What’s It Worth to You? A Personal Look at Selling Real Estate in Today’s Market
The other day, I got a community email from a neighbor in our community who has had their home on the market for almost a year. They’ve had showings, lowered the price, and still — no sale. They reached out sharing their thoughts on their situation. I thought I would share with you some of my thoughts and the questions I’ve asked myself when I was selling a home in the same community several years back.
Real estate decisions are never just financial — they’re emotional, strategic, and often tied up in lifestyle shifts. In today’s market, with interest rates staying stubbornly high and fewer people making moves, the calculus has changed for both buyers and sellers.
The Market Reality: Higher Rates, Slower Moves
We’ve been in a “rerating” mode for some time now. Mortgage rates continue to persist with long-term bond yields — like the 30-year Treasury — hovering just south of 5%. That means buyers are needing price cuts because they feel the pain — their cost to borrow is simply higher.
So while there may be plenty of buyers out there, they’re often sitting back, waiting for prices to drop. And sellers? Many are holding on to the prices they used to see. It creates this weird stalemate: who moves first?
A Friend’s Story: Selling Below Expectations, But On Their Terms
I have a friend who I admire — a successful business owner — who just went through this. They built a beautiful new home and listed their current (and very up-to-date) home for sale. They got some interest, but at lower-than-expected prices. Eventually, they got under contract… then the tariff talks flared up, their buyer’s industry took a hit, and the potential buyer backed out.
Sure they got more interest, but the offers were still below their original goal. After sitting with it all, they chose to sell — for less than they had hoped — because the risks and opportunity cost of holding it just didn’t make sense anymore.
Their decision process really made me reflect: they weighed the time, and financial risks if the market continued to soften. Their decision not just about a house, but about their future.
It got me to the start thinking about what I would do.
If I Were in That Situation…
If I were in our neighbor’s shoes — or yours, if you’re trying to sell — here are some of the things I’d want to think through:
💬 Get Multiple Opinions - Especially in this market.
Even if you love your realtor, get a second or third opinion on pricing and strategy.
Ask for an honest assessment: How competitive is your home really compared to similar listings?
What’s selling nearby — and why? Is it price? Is it updated features? Is it location? Is it price to value?
I’d ask for a full breakdown of recent sales — in your neighborhood and across the way — and I’d want to talk about how things like high traffic areas or safety concerns are being weighed by buyers. If properties are moving, even with those same issues — so why not yours?
🧮 Do the Capital vs. Time Math
If you're holding out for a higher sale price but are also open to renting, consider this:
What is the value of the equity/capital tied up in your home right now?
Could you deploy it elsewhere — even into something as simple as a 4.1% money market fund (June 2025) — and come out ahead with less stress?
What kind of returns would a long-term or short-term rental generate?
How much time, management, and attention would that rental require from you?
Is renting worth the illiquidity and hidden costs?
Personally, if I were going to hold a property, the return would need to be meaningfully higher to justify the real and hidden costs that I have deemed as expenses.
My Own Experience: Why I Sold a Rental I Could Have Held
Back in late 2016 or 2017 (the years blur together), I had a second home in our community. I updated it and had a wonderful tenant who wanted to buy it from day one. They leased for three years, and before it ended, I had a choice to make.
Sure, the property had more upside over a longer time horizon. But, at the time, I wasn’t planning to scale into a big real estate portfolio, and the return I was earning came with illiquidity and duration risk. At the end of much back and forth personal deliberations I decided to sell it — even though I let it go for less than my long term original holding period.
What helped me was something said to me — by someone I love dearly — that really got me to think of the transaction in a more personal way:
“You can always find a good buyer, but you cannot always find a good neighbor.”
That really stuck with me. We had a great neighbor. And to me, that was worth a lot.
Final Thoughts: What’s It Worth To You?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether you should hold, sell, or lease a property right now. But here are some thoughts if you’re on the fence:
Don’t go it alone. Bring in more than one perspective — your realtor, another agent, maybe a trusted real estate friend or financial advisor. You are your CEO, have a team of folks ready to provide you their trusted and experienced perspective.
Ask different questions. Not only ask “what could I get?” but also “what is this worth to me in terms of peace of mind, time, and future options?”
Run the numbers — all of them. Include hidden costs, lost opportunities, and energy drain. Real estate is a much different investment than a liquid investment.
And finally — listen to your gut. If you're burned out on waiting, or the property no longer fits your life or goals, sometimes the “lower offer” is actually the higher win.
So what did I do with the proceeds, you may be wondering?
I invested in a real estate opportunity in the Colorado Rockies — at the time it was not clear but with the benefit of time it has turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made.
The reason for the purchase was to find meaningful place for rest, connection, and quality time with family and friends. With the benefit of time, it’s been a win both financially and mentally — the kind of return that’s hard to quantify but easy to feel.
We all come to these decisions from different places. I just wanted to share mine — in case it helps you navigate yours.
Blessings for a wonderful summer — a time to relax and reflect on the many blessings in your life, both big and small. It’s also a good season to show up for those who may be going through a difficult moment, or even a difficult chapter. Being a good friend to the people who matter to you is one of the greatest gifts you can give. And making that investment of time and care offers a return you can feel for a lifetime.