day one.
3. Buyers Notice Days on Market
Today's buyers have access to an incredible amount of information.
They can often see how long a home has been listed, whether the price has changed and sometimes even previous listing history.
When a home first comes on the market, buyers tend to think:
"We need to see this before someone else buys it."
Several weeks later, the thought can change to:
"Why hasn't anyone bought it?"
That's a completely different mindset.
The longer a property sits without an offer, the more buyers may begin looking for a reason.
Is it overpriced?
Does it need too much work?
Is something wrong with it?
Will the seller take less?
That's when negotiating leverage can begin shifting from the seller to the buyer.
4. First Impressions Usually Happen Online
Your first showing probably isn't when a buyer walks through your front door.
It's when they see your home online.
Buyers scroll quickly.
The photography, presentation, price and marketing have to give them a reason to stop scrolling and want to see more.
That's why preparing the property before it goes live is so important.
Depending on the home, that may mean decluttering, completing minor repairs, improving curb appeal, cleaning, staging or simply making sure each room photographs at its best.
I would much rather delay going live for a few days and launch correctly than rush a home onto the market before it's ready.
Because again—you only get one chance to be the new listing.
5. Marketing Should Start Before the Sign Goes in the Yard
Putting a listing into the MLS isn't a complete marketing plan.
A strong launch should be planned ahead of time.
Before my listings hit the market, I'm thinking about how we're going to position the property, who our likely buyer is and how we're going to make the home stand out from everything else they're seeing.
Depending on the property, that marketing strategy may include professional photography, video, drone photography, floor plans, 3D tours, targeted online marketing, social media promotion, print marketing, open houses and additional exposure designed specifically for that home.
Every house is different, so every marketing plan shouldn't look exactly the same.
The goal is to create as much qualified attention as possible while your listing is fresh.
What If Your Home Has Been Listed for 14 Days Without an Offer?
Does that automatically mean something is wrong?
No.
Price range, location, property type and current market conditions all affect how quickly homes sell.
But if we've had two weeks of market exposure without the response we expected, I'm paying very close attention to the data.
For example:
Lots of online views but very few showings?
We may have a pricing or presentation problem.
Plenty of showings but no offers?
Buyers may like the home but believe the value doesn't match the asking price—or there may be a condition issue holding them back.
Very little online activity and very few showings?
We need to look at price, marketing, competition and how the property is positioned.
The market gives us feedback.
Our job is to listen to it.
The Best Home Sales Often Start Before the Listing Goes Live
Those critical first 14 days don't really begin on Day One.
They begin during the preparation process.
The conversations we have about pricing.
The repairs or improvements we decide are worth completing—and the ones that aren't.
The photography.
The marketing.
The timing.
And the strategy for launching your property into the Knoxville market.
When all of those pieces work together, we give your home the strongest opportunity to capture buyer attention while it's at its peak.
Thinking About Selling Your Knoxville-Area Home?
Don't wait until the day you're ready to put a sign in the yard to start planning.
If you're considering selling in the next few weeks—or even the next few months—I'd be happy to meet with you, take a look at your home and help you determine what makes sense to do before you list.
We'll look at your competition, recent sales, your home's condition and the current market to create a pricing and marketing strategy designed to make those first 14 days count.
Angie Cody | LPT Realty
My Expertise, Your Profit.
Serving Knoxville and surrounding East Tennessee communities, including Farragut, Hardin Valley, Maryville, Oak Ridge, Lenoir City, Loudon, Tellico Village and surrounding areas.
