Hey Jason: Do I Need to Drop My Price, or Did I Just Price Wrong on Day One?
Published June 2026 · By Jason Todd, Calgary REALTOR® · Southeast Calgary (McKenzie Towne, Cranston, Auburn Bay, Mahogany, Seton, McKenzie Lake, New Brighton, Legacy)
Your home has been on the market for three weeks.
Showings feel slow.
Your agent mentions reducing the price.
Fair question.
But when I looked at April and May 2026 MLS sold data for detached homes under $800,000 across southeast Calgary, one thing stood out:
Most sellers never publicly reduced their price.
But most still sold below their original asking price.
Only 11% of homes showed an MLS price reduction.
But 68% still sold below original list.
That tells me most sellers weren't doing big public price cuts.
Buyers were negotiating.
Or sellers built negotiation room into their price from day one.
Days on Market Usually Tells You Which Problem You Have
This is the first thing I look at when someone asks whether they should cut.
| Days on Market | Sales | Sold price vs original price | Had MLS reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–14 days | 66 | +0.10% | 2 of 66 |
| 15–30 days | 61 | −1.91% | 2 of 61 |
| 31–60 days | 41 | −4.27% | 9 of 41 |
| 60+ days | 15 | −5.15% | 8 of 15 |
Source: MLS® sold data, Pillar 9 / CREB®. April–May 2026. Detached only. Original list under $800,000. Southeast Calgary communities including McKenzie Towne, Cranston, Auburn Bay, Mahogany, Seton, McKenzie Lake, New Brighton, Legacy, and Douglasdale. Figures believed accurate at time of writing; not intended as an appraisal.
A few things jump out.
Homes that sold in the first two weeks barely gave anything up.
Homes that sat more than a month gave up 4–5% on average.
That doesn't automatically mean the market changed.
Sometimes it means the home started too high.
Row and townhouse sellers: same April–May window, 76 sales — 18% had MLS reductions and homes that cut averaged −8.01% versus original list. Attached product punishes a high launch even harder. See Why Did My Neighbour Sell for More? for how similar townhomes in the same complex can close $25,000 apart.
I Hear This Conversation All the Time
"We started high to leave room."
Or:
"We'll just drop $15,000 if we need to."
Sometimes that works.
But the data says once homes sit for more than 30 days, a small adjustment often isn't enough.
The market may already be telling you something.
Most Sellers Didn't Cut — They Still Negotiated
Here's the part that surprised me.
Of the 183 sales:
| Result | Count |
|---|---|
| Sold below original list | 125 |
| Sold at or above original list | 53 |
| Had MLS reduction | 21 |
| No MLS reduction | 162 |
Homes that reduced averaged −6.05% versus original list.
Homes that never reduced still averaged −1.45%.
89% had no MLS reduction — and 31% of those still sold at or above original list.
Translation:
Most homes don't sell exactly at asking.
That doesn't mean they were overpriced.
Negotiation is normal.
Same filter, April–May 2025: sellers who never cut averaged +0.27% versus original list. This spring it's −1.45%. Less room to stretch — same days-on-market pattern. Sellers who needed a cut landed around −6% versus original in both years.
Jason's Take
When a listing stalls, the default advice is usually:
"Drop the price."
But I think that's the wrong first question.
The better question is:
Were we close and buyers are negotiating?
Or were we off from day one?
Before changing price, pull a handful of comparable solds.
Look at:
- Original list
- Final sold price
- Days on market
That usually tells the story pretty quickly.
If you haven't listed yet, read What Is My Home Worth? before you pick a number — and Should I List Now or Wait Until Fall? if you're still choosing a list month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I drop my listing price if I have no offers after two weeks?
Not automatically. Homes that sold in 0–14 days averaged +0.10% versus original list and only 2 of 66 had an MLS reduction. Two weeks with showings but no offer often means you're in the right ballpark — compare your list to recent solds before you cut.
What percentage of Calgary homes sell below asking price?
In this southeast detached-under-$800k slice, 68% sold below original list in April–May 2026 — but only 11% had a formal MLS price reduction. Most of the gap came from negotiation off the day-one number.
Does lowering price help sell my house faster?
A cut can restart interest if you were close to market. Sellers who sat 31+ days still averaged −4.3% to −5.2% versus original list. Speed usually comes from launching where recent comps show buyers are already paying.
How do I know if I priced my house too high?
Compare your list to MLS solds with similar size, condition, and property type in your community. If comps sold in under 14 days near list and you're past 30 days with thin showings, you're likely above what buyers proved they'd pay this spring.
Is it better to price low and get multiple offers, or price high and negotiate?
Price to where the data says buyers are transacting. In April–May 2026, 31% of sellers who never cut still sold at or above original list. Stretching high worked less often this spring than in 2025, when no-cut sellers averaged +0.27% versus original list.
More in the Hey Jason Series
Read What Is My Home Worth? · Should I List Now or Wait Until Fall? · Why Did My Neighbour Sell for More? · Hey Jason hub
Selling in Southeast Calgary?
If you're selling in McKenzie Towne, Cranston, Auburn Bay, Mahogany, or anywhere in the southeast and want to compare your home to recent solds, send me the address.
No hard sell.
I'll show you what the market has actually been doing.
Jason Todd | Calgary REALTOR® | (403) 255-5555 | jasontodd.ca
