It happens almost every day: we walk into a stunning residence in Belsito or a farmhouse on the slopes of Mount Etna, and the owner, with misty eyes, tells us: "To me, this house is worth at least €300,000. My children grew up here, I chose every single tile myself, and the garden is tended to like a child."
It is a delicate moment. Because for the market, that house is worth €240,000.
At Domus Sicilia Immobiliare, we call this phenomenon "The Price of the Heart." It’s human, it’s understandable, but it is the number one enemy of your sale. Here’s why.
1. The market doesn’t pay for your memories
The buyer who crosses your threshold doesn't see your son’s first birthday or your family Christmas dinners. They see the state of the systems, the energy efficiency, the brightness, and—above all—they compare your asking price with other similar houses in the area. If the house next door, identical to yours, costs €50,000 less because the owner doesn't have the same emotional attachment, the buyer will choose that one. Period.
2. The "Aged House Syndrome" (The Portal Effect)
Today, the sale begins online. Real estate portals have ruthless algorithms.
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First week: Your house is a "new arrival" and receives a peak in views.
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First month: If the price is above market value, viewings start to dwindle.
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Third month: The house becomes a "ghost." Regular users skip right over it. The common thought among buyers becomes: "If it's still there after all this time, there must be a major problem." At that point, the only proposal you’ll receive will be an insulting lowball offer from a "bottom-feeder."
3. "I’m in no rush to sell": The most dangerous phrase
Many sellers think that time is an ally. "Let's start high; I’m in no rush anyway, we’ll wait for the right enthusiast." The enthusiast doesn't exist. The informed buyer does. While you wait for that "enthusiast," the market moves, your house ages, and you continue to pay taxes, maintenance, and utilities on a property you don't use or want to leave. Time is not an ally; it is a cost.
4. The cost of lost opportunity
Selling "overpriced" stalls your life. If you want to sell to buy a smaller home, move, or invest in land, every month you spend defending an unrealistic price is a month you lose the chance to realize your true project. Is it really worth sacrificing your future to defend a price based on the past?
The truth that’s good for your (wallet)
The job of a serious real estate consultant isn't to please the owner by telling them what they want to hear. Our job is to tell the truth to protect your assets.
A correct price doesn't "give away" the house: it sells it. It sells it quickly, with less stress, and without suffering the ferocious price cuts that hit properties left too long in the shop window.
Do you want an objective (and perhaps a bit blunt) valuation of your property? At Domus Sicilia Immobiliare, we don't value with the heart; we value with data, experience, and the real trend of sales in Catania and its province.
Let’s get to work to actually sell, not just stay in the window.
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