My assistant Kerry took great delight emailing me after watching the first episode of the new HGTV show “Real Estate Intervention”. The San Francisco Chronicle describes the show this way. “"Real Estate Intervention," which premiered Thursday, offers tough love for people in denial - helping home sellers grasp what their place is really worth. Hint: It's a lot less than they think.”  Kerry’s email said “You could do this show!” Obviously HGTV didn’t cast me for their show, instead using straight talker Mike Aubrey to present a dose of reality to sellers about today’s market value.

It really isn’t easy telling sellers that their home is worth far less than the paid for it or that they need to use a storage shed to declutter years of collectables. I’m always dismayed when I see a listing priced significantly over market value knowing that a real estate agent has given a seller unrealistic expectations. I like to tell stories to illustrate my point.  One year ago I was asked to do a market analysis on a home. (Location and price not disclosed to protect the innocent. That’s me.)  The seller clearly wanted to list his home with me but I wasn’t the chosen agent because my price was $50,000 (15%) less than another agent’s suggested list price. One year later, that home is still on the market, having been reduced by more than $100,000.

Starting next week, “Straight Talk on Tuesday Morning” will be a series of blog posts offering tough love with a bite of reality for sellers in New London County serious about getting their home sold.