Master the 5 Pricing Strategies Top Agents in Utah Use Now

By Josh Stern

Joshua Stern’s real estate career exemplifies strategic growth and leadership. Beginning in 2002, he leveraged the principles of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent (MREA) to build Utah’s #1 real estate team and rank among the top 100 teams worldwide.

Are your listings not selling, or worse, your sellers are getting less money than they expected? Many homeowners are currently stuck in a cognitive trap called Anchoring Bias. This occurs when sellers rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive (the “anchor”) when making decisions, leading them to fixate on past, higher property values and struggle to accept lower current market prices.

What’s happening in the Utah housing market? We have the highest active listing inventory we’ve seen since 2015. While property values aren’t necessarily declining, we’re experiencing elevated levels of price reductions, lower list-to-sale price ratios, and, worse, sellers who are giving up.

To address this issue, I’m going to share five tactics from the book SHIFT by Gary Keller. Shift tactic #7 is one of the business plans we follow here at Keller Williams to get your listings priced right and sold.

This isn’t just theory; it’s a proven system I developed during the Great Recession and refined for today’s shifting market. With Utah seeing its highest active listing inventory since 2015, it’s never been more critical to price homes correctly.

Let’s break down the five pricing strategies that are helping agents move listings quickly in the current market:

1. The 80/20 rule. Currently, 80% of Utah listings are grossly overpriced and competing against each other while sitting on the market. The other 20%, those priced correctly, are receiving multiple offers and selling fast.

In our training, we’ll show you the exact formulas for computing the activity index along with absorption reports to guide clients toward smart pricing that positions your listings in that profitable 20%. These tools not only impress sellers but also deliver results.

2. Avoid the “no-man’s land” trap. There’s a dangerous pricing zone where a home isn’t expensive enough to be “out of the market” but isn’t cheap enough to be “in the market.” We call this No-Man’s Land, and listings stuck here tend to die slowly.

To stay out of it, we teach the 30/30 rule: Your listing needs to be in the top 30% for condition and the bottom 30% for price to sell quickly.

3. Scripts that turn seller resistance into price reductions. When a seller says, “Let’s just try this price and see what happens,” many agents cave. But there’s a better way to turn client resistance into cooperation through these three scripts:

● The “Go Fish” analogy for clear pricing logic

●The “Doctor, Doctor” script that positions you as the professional

● The “Tale of Two Markets” approach that gets sellers to self-discover the right price

These conversations don’t just work; they convert and position you as an expert. You’ll receive these scripts word-for-word when you join our masterclass.

4. The price adjustment formula. Don’t guess when to adjust prices; rely on actual data. We use the pricing formula below for every client to determine when it’s time to make a price adjustment:

● 10 showings in 14 days and no offers = Reduce price by 3%

● Fewer than 5 showings in 14 days = Reduce price by 7%

● Zero showings in 14 days = Reduce price by 10%

And remember to price in $25K brackets. Buyers search online in ranges, so if you’re just a few thousand above a natural bracket, you become invisible to the right buyers.

5. Become the local economist of choice. Forget quoting Zillow. The best agents bring 12 key data points to their listing appointments: metrics like weekly active listings, absorption rates, price changes, and days on market.

When you walk into a meeting armed with local stats, you’re no longer competing on personality or commission. Sellers will see you as an expert, not just another agent.

Our job is to be the economist who provides great data, and when we provide valuable data, we are guiding sellers to make better decisions.

Here’s the truth: The agents who adapt to this market will emerge stronger and wealthier. Those who don’t will struggle with sitting inventory and frustrated sellers.

I’ve been through this before. In the last year of the previous recession, I closed 98 deals. The following year? 242. Then, 355.

This system works, and it’s what we’ll be teaching at the upcoming “Price to Sell Masterclass.”

In this masterclass, I’ll share how to turn listing appointments into signed contracts and signed contracts into sold listings at the best possible price for home sellers. I invite you to join us for the entire plan:

● August 13, 2025, at Keller Williams Utah Realtors, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

● August 20, 2025, at Keller Williams Salt Lake City, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Don’t let another listing sit while your competition catches up. Your sellers deserve an agent who can get their homes sold. Be that agent!

For more information about our upcoming events or if you have questions about real estate, reach out to us at headcoach@kwutahcoach.com ** ** or (801) 252-5226. We’re here to help.