When a home receives multiple offers at or above asking, listing agents will often set a "highest and best" deadline to be fair to all interested parties. It's what people consider a bidding war. In these situations, I often advise buyers to use an escalation clause to stay competitive without blindly overshooting on price. Simply put, it means offering “X above the highest competing offer, with proof, up to a maximum price of Y”. It’s an effective strategy, but recently some listing agents are refusing to present them to their sellers — I’ve run into that 5 times in just the last two weeks. Here’s why I disagree with that stance:

Real world example: Last year I represented buyers who submitted an offer with an escalation clause. We felt good about it, but the listing agent called and said the seller would not consider any offer with an escalation clause, likely at the agent’s recommendation. Instead of risking an offer higher than necessary, my buyers came back with a number below the top of their escalation clause and landed somewhere in the middle. They lost the house, and when it closed, it sold for less than what our original offer would have been once the escalation clause kicked in. And if other buyers had a similar experience, imagine how much money the seller may have left on the table!

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_{Property Type: Residential. OneKey MLS, Inc. 4/3/26 - 4/10/26.}

A new Zillow analysis found that homes getting strong attention in the first week — especially views, saves, and shares — were more likely to go pending quickly and sell closer to, or above, asking price (makes sense). Since the spring of 2023, the median listing went pending in 15 days and sold for 98% of its original list price, but the strongest-performing homes outpaced that. A few standout benchmarks:

Your home’s first impression on the market is crucial, and that starts in the “Coming Soon” phase. If the home’s media is not ready or the listing narrative is not fully polished, it’s better to wait than to debut half-finished. How a home is presented online will directly influence how it performs.

In practice: if our listings hit those benchmarks in the first 48 hours, we know the presentation and the pricing are dialed in. If views are high but saves are low, buyers are looking but not connecting, and if views are high but saves are low, buyers may not be connecting. We watch these data points closely from the start and make adjustments quickly, sometimes even before the listing goes active.

A 446-square-foot cottage hit the market in Selden on Long Island. The home didn’t have a legal bedroom. But the agent marketed it exactly right: “Perfect for downsizing, first-time buyers, or anyone looking to escape high rents. Cute, efficient, and budget-friendly.” Despite the home’s shortcomings, the seller accepted an offer in 38 days, helped in part by the massive publicity it picked up from Zillow Gone Wild, media coverage, and social media.

“Zero bedrooms” made people stop. Some clicked out of curiosity, some out of disbelief, and some because they were the exact buyer for a home like this. The agent didn’t hide the biggest objection. She leaned into it, told the truth, and positioned the home in a way that made sense. Most listings fail because they try to explain away the flaw. This one worked because it turned the flaw into the narrative.

This week’s average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.39% (⬇️ 0.06 from last week). Last year’s rate: 6.97%

_{> The rate you may be eligible for can vary greatly from the daily average published via Mortgage News Daily.}

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