Some agents price homes less than what they are worth to lure clueless buyers into thinking they've spotted a bargain. When they show up in droves, the bidding starts. That's a strategy a lot of agents use,'' said Robert Aldana, an agent with Seville-Contempo in Cupertino. It's a game of numbers in a market with too few homes for sale and too many buyers. Unfortunately, if you want to buy a home you've got to play.
Good agents know best how to accurately price a home.
They have access to the local Multiple Listing Service and can view the status of a home for sale from the time before it is listed right up to the close of escrow and including the original and subsequent listing prices and final sales price. It's best, these days, to work with an agent who knows the neighborhood and the agents in the neighborhood where you are shopping. You may not get an agent to sell for less, but if you have multiple offers, all things being equal, the agent is going to go with the agent he's worked with before. You can also try to force a seller's hand. And you can opt to play the waiting game.