The #1 Regret Sellers Have When They Don’t Use an Agent

The #1 Regret Massachusetts Homeowners Have When Selling Without an Agent

Want to know the biggest regret homeowners have when they sell without an agent?
It’s not the paperwork. It’s not the time commitment.

👉 It’s pricing their home incorrectly for today’s market.

According to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sellers who chose to sell on their own said pricing their home accurately was the hardest part of the entire process.

Top 5 Most Difficult Tasks for Sellers Who Didn’t Use an Agent:

1. Getting the price right
   
   
2. Preparing or fixing up the house
   
   
3. Selling within their desired timeframe
   
   
4. Handling legal documents
   
   
5. Finding time to manage every aspect of the sale
   
   

Why Pricing Is Especially Tricky in Massachusetts

Pricing a home in Massachusetts isn’t as simple as pulling a number from an online estimate or copying what a neighbor sold for last year.

Here, pricing depends on:

• What buyers are willing to pay right now in your specific town
  
  
• Inventory levels in your area (some MA markets are tight, others aren’t)
  
  
• How quickly similar homes are actually selling
  
  
• School districts, commuter access, and neighborhood demand
  
  
• Your home’s condition and upgrades compared to nearby listings
  
  

In competitive MA markets, buyers are savvy and selective. Overpricing doesn’t just slow things down — it can cost you real money.

Overpricing Isn’t a Small Mistake — It Snowballs

Your price sets the tone for your entire sale.

When a home is priced too high:

• Buyers scroll past it
  
  
• Showings drop
  
  
• Offers dry up
  
  
• Price reductions follow
  
  

And that’s happening often with homes sold without professional guidance.

📉 NAR reports that 59% of homes sold without an agent required at least one price reduction.

The Part Sellers Don’t See Coming

Here’s the catch: price cuts don’t always fix the problem.

In Massachusetts, price reductions can signal:

• Something is wrong with the property
  
  
• The seller may be desperate
  
  
• There’s room for aggressive negotiations
  
  

Instead of strong buyers, price drops often attract bargain hunters. And by the time the home finally sells, many sellers net less than if they had priced it correctly from the start.

The data supports this:
🏡 Homes sold with an agent sell for nearly 8% more than homes sold without one, according to NAR.

That’s not luck. It’s strategy — pricing, preparation, presentation, and negotiation done right from day one.

Bottom Line for Massachusetts Sellers

The biggest risk of selling without an agent in today’s Massachusetts market isn’t the paperwork or the workload.

👉 It’s getting the price wrong — and once that happens, it’s hard to recover.

If you’re thinking about selling and want to know what your home would realistically sell for in your MA town right now, let’s connect.
A quick pricing conversation today can help you avoid costly regrets tomorrow.