Congratulations are in order for our wonderful sellers! Their townhome in the Sylvan Ridge community of High Point sold for $587,500 after just 7 days on the market.
We’re absolutely thrilled for them, and in the current market, that’s an especially exciting result.
When this home was listed in July 2026, non-new-construction townhomes were taking significantly longer to sell:
- King County: 26 median days on market and 42 average days on market*
- West Seattle: 28 median days on market and 42 average days on market*
- Sylvan Ridge: 95 median days on market and 97 average days on market* **
*Rolling 12 months of data for King County, West Seattle, and Sylvan Ridge. Includes residential and condominium townhomes of any bedroom count; excludes new construction and waterfront properties. All data from Northwest Multiple Listing Service®. Information Deemed Reliable But Cannot Be Guaranteed.
**Average market exposure reflects total time on market by unique property and includes prior canceled, expired, and relisted listing periods. All data from Northwest Multiple Listing Service®. Information Deemed Reliable But Cannot Be Guaranteed.
So how did this home go pending in only seven days?
It really came down to three things we worked closely with our sellers on: preparing the home properly, pricing it correctly from the start, and marketing it thoughtfully.
1. Make It Shine: Prepare Your Home to Sell, Not Sit
This home had been a rental for a long time, so it needed a little refresh before hitting the market. We painted the interior, installed new carpet, deep cleaned everything, tidied the landscaping, and got it completely photo-ready.
We really cannot stress this enough: in this market, preparation matters. Buyers have a lot of choices right now, and the market is not the frenzy it has been in the past. A lot of buyers are looking for homes that feel move-in ready and like they’ve been taken care of, not a long list of expensive, stressful projects. When your home is competing against other listings, it is not the time to cut corners.
That does not mean every home needs a massive renovation prior to going on the market. Usually fresh paint, a deep clean, and staging are enough. Other homes may benefit from more significant or cosmetic updates. And sometimes, you need to do less than you think, which is exactly why we recommend calling us before you knock down any walls or pay for a full kitchen remodel!
When we are preparing a home for listing day, we walk through the property with you and identify what is actually worth doing. The goal is to focus your time and money on the updates that are most likely to make a difference, and bring the most ROI.
Maybe your kitchen does not need a full remodel. Maybe painting the cabinets, updated hardware, and new appliances will do the trick. Because we work with both buyers and sellers all the time, we have a strong sense of what buyers actually care about and where sellers are most likely to see the best return.
Once the prep is complete, professional staging is the bow on top. It helps buyers picture themselves living there, understand the scale and function of each room, visualize where their own furniture might go, and makes the home stand out from the competition.
A lot of buyers struggle to visualize an empty space, so staging gives them a clearer picture of how the home can actually live.
There is no one-size-fits-all prep plan. Our goal is simple: make smart improvements, show the home at its best, and give buyers fewer reasons to say no.
2. Price It Right: Don’t Chase the Market
Our sellers in Sylvan Ridge understood that the market had been slowing, which made pricing correctly from the start especially important.
Our goal isn’t just to get your home sold. It’s to help you walk away with as much money in your pocket as possible, and that means being realistic about what the current market is likely to support.
A competitive list price can help attract serious buyers, reduce time on market, and limit unnecessary carrying costs.
It can be tempting to list higher to “test” the market or leave room for negotiation, but that strategy can backfire. A higher list price doesn’t necessarily lead to a higher sale price, especially if the home sits and eventually requires price reductions.
That’s why we look at the full picture: buyer demand, comparable sales, current competition, expected days on market, and what additional time on the market could actually cost you.
Bonus: We Can See What Buyers Are Actually Searching For
We also have a pretty awesome new tool available through our brokerage that gives us another layer of data when we’re determining the best list price for your home. We can now see which price ranges buyers are actively searching in.
Why does that matter? Because sometimes even a small difference in list price can determine whether your home shows up in a buyer’s search at all.
If a buyer has their search capped at $600,000, for example, a home listed just above that price may never even make it onto their screen. That’s why pricing isn’t just about the comps. It’s also about understanding how buyers are actually searching.
3. Get It Seen: Market It Meaningfully
Once the home was ready to show off, we got it in front of as many of the right eyes as possible! This meant blog posts, Instagram Reels (take a peek at one of our Sylvan Ridge Reels here!), TikToks, email marketing, direct mail marketing, you name it.
But good marketing isn’t just about putting a listing everywhere and hoping something sticks. It’s about figuring out what makes a home special and the lifestyle it offers, and making sure that comes through clearly in the photos, videos, presentation, and overall messaging.
For this home, we knew we wanted to highlight the things that made it stand out from other townhomes on the market, including the Sylvan Ridge community, the layout, and the lifestyle that comes with living in this part of West Seattle.
The goal is to create as many opportunities as possible for the right buyer to see the home, remember it, and ultimately come through the door. Because even the best-prepared, best-priced home still needs people to know it exists.
→ What Does Sitting on the Market Actually Cost?
Let’s use Sylvan Ridge as an example.
Over the previous 12 months, comparable Sylvan Ridge homes averaged about 97 days of market exposure, or a little over three months. During that time, homeowners are still responsible for the property's ongoing carrying expenses.
For the average home in Sylvan Ridge, monthly carrying expenses might look something like this:
- Mortgage payment: ~$3,000
- Property taxes: ~$500
- Insurance: ~$75
- Utilities: ~$100
- Home maintenance: ~$200
- HOA dues: ~$380
Estimated monthly total: ~$4,255
*These numbers are estimates only. Actual mortgage payments and housing expenses will vary.
But using this example, three months of carrying expenses comes to:
$4,255 × 3 months = $12,765
Then there’s staging (which is essential and 100% worth it!). Let’s say staging costs $3,000 for the initial installation and first month, followed by $500 per additional month. Over three months, that would add another $4,000.
Now the estimated total is $16,765.
That’s why “testing the market” with a price that’s higher than what the market suggests can become an expensive strategy. A higher asking price doesn’t necessarily mean more money in your pocket if the home sits for months while you continue paying expenses. (And most frequently, a home that is overpriced will eventually require price reductions anyway.)
Back to Our Sylvan Ridge Sale
Our Sylvan Ridge listing went pending in just 7 days, compared with 97 days of average market exposure for comparable homes in the community over the previous 12 months.
There is never one ~magic trick~ that guarantees a fast home sale. But in this case, we did three of the most important things right: we prepared the home to compete, priced it for the market we were actually selling in, and marketed it like crazy.
That combination helped put this home in a strong position from the moment it hit the market and ultimately helped our sellers move on to their next chapter much sooner!
Thinking about selling? Let’s talk about what your home is worth in today’s market and how to position it for a successful sale.
Samantha Lamping is a licensed real estate broker with Coldwell Banker Bain of Capitol Hill. You can email Sam at [email protected] and call/text her at (206) 240-3717.
