In September, The OP Team sold 82 Highland Park Boulevard in Markham's Grandview neighbourhood. It was listed at $999,999 and sold for $1,210,000. That's $210,000 over asking, in 6 days, with five or more offers on the table.
Results like this don't happen by luck. Here's exactly what we did, and what you can take from it if you're thinking of selling.
The home
A detached, 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom family home with 2,500 to 3,000 square feet, a double garage and a classic brick exterior on a family street in Grandview. A solid house in a location buyers already want.
1. We priced it to start a bidding war
The biggest decision in any sale is the list price. We listed at $999,999, on purpose, below what we expected it to sell for.
Why? Because price decides who sees your home. Buyers search in price bands. A home listed just under $1,000,000 shows up for everyone searching "up to $1 million", which is a much bigger pool of buyers than the people searching above $1.2 million. More buyers through the door means more competition on offer night.
Pricing under value only works when it's backed by a plan: you need to know where the real value is from recent sales, and agree with your agent before you list on what happens on offer night.
2. We held offers to a set night
Instead of taking offers as they came in, we set an offer night. Showings ran for the first few days, and every buyer knew they had to bring their best offer on the same evening.
That does two things:
- It gives every serious buyer time to see the home, get their financing ready and decide what it's worth to them.
- It puts every offer side by side on one night, so buyers compete with each other and not with a list price.
On offer night we had five or more registered offers, and the winning one came in at $1,210,000.
3. We launched it properly
A low price brings people to the listing. The marketing is what makes them want it. From day one the home had:
- Professional photography that showed the space, light and curb appeal.
- A strong first week: MLS® and our marketing all at once, so the listing got its biggest push right when it was freshest.
The first few days on market are when a listing gets the most attention. We make sure it looks its best right then.
4. Location did the rest
Grandview is a family neighbourhood with schools, parks and transit close by. Buyers already value it. Our job was to put the home in front of as many of those buyers as possible, at the same time.
What this means if you're selling
- List price is a strategy, not a guess. The right price brings the right buyers, and the right number of them.
- An offer night only works with a plan. Know your real value from recent sales before you list, and decide with your agent what you'll do on the night.
- Launch week matters most. Professional photos and a full marketing push from day one, not a week later.
- Every market is different. Holding offers worked here. For some homes and some months, taking offers right away is smarter. We'll tell you which fits yours.
Thinking of selling?
Every home is different, and so is every street. If you'd like to know what your home could sell for, and which strategy would get you the most, call or text 647-694-3109 or get a free home evaluation below. No pressure, just the numbers.
Michael Barillari, Broker, RE/MAX Premier The OP Team, Brokerage. Sold price and dates from MLS® records.