Priced Right After the First 10 Showings
One of the hardest parts of selling a home is not the paperwork.
It is the uncertainty.
A seller lists the property, gets a few showings, maybe even ten, and then starts asking the question that really matters.
Are we priced right?
That question comes up fast in Peterborough, the Kawarthas, and Kawartha Lakes. And honestly, it should. The first 10 showings often tell you more than sellers expect. Not everything, but enough to start seeing whether the market feels your home is a fit at that price.
That does not mean you panic after a few quiet days.
It does mean you pay attention.
Because buyers do not always say “your home is overpriced.” More often, they say it with hesitation, silence, or a polite comment that does not quite get to the point.
Why the first 10 showings matter
The first 10 showings are often one of the earliest useful tests of price.
By then, enough buyers have walked through the home to create a pattern. A single showing can be random. Two or three can still be noise. But once you get closer to 10, you can usually start to see whether buyers feel the price lines up with the home’s value, condition, and competition.
That matters even more in a market where buyers have choices. Ontario had 49,884 active residential listings at the end of February 2026, which was the highest February level in more than a decade and far above both the five-year and ten-year averages. Nationally, February 2026 inventory sat at about five months, which CREA says is right around long-term balanced conditions.
In plain language, buyers are comparing.
And when buyers compare, pricing has to make sense.
A home can get showings and still be overpriced
This is something sellers do not always expect.
A home can absolutely get 10 showings and still be priced too high.
Why?
Because buyers may be curious enough to visit, especially if the photos are strong, the neighbourhood is attractive, or the home looks promising online. But curiosity is not the same as confidence.
A buyer might walk through and think:
“This is nice, but not at this price.”
That is the kind of reaction that creates activity without results.
So if your home has had 10 showings and no offer, the price may still be part of the problem, even if people are coming through the door.
What usually suggests the price is close to right
Here are some signs the home may be priced fairly after the first 10 showings:
Buyers stay longer than expected and ask thoughtful questions.
There is follow-up from agents.
Someone books a second showing.
There is discussion around closing dates, inclusions, or other details that suggest real interest.
Feedback sounds mostly positive, even if buyers are not ready yet.
These signs do not guarantee an offer, but they may suggest buyers feel the home is broadly in the right range.
Sometimes the price is close, but a small issue is holding buyers back. That could be presentation, smell, lighting, clutter, or a repair item that makes the home feel less competitive.
In other words, the number may be close, but the value experience may still need work.
What usually suggests the price is too high
After the first 10 showings, some patterns may suggest the home is priced above what the market wants to pay.
For example:
There are no second showings.
Buyers seem interested before the visit, then disappear after.
Agents give vague feedback like “they liked it, but decided to keep looking.”
Comments repeat around value, updates, size, or comparison to other homes.
You hear some version of “nice home, but…” over and over.
That “but” matters.
It may be the kitchen feels dated for the price.
It may be the bedrooms feel smaller than buyers expected.
It may be the home is competing against stronger listings nearby.
CREA also cautions that average price data alone does not tell the full story because it does not account for the actual features and differences between homes. Their MLS® Home Price Index and related pricing guidance exist partly because pricing needs to reflect property specifics, not just broad averages.
That is a big reason sellers can get misled. They hear one average number or one neighbour’s story and assume their home should command the same result.
Usually, it is not that simple.
The problem may be price, but it may also be value perception
This is where things get a little more nuanced.
A home may not be wildly overpriced. It may just feel slightly off once buyers compare it to what else is available.
That is value perception.
For example, a seller might be priced near the top of a range because the home has a nice lot and a good location. But if buyers walk in and see dark rooms, older finishes, and a layout that feels tight, they may compare it to a brighter, more updated home nearby and decide the other one feels like better value.
That does not always mean the list price is objectively wrong.
It may mean the market does not experience the home the way the seller does.
And that is really what matters.
What repeated feedback after 10 showings usually means
Once you reach around 10 showings, repeated feedback becomes more useful than one-off opinions.
If one buyer says the home feels small, that may not mean much.
If four buyers say it feels small, that may be telling you something important.
Watch for patterns like:
“Priced a little high for what it is.”
“Needs more updating than we expected.”
“We liked it, but the other home felt like better value.”
“The photos made it look brighter.”
Those are pricing clues, even when buyers are not directly saying “drop the price.”
Peterborough and the Kawarthas are not one pricing environment
This matters a lot.
A standard detached home in Peterborough may be judged very differently from a waterfront property, country home, or lifestyle listing in the Kawarthas or Kawartha Lakes.
Some homes naturally attract a broader buyer pool.
Others need a more specific buyer.
That means 10 showings in Peterborough may tell a different story than 10 showings on a rural or waterfront property. A niche property may need more time, even when the price is reasonable. A typical in-town home with strong demand may have less room for weak early response.
So context matters.
You do not just count the showings. You judge the type of home, the likely buyer pool, and the quality of interest.
A simple chart sellers can use
What the First 10 Showings May Be Telling You
| Pattern After 10 Showings | What It May Suggest | What to Review |
|---|---|---|
| Strong interest, follow-up questions, second showings | Price may be close to market | Stay steady, monitor feedback |
| Showings but no follow-up at all | Buyers may see weak value at this price | Price, presentation, competition |
| Good comments but no urgency | Price may be slightly high or home lacks edge | Buyer comparison, features, photos |
| Repeated comments about updates or size | Buyers may not see enough value | Condition, layout, price position |
| Very mixed feedback and no momentum | Price or positioning may be unclear | Strategy, lead photo, target buyer |
What not to do after the first 10 showings
The biggest mistake is reacting emotionally instead of strategically.
Some sellers cut the price too fast just because they feel nervous.
Others hold too long because they do not want to admit the market may be resisting the current number.
Neither approach is ideal.
A better approach is to ask:
Are buyers excited enough to move forward?
Are the same concerns coming up again and again?
How does this home compare to active competition right now?
Has the market response been polite, or has it been persuasive?
That last question matters.
Polite interest does not sell a house.
Confident interest does.
What I would look at before changing the price
Before adjusting price, I would usually review:
recent comparable sales
current competing listings
the quality of the photos
the home’s condition and presentation
how the home feels in person compared to online
whether buyer feedback points to one specific weakness
Sometimes a home does need a price correction.
Sometimes it needs a presentation fix first.
Sometimes it needs both.
The goal is not to reduce price just to do something. The goal is to improve the gap between what buyers expect and what they feel when they walk through.
Final thoughts
So, how do you know if your home is priced right after the first 10 showings?
You look for patterns.
Not panic. Not guesswork. Not one random comment.
Patterns.
If buyers are circling back, asking questions, and treating the home like a serious possibility, you may be close.
If buyers are visiting and quietly moving on, the price may be telling the wrong story for the home, the condition, or the competition.
In Peterborough, the Kawarthas, and Kawartha Lakes, where buyers often have more choice than they did in the hottest market years, pricing right from the start matters. The first 10 showings may not tell you everything, but they usually tell you enough to make a smarter next decision.
About the Author
Frank Rosso, ABR, SRS is a REALTOR® serving Peterborough, the Kawarthas, and Kawartha Lakes. He helps sellers price, position, and market their homes with a practical, local approach built around real buyer behaviour. Frank is known for honest advice, strong negotiation support, and deep local market knowledge.
Call or text Frank Rosso at 705-933-9688
Visit PeterboroughAgent.com