When it comes to selling your home, few decisions have a greater impact on the outcome than your asking price. Price too high, and you risk sitting on the market while buyers gravitate toward competing properties. Price too low without a clear strategy, and you may leave money on the table. Price appropriately for the market, and you give your home the opportunity to attract qualified buyers, generate meaningful interest, and negotiate from a position of strength.
I’m Erin McCormick, a Realtor with Keller Williams Vermont, and I’ve been the brokerage’s top agent in the state since 2025. One of the most important parts of my job is helping sellers understand what their property is worth in the current market, not what an automated valuation tool suggests, what a neighbor thinks their home might sell for, or what they need to net from the sale.
Strategic pricing isn’t about guessing what a buyer might pay. It’s about using real market data to make an informed decision about how to position your home.
And it’s one of the most important conversations I have with every seller.
Your Home’s Value Is Determined by the Market, Not Your Asking Price
One of the first things I explain to sellers is that there’s a difference between what a home is listed for and what it’s actually worth to buyers in the current market.
You can list a home for any price you choose, but that doesn’t mean the market will support it. Buyers are comparing your property to other available homes, evaluating its condition and features, and deciding whether the asking price makes sense relative to their alternatives.
The market is constantly giving us information. Homes that sell quickly, properties that sit without offers, listings that require multiple price reductions, and sales that close above or below asking price all tell us something about buyer behavior.
My job is to interpret that information and use it to develop a pricing strategy that supports your goals.
That means looking beyond a single comparable sale or a broad average for your town. It means understanding the competitive landscape your home will enter the moment it goes live.
The Data I Use to Price a Vermont Home
Every pricing recommendation starts with a detailed comparative market analysis, commonly called a CMA. But a useful CMA is more than a collection of nearby properties and their sale prices.
I evaluate several categories of data to understand what buyers are paying, what they’re choosing not to buy, and where your home fits within the current market.
Recently Sold Properties: What Buyers Have Actually Paid
Closed sales are one of the most important indicators of market value because they reflect transactions that buyers and sellers have successfully completed.
I look for properties that are comparable in location, size, condition, age, quality, acreage, and other relevant characteristics. I also consider how recently they sold, whether they required price reductions, and how their final sale prices compared with their asking prices.
In Vermont, finding truly comparable properties can be challenging. A renovated farmhouse on ten acres might have very little in common with a similarly sized home on a small village lot, even if they’re located in the same town.
That’s why I don’t rely on simple price-per-square-foot calculations or assume that every property within a certain radius is a meaningful comparison.
The details matter, and those differences need to be evaluated thoughtfully.
Active Listings: Your Competition Right Now
Closed sales tell us what buyers have paid in the past. Active listings show us what buyers can choose from today.
When your home enters the market, it’s competing for attention with other available properties. Buyers are comparing photos, locations, layouts, condition, amenities, and asking prices, often before they ever schedule a showing.
I study active listings to understand where your property will be positioned relative to its competition.
If a buyer has a budget of $600,000 and there are several appealing properties available in that range, we need to understand how your home compares. What makes it more attractive? Where might buyers see compromises? Does the asking price reflect those differences?
Pricing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in the context of everything else a buyer can purchase.
Pending Sales: Where the Market Is Heading
Pending properties provide another important piece of the puzzle because they help reveal what buyers are responding to right now.
While the final contract price typically isn’t publicly available until closing, we can still evaluate the original asking price, time on market, property characteristics, and how quickly a home went under contract.
If similar properties are going under contract quickly, that may indicate strong demand at their advertised price points. If they are lingering, we need to understand why.
Pending activity can be especially useful when market conditions are changing and older closed sales don’t fully reflect current buyer behavior.
Expired, Withdrawn, and Price-Reduced Listings: What the Market Rejected
I pay close attention to properties that didn’t sell, required significant price reductions, or were taken off the market.
These listings can be just as informative as successful sales.
Sometimes a property is overpriced. Sometimes the condition, presentation, location, or marketing creates challenges. Other times, changing market conditions or a seller’s circumstances influence the outcome.
I look for patterns rather than making assumptions about individual properties.
Understanding where other listings struggled helps us avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Why Vermont Real Estate Requires More Than an Algorithm
Automated home valuation tools can be a useful starting point, but Vermont presents some unique challenges when it comes to estimating property values.
Our housing inventory is incredibly diverse, and properties that appear similar on paper can be very different in person.
A home’s value may be influenced by factors such as acreage, mountain or lake views, waterfront access, road frontage, year-round accessibility, renovation quality, energy efficiency, heating systems, wells, septic capacity, and the condition of outbuildings.
Location also matters in ways that aren’t always captured by a ZIP code or town boundary. Two homes just a few miles apart may have very different appeal based on their setting, access, surroundings, or proximity to amenities.
A property on a publicly maintained paved road can present different considerations than one reached by a long private driveway. A home with documented improvements and updated mechanical systems may appeal differently than one with significant deferred maintenance.
These aren’t details that can always be accurately reflected in an automated estimate.
That’s why I combine market data with property-specific research, local knowledge, and professional judgment.
Price Per Square Foot Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
One of the most common mistakes I see in evaluating real estate is placing too much emphasis on price per square foot.
It’s an easy calculation, but it can be misleading when used on its own.
Consider two Vermont homes that are both 2,000 square feet. One is a recently renovated property with quality finishes, updated systems, and mountain views. The other needs substantial work and has a less desirable layout.
The homes may have identical square footage, but buyers are unlikely to value them equally.
The same applies to acreage. Ten acres of usable land with desirable features may contribute differently to value than ten acres with steep terrain, wetlands, or limited practical use.
I use price per square foot as one reference point, not as a substitute for understanding the property.
Good pricing requires evaluating the whole picture.
Understanding Market Conditions Before Setting a Price
The same home can perform differently depending on when it enters the market.
Inventory levels, buyer demand, interest rates, seasonality, and local economic conditions all influence how buyers respond to available properties.
Some markets favor sellers, with limited inventory and strong competition among buyers. Others offer buyers more choices and negotiating power.
I evaluate current conditions using measures such as:
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Months of inventory: How long the current supply of homes might last at the recent pace of sales.
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Median days on market: How quickly comparable properties are finding buyers.
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Sale-to-list price ratios: How final sale prices compare with asking prices.
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Price reductions: How frequently sellers are adjusting their expectations.
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New listing activity: How much additional competition is entering the market.
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Pending sales and absorption rates: How quickly available inventory is being purchased.
No single statistic tells the whole story. Together, these indicators help us understand whether buyers are acting quickly, negotiating aggressively, or taking more time to make decisions.
And importantly, the market for a $350,000 home in one Vermont community may look very different from the market for a $1.5 million property in another.
That’s why I focus on the specific market segment your home will compete in, rather than relying exclusively on statewide headlines.
The First Few Weeks on the Market Matter
When a property first becomes available, it has an opportunity to capture the attention of buyers who have already been searching and waiting for something that fits their needs.
Those buyers may have alerts set up, may be working with agents, and may be familiar with the competing inventory.
If a property enters the market at a price buyers don’t consider compelling, some will simply move on. As the listing accumulates days on market, new buyers may begin to question why it hasn’t sold.
This doesn’t mean every home needs to sell immediately, or that a longer marketing period necessarily indicates a problem. Some properties have smaller buyer pools or require more specialized marketing.
But it does mean that the initial asking price deserves careful consideration.
I’d rather have an informed pricing conversation before your home goes on the market than spend weeks trying to recover from an unrealistic starting point.
Pricing Strategically Doesn’t Always Mean Pricing at Market Value
One important distinction is that a home’s estimated market value and its optimal asking price aren’t necessarily the same number.
Depending on the property, competition, buyer demand, and your goals, there may be a reason to list slightly below, near, or above the value indicated by comparable sales.
For example, a property in a highly competitive segment with limited inventory might benefit from pricing designed to attract a broad pool of qualified buyers. A distinctive property with fewer direct comparables may require a different approach and a longer expected marketing period.
The key is having a reason for the strategy.
I don’t believe in arbitrarily underpricing homes to manufacture bidding wars, and I don’t believe in overpricing properties simply to test whether someone might pay more.
Every recommendation should be grounded in the available evidence and an understanding of the likely consequences.
Why I Won’t Inflate Your Home’s Value to Win Your Listing
Here’s something I feel strongly about: telling a seller what they want to hear isn’t the same as providing good service.
If three agents give you three different pricing recommendations, it’s tempting to assume the highest number represents the best opportunity.
But an agent’s suggested asking price isn’t a guarantee of what a buyer will pay.
Overpricing can lead to fewer showings, longer time on market, price reductions, and weaker negotiating leverage. In some situations, a home that begins significantly above market expectations may ultimately sell for less than it could have with a more effective initial strategy.
I’m not interested in winning your business by promising a price the data doesn’t support.
I’ll explain the comparable sales, walk you through the competition, identify the strengths and limitations of your property, and give you my assessment of its likely market position.
We’ll talk about your goals, timing, and comfort with different pricing approaches. The final listing price is your decision, but my responsibility is to give you the information and professional guidance to make that decision confidently.
I’d rather have an uncomfortable conversation at the beginning than an avoidable disappointment later.
Pricing and Marketing Need to Work Together
Even the best pricing strategy can’t overcome poor presentation, and exceptional marketing can’t consistently make buyers pay more than a property is worth.
The two need to work together.
My background in marketing influences how I think about the entire selling process. Before a property goes live, I consider its positioning, the buyers most likely to appreciate it, and how we can communicate its value through professional photography, drone imagery where appropriate, floor plans, compelling descriptions, and digital promotion.
Through Live Local Vermont and my established audience at Travel Like a Local® Vermont, I also have opportunities to introduce properties to people who may not be actively browsing traditional real estate websites.
That organic visibility can be a meaningful advantage, particularly for properties where the surrounding community, landscape, or lifestyle is part of the appeal.
But exposure doesn’t replace pricing discipline. In fact, reaching more potential buyers makes it even more important that the property’s price and presentation align with market expectations.
My goal is to bring the right strategy, marketing, and audience together from the beginning.
Pricing Is a Strategy We Continue to Evaluate
A thoughtful pricing recommendation doesn’t mean we stop paying attention once your home is listed.
I monitor how buyers respond, including showing activity, inquiries, feedback, competing listings, new pending sales, and changes in market conditions.
If the response is different from what we anticipated, we’ll evaluate why.
Sometimes the issue is price. Other times, it’s presentation, property condition, market timing, or a limited pool of qualified buyers.
The goal isn’t to react impulsively to every quiet weekend. It’s to interpret the information we’re receiving and make adjustments when the evidence supports them.
A successful selling strategy should be proactive, informed, and adaptable.
The Right Price Starts With the Right Conversation
Selling your home isn’t about finding the agent who gives you the highest number. It’s about working with someone who can explain the market, evaluate your property thoughtfully, develop a sound strategy, and execute it well.
As a Realtor with Keller Williams Vermont and the brokerage’s top agent since 2025, I bring local market experience, a national real estate perspective, and a background in marketing and business strategy to every listing.
I also bring a commitment to telling you what I believe the data supports, even when the answer isn’t the one you expected.
Because pricing your home correctly isn’t about making a promise. It’s about making a plan.
If you’re considering selling your Vermont home, I’d be happy to prepare a personalized market analysis and walk you through what the data says about your property, the competition, and your options.
Request a Personalized Vermont Home Valuation
Live Local Vermont is the personal real estate brand of Erin McCormick, affiliated with Keller Williams Vermont.