298 | How to Navigate Today's Real Estate Market (What Top Agents Are Doing Differently)

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📧  Email Me - garrett@garrettmaroon.com

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Mortgage applications just fell two weeks in a row, even with rates coming down. Buyers are picky. Sellers are still living in 2021. And somewhere in the middle is you, trying to have an honest conversation nobody wants to have. Let's talk about it. 

Garrett and Cole sit down for a real-talk conversation about what's actually happening in real estate right now, July 2026, high interest rates, an oversupply of listings, and buyers who have become notably picky. As top Christian real estate agents, they unpack why so many struggles agents are facing right now trace back to one root issue: unmanaged expectations. From sellers who still expect a 2021-style quick sale to buyers who put in offers and casually back out, Garrett and Cole walk through the exact scripts, frameworks, and systems they use with clients to keep negotiations rational instead of emotional.

The conversation covers Garrett's four-week marketing plan and 30-day price adjustment framework, the "Friday video update" system for keeping sellers informed without ambushing them, and why he only shares negative showing feedback with sellers (never positive). They dig into the psychology behind pricing decisions, including a breakdown of the endowment effect using a Duke vs. UNC basketball ticket study, and a surprisingly effective Zillow views-to-saves ratio trick for showing sellers real-time proof of pricing accuracy. On the buyer side, they discuss how to run effective buyer consultations, the "non-negotiables checklist" exercise, and a clever trust-building tactic: sharing your own personal home inspection report with clients before they get spooked by theirs.

Throughout, the two return to their core conviction as faith-based realtors: this is a hard market, but it's not about speed — it's about skill, service, and building a referral-based real estate business rooted in trust rather than transactional commodity work. They close with a reminder from Romans 12:10 about honoring one another in every negotiation, and a preview of THE GATHERING, their two-day Christian real estate conference happening September 10–11 at the Dulles Airport Marriott in Northern Virginia.

Key Takeaways

• Nobody gets angry until they're surprised. Set expectations at the listing appointment — average days on market, the game plan, and exactly when and why a price adjustment will happen — so sellers are never blindsided.
• Talk to the rational brain, not the emotional brain. Introduce hard news (like an upcoming price reduction) a week before you actually need the seller to act on it, so it's not tied to the moment you're asking them to change something.
• Use a four-week marketing plan with a built-in price adjustment clause, signed by the seller in advance, so there's already agreement in place before emotions run high.
• Only share negative showing feedback with sellers — positive feedback doesn't give them anything actionable and can create false confidence.
• The endowment effect is real, whether it's a basketball ticket, a piece of gum, or a $500,000 house — sellers consistently overvalue what they already own compared to what buyers are willing to pay.
• Zillow's views-to-saves ratio can be a powerful pricing conversation tool. Roughly 10% of viewers saving a listing suggests it's priced correctly; well under that suggests it's overpriced.
• Run real buyer consultations before writing offers — have buyers physically re-rank their non-negotiables against the house so decisions come from logic, not "rose-colored glasses."
• Share your own home inspection report (with permission if it's not yours) to normalize what a "scary-looking" inspection report actually means and build trust before a client's own inspection comes back.
• Referral-based business solves the trust problem at the root. When clients come to you already trusting you, hard conversations about price and expectations become dramatically easier than when you're just "the first person who called."
• Faithful agents are called to honor both sides of a transaction — buyer and seller — because ultimately these negotiations are an extension of representing Christ, not just closing a deal.

One Practical Step

This week, build (or update) your "expectations conversation" script for your next listing appointment. Before you present a price, walk the seller through: the current average days on market in your area, a specific day-count checkpoint for when you'll revisit pricing if there's no offer, and the exact dollar-amount adjustment you'd recommend at that checkpoint. Get their verbal (or written) agreement to that plan before the home ever hits the MLS, so if a price conversation becomes necessary at day 30 or 60, it's not a surprise, it's just following the plan you already agreed to together.

Need help winning at work without losing at life? I'm here for you!

📖 Get the FREE E-Book — The Faithful Agent ebook is my gift to you; it's full of biblical truths about your calling, reflection questions, and practical steps to win at work without losing at life. Download it here: https://www.garrettmaroon.com/faithfulagentebook

📱 Want to talk business? Shoot me an email: garrett@garrettmaroon.com