Agent Says Overpriced Listings Have Become a Seller Decision, Not an Agent Error

Written by:

Rudi Davis

Date:

31 Jan 2026

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Rising inventory in Northeast Florida has changed how real estate agents approach pricing, according to Shelby Hodges, team leader at The Shelby Hodges Group in St. Augustine. Instead of setting a firm listing price based on their expertise, agents now present sellers with a data-driven price range and allow them to choose the final number, even if it risks overpricing.

“Real estate’s become more about providing data than dictating prices,” Hodges says. “We show sellers the numbers from recent sales, give them a range, and let them pick the list price.”

This method is a shift from how Hodges operated earlier in her career. “In the beginning, I would be very aggressive in pricing,” she explains. “We’d get multiple offers on day one, and the seller would question why I picked that number. So I won’t ever give a number now.”

Why the Change Is Happening Now

The move toward data transparency is a direct response to current market conditions in Northeast Florida. “Inventory’s up 40%,” Hodges notes, which means buyers have far more choices than during the pandemic boom. This increase in available homes has ended the era when agents could justify setting high asking prices and expect bidding wars.

Now, sellers who price above the market range are unlikely to attract offers. “Buyers are a lot more choosy about what they’re getting,” Hodges observes. “They don’t want to take on a project or pay extra for a home that isn’t worth it.” With more options, buyers are simply ignoring overpriced properties rather than competing for them.

How Data Ranges Shift Responsibility

For agents, presenting a price range rather than a single number offers protection. If a listing remains unsold for 60 days, the agent can refer to the original data. “If we sit there for 60 days, I can say, ‘Hey, I gave you all the stats, here we are,’ and it’s up to them if they want to reduce or not,” Hodges explains.

This approach removes blame from the agent if the home fails to sell at the chosen price. The decision belongs to the seller, based on the same market data the agent provided. If the market rejects the price, it’s clear that it was the seller’s choice—not an error in the agent’s strategy.

Hodges says this also forces sellers to confront real market conditions, rather than pricing based on what they hope to get or what they feel their home is worth. “The only things you can change are price and location,” she notes. “Unless you renovate—which we don’t usually recommend because you can’t predict a buyer’s taste—price reductions and inventory are closely linked.”

How the Agent’s Role Is Changing

This new approach changes the agent’s value proposition. Instead of promising to win the highest price through negotiation or marketing, agents now position themselves as experts in interpreting market data. Their job is to help sellers understand what buyers are actually paying, and what happens if they ignore that reality.

“It’s a more honest way to work,” Hodges says. “We’ll always take an overpriced listing, but the overpricing is due to the seller. We provide the statistics, and if someone picks an astronomically high number, we’ll tell them, ‘Here’s the range. In 30 days, we’ll check back and show you what the numbers say.”

The risk for sellers is clear: testing an unrealistic price wastes time, often 30 to 60 days, while the home sits unsold. But Hodges argues this is preferable to the alternative, in which agents price low, make fast offers, and then face accusations from sellers that they left money on the table.

Market Conditions Dictate Strategy

Whether this data-range approach becomes the norm elsewhere depends on local inventory levels. In markets where supply remains tight and demand is strong, agents may continue to set prices with greater authority and expect quick sales. But in Northeast Florida, where available homes have increased 40%, the market has shifted. Sellers who refuse to align their expectations with real sales data are seeing their listings linger without offers.

For now, agents like Hodges are adapting by making the pricing process transparent and shifting final responsibility to the seller. “We’re not the ones setting the price, the market is,” she says.

What This Means Going Forward

The rise in inventory has made it clear that buyers now have the upper hand. Overpriced homes are no longer drawing interest, and agents are responding by arming sellers with data rather than promises. This approach may frustrate sellers who still expect pandemic-era returns, but it reflects the reality of today’s market: if a home is priced above what buyers are willing to pay, it simply won’t sell.

As inventory levels remain high, the agent’s role will continue to center on interpreting market data and guiding sellers toward realistic decisions. Sellers who accept this shift are more likely to achieve a sale. At the same time, those who insist on outpacing the market will find themselves waiting—sometimes indefinitely—for buyers who never arrive.