Most of my business today comes from people I've worked with before, or someone they sent my way.

I've always believed the best way to explain why isn't to tell you what kind of real estate advisor I am.

It's to tell you their stories.

So I'm starting with Keith and Derek.

I first helped them purchase their home in Kingston, Massachusetts, in 2022.

Over the next several years, they invested significantly in making it their own. They went well beyond cosmetic improvements, with tremendous attention to quality, design and detail.

A professionally designed kitchen. Beautiful materials and finishes. Five bedrooms. A first-floor primary suite. Three-car garage. Acreage. Owned solar panels.

By the time they were ready to move again, they had created an exceptional home.

They had also created an interesting real estate problem.

Yes.

It doesn't necessarily mean the improvements were a mistake.

But when you significantly improve a property beyond what is typical for its immediate market, you can reach a point where the comparable sales no longer tell the whole story.

Keith and Derek's home was a perfect example.

Kingston does not have a high volume of residential sales approaching the $2 million range. We were trying to establish value for a home offering features, quality and improvements that weren't easily replicated in the surrounding comparable sales.

So we had a decision to make.

Do we price strictly according to the comps?

Or do we ask the market to recognize a premium for everything this home offered?

After studying the comparable sales, competing inventory, improvements and characteristics of the property, I believed there was enough evidence to test the upper end of the market.

So we intentionally chose an aspirational pricing strategy.

That distinction matters.

Aspirational pricing isn't simply choosing a high number and hoping someone pays it.

There needs to be a reason for the premium.

There also needs to be a plan for determining whether the market agrees.

We prepared the home carefully.

The photography and marketing showcased the property beautifully.

The home showed extremely well.

We gave the listing proper market exposure.

But the buyers weren't responding to our price.

That was information.

One of the most important things I tell sellers is that our list price is a strategy.

It isn't a promise.

We can analyze every comparable sale, understand the competition, evaluate the improvements and use decades of experience to determine where we believe a home should trade.

But ultimately, once we launch, the market begins giving us information we didn't have before.

The mistake isn't testing an aspirational price when the property justifies it.

The mistake is refusing to listen when the market answers.

In this case, however, there was another important factor influencing our strategy.

While preparing to sell their Kingston home, Keith and Derek had been watching another neighborhood where they hoped to live next.

An off-market opportunity became available there, and I helped them purchase it.

It was the home and neighborhood they wanted, and they didn't want to lose the opportunity.

But now we had another consideration.

They didn't want to carry two homes for an extended period of time.

So our objective became very specific:

Maximize their sale price while selling within Kingston's approximately 44-day average market time and minimizing the risk and expense of carrying two properties.

That became our North Star.

Not my original list price.

Not proving our initial valuation right.

Their actual objective.

We didn't panic when the home didn't immediately sell.

That would have defeated the purpose of choosing an aspirational pricing strategy in the first place.

We needed enough time and market exposure to determine whether the buyers simply needed more time or whether they were rejecting the price.

So I continued watching.

Showing activity.

Buyer response.

Competing inventory.

Comparable sales.

Market trends.

And our days on market relative to Kingston's approximately 44-day average.

Eventually, we had enough information.

The market had seen the house.

The marketing had done its job.

The property was presenting beautifully.

The variable that needed to change was price.

I recommended that Keith and Derek adjust our pricing strategy before we crossed that average market-time threshold.

Within days of repositioning the price, we found our buyer.

We negotiated a full asking price offer at the repositioned price and moved successfully toward closing.

Keith and Derek were able to move forward with their new home without unnecessarily extending the period in which they were carrying two properties.

That was the outcome we had actually been trying to achieve.

Your list price is a strategy, not a promise.

The best pricing strategy isn't necessarily the one that perfectly predicts the eventual sale price before the home ever reaches the market.

Sometimes the right strategy is to test the upper end.

Sometimes it's to hold firm when the market needs more time.

And sometimes the market gives us enough information to know it's time to move.

The key is deciding in advance what success actually looks like for the seller.

For Keith and Derek, success wasn't simply squeezing out the last theoretical dollar regardless of time or carrying costs.

It was maximizing their equity while protecting the move they had already made.

Once we understood that, every pricing decision could be measured against the goal.

Sometimes I tell my sellers to hold strong.

Sometimes I tell them the market has spoken.

Knowing the difference can be worth a tremendous amount of money.

I first represented Keith and his family when they purchased this Kingston home in 2022.

When it came time for their next move, they trusted me again to help them purchase their next property.

And when it was time to sell Kingston, they came back again.

After closing, they sent me this letter.

I think their words explain this series better than I ever could.

Dear Neighbors,

When it came time to sell our home in Kingston, choosing the right realtor was one of the most important decisions we faced. Having worked with Susana Murphy of ALANTE Real Estate when we purchased our home in 2022, we already knew she was knowledgeable, professional, and committed to her clients. What we experienced during the sale of our home only reinforced that belief.

From our very first meeting, Susana approached the process as a true partner. Rather than simply discussing listing prices, she took the time to understand why we were selling, our goals for the move, and what we believed made our home special. She carefully evaluated the updates and investments we had made over the years and incorporated them into a thoughtful market analysis that gave us confidence in our strategy from day one.

One of Susana's greatest strengths is her ability to combine data-driven expertise with practical guidance. She worked efficiently to bring our home to market and coached us through every step of the preparation process, from photography and staging to showings and open houses. Her recommendations were always clear, actionable, and focused on presenting our home in the best possible light.

Perhaps most importantly, Susana excelled when market conditions began to shift. Rather than relying on outdated assumptions, she continually assessed buyer activity, comparable sales, and market trends. She provided candid advice and helped us make informed decisions about pricing and positioning. Her steady guidance allowed us to adapt to changing conditions and ultimately move under contract efficiently and with confidence.

Throughout the process, Susana was responsive, transparent, and proactive. We never felt like just another transaction. We felt like she was genuinely invested in helping us achieve the best possible outcome.

If you're considering selling your home in Kingston or anywhere on the South Shore, we wholeheartedly recommend Susana Murphy. Her market knowledge, professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to her clients set her apart. We trusted her to help us buy our home, and when it was time to sell, there was no question who we wanted by our side.

Sincerely,

Keith and Family

Susana Murphy is the Founder of ALANTE Real Estate and a Luxury Real Estate Advisor serving Boston, the South Shore and Cape Cod.

With more than two decades of real estate experience, Susana advises buyers and sellers of luxury, waterfront, custom and distinctive homes, combining data-driven market analysis, strategic property positioning, sophisticated marketing and candid advice.

Why They Come Back shares the real stories and decisions behind Susana's long-term client relationships, including the clients who buy, sell, move, refer and choose to work with her again.