Specializing in Selling Lifestyles on the South Shore and Cape Cod, TOP rated real estate brokerage South Shore MA, TOP 100 women led business in MA (2023)

Two accepted offers had fallen apart on this one-of-a-kind Indian Pond estate. Instead of reducing the price, we widened the buyer pool and changed one part of the showing strategy. The eventualbuyer wasn't even searching in Kingston.

A fully renovated French Colonial estate situated on the golf course in Indian Pond Estates in Kingston, Massachusetts, with more than 5,000 square feet of living space, extensive landscaping and high-end European-inspired finishes.

Sell a distinctive, extensively renovated property for a price that reflected the investment and quality of the home, without rushing simply to create a transaction.

There were almost no true comparable sales that reflected the level of renovation. Then, two separate accepted offers fell apart when the buyers reconsidered whether the home's scale and additional investment were right for them.

Do not mistake failed contracts for evidence that the home's value had changed.

Maintain pricing discipline while expanding the audience and reconsidering how buyers were given access to the property.

Position the home just under the $2 million threshold at 

, support the price with a full luxury marketing campaign, target buyers beyond Kingston through digital advertising, and eventually add one carefully considered public open house to the appointment-only showing strategy.

Sold for $2,000,000, $2,500 above asking.

The $2 Million Buyer Who Wasn't Even Looking in Kingston

There are times in real estate when a failed transaction tells you something about the property.

That became one of the most important decisions in the sale of this fully renovated French Colonial estate in Indian Pond Estates.

The sellers had transformed the home with bright, clean lines, high-end appliances and European finishes. The kitchen, in particular, made an immediate impression on buyers.

But this wasn't simply a beautiful kitchen inside an ordinary house.

It was a more-than-5,000-square-foot estate on the golf course, extensively renovated to a level that had very few meaningful comparisons in the surrounding market.

And that made pricing it much more nuanced.

Comparable sales are one of the foundations of residential pricing.

But occasionally, a property has been improved so far beyond the surrounding inventory that the recent sales only tell part of the story.

There was little in the neighborhood that truly reflected the home's renovation, finishes, scale and overall presentation.

We believed the property belonged at approximately the $2 million level and positioned it at $1,997,500, just below that threshold.

The sellers also had something valuable on their side: time.

They were building out of state and did not need to make a rushed decision simply for the sake of selling quickly.

That gave us the ability to focus on finding the right buyer rather than forcing the wrong outcome.

And twice, the transactions failed when the buyers reconsidered whether the scale of the home and the additional investment they contemplated were ultimately right for them.

That is an important moment in any listing.

Two failed contracts can begin to create a narrative:

Maybe the market is telling us the price is wrong.

Maybe we should accept less the next time.

But a failed transaction and a pricing problem are not automatically the same thing.

In this case, the buyers' concerns were about whether the property fit their individual needs, not about a negotiated reduction in the value of the home.

So we did not immediately respond by cutting the price.

The Question Became: Are We Reaching Enough of the Right Buyers?

Luxury properties with unusual architecture, significant renovations or very specific lifestyles do not always sell to the buyer who is already searching that exact town.

Sometimes the buyer needs to discover the property before they discover the location.

Our marketing campaign included professional photography, video, a custom digital presence and targeted luxury advertising designed to put the home in front of a broader audience.

The goal wasn't simply to generate more views.

It was to reach buyers who might appreciate what made this property different, even if Kingston was not initially part of their search.

And eventually, that is exactly what happened.

The sellers initially preferred private, appointment-only showings, which is a reasonable approach for a property at this level.

After two contracts had fallen apart, however, I recommended testing one additional avenue: a single public open house.

Not because the property suddenly needed more foot traffic.

Because removing the appointment barrier could allow someone who was intrigued by the home to experience it without first deciding that Kingston belonged on their search list.

It was a deliberate adjustment, not a change in our opinion of the property's value.

The Buyer Was Looking Somewhere Else Entirely

The eventual buyers were living in Boston and searching primarily for waterfront homes in communities such as Scituate and Cohasset.

Kingston wasn't where they expected to buy.

But the property's digital marketing reached them.

The wife saw the home online and was struck by its architecture and European influence. Having spent time in Europe, the couple appreciated a style of home that felt different from much of the surrounding inventory.

While her husband was away, she decided to attend the open house.

That visit moved the property from something interesting she had seen online to a home she wanted her husband to experience.

What We Didn't Change Was Just as Important

After two failed transactions, it would have been easy to assume the answer was a lower price.

Instead, we kept asking a different question:

Is the strategy still putting this home in front of the buyer most likely to value what makes it unique?

The price wasn't the only lever available to us.

That distinction helped protect the sellers from reacting to the wrong signal.

The listing launched May 27 and closed September 30.

But the most important result wasn't simply the final number.

It was getting there without allowing two failed contracts to dictate a pricing decision that the facts did not

"She was dependable, professional, negotiated like a "boss," and she was truly invested in the process. We've bought and sold more than 20 homes - she is the best we've ever worked with."

What Sellers of Distinctive Homes Can Learn From This

When a home is genuinely different from the surrounding inventory, the strategy cannot depend solely on finding a perfect comparable sale.

And when a transaction falls apart, the first question should not automatically be:

Why did the transaction fail, and what does that actually tell us?

FOUNDER | OWNER

Two accepted offers fell apart on this Kingston, MA luxury home. See how strategic pricing, marketing and buyer targeting led to a $2 million sale.

Two Deals Fell Apart. We Didn’t Reduce the Price.

Why We Started Selling Before the House Was Show-Ready

They had found their next home. Their current one wasn't ready to sell. Waiting could have meant carrying two homes and tapping retirement savings. So we changed the order.

By Susana Murphy | Founder, ALANTE Real Estate

Gretchen and Joe Jackman called me the way they always do: ready to make a decision, not ready to waste time. I've worked with them for 17 years now, across several transactions, including a home sale, so when they called this spring I already knew two things. They'd trust my read on the market, and they wouldn't want to sit around waiting on anything.

Joe had retired. Gretchen retired this year too, for health reasons. They'd talked about downsizing for a while, and now the timing finally made sense. They also own a second home up in the mountains of Maine, so their next house didn't need to be big. It needed a primary bedroom on the first floor and to be in genuinely good condition, since they weren't interested in taking on another project at this stage.

We went looking first. When we found the right house, they made a call most sellers don't: lock in the next home before figuring out the sale of the current one.

That decision put us on the clock in a way most sales aren't.

The Backyard Wasn't Ready. The Timeline Couldn't Wait.

The Jackmans had already put real work into their Plymouth home before we started, updates and renovations that mattered to a buyer. But the backyard wasn't finished. An above-ground pool needed to come out. The lawn needed to be re-sodded. A shed had to go. The fence needed repair. That's not a weekend of work. That's weeks, and weeks the Jackmans didn't have, because they'd already gone under contract on their next home.

That left two ways to bridge the gap between closing on the new house and selling the old one: pull money out of retirement accounts to carry both, or sell fast. They didn't want to touch retirement funds. I didn't want them to have to.

The Decision: Start Selling Before the House Was Ready to Show

The standard order of operations is to finish the prep work, get the photos, then list. Most of the time, that's the right sequence.

It wasn't right here. Waiting on the yard meant weeks of carrying two homes for no good reason. So instead of waiting, I started working my network the moment we knew this house was coming to market, calling buyers I already had relationships with and agents I knew were working buyers in that neighborhood, before the shed was even down or a single strip of new sod was laid.

I made one commitment to the Jackmans upfront: 

"I would only bring them an off-market offer if it met or beat what they'd realistically get by taking the house to the open market."

If nothing came in at the right number, we'd finish the yard work and list it traditionally. They weren't giving anything up by letting me try first.

We had a real number to measure against, not a guess. A home in the same neighborhood, larger than the Jackmans', 3,156 square feet, four bedrooms, an in-law apartment, a three-car garage, had just sold for $910,000. The Jackmans' home was 2,736 square feet, three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and a two-car garage. Based on that comp, we set an expected list price of $885,000.

That gave us a real benchmark to hold any off-market offer to.

We found the buyer while the pool was still being removed and the lawn hadn't been resodded yet. The offer came in at $907,500, above the price we expected to list at, and strong against a neighborhood comp for a meaningfully larger home.

No showings. No open houses. No sitting through a listing period wondering when it would sell or for how much. The Jackmans went from an accepted offer on their new home to a signed contract on their old one before the yard was even finished, and they netted more than the traditional process was likely to bring them.

Seventeen years ago, Gretchen and Joe trusted me with one real estate decision.

Since then, I've helped them purchase three homes and, most recently, navigate this sale as they entered a new chapter of retirement.

The transactions changed. Their priorities changed. Their lives changed.

That's what this series is really about. Not how many homes someone buys or sells with you, but becoming the person they trust to call when life changes and another real estate decision needs to be made.

We recently sold our home in Plymouth, as it is time to downsize and enjoy our retirement.

We are honored to have partnered with Susana Murphy of ALANTE Real Estate, in Plymouth, for her outstanding service and dedication over the past 17 years.

Susana has been our trusted realtor through the purchase of three homes, and each experience has exceeded our expectations. From the very beginning, she took the time to understand our family's needs, priorities, and long-term goals. Her deep knowledge of the local market, professionalism, and attention to every detail made each home-buying process smooth, well-informed, and successful.

What truly distinguishes Susana is the genuine care she shows for her clients. She has always been patient, responsive, and available to answer our questions, offering honest advice and thoughtful guidance every step of the way. We have always felt confident knowing she was advocating for our best interests and helping us make the right decisions.

"Over the course of 17 years, Susana has become much more than our realtor, she has become a trusted advisor and great friend."

Someone we know we can rely on whenever we need real estate expertise. Her integrity, commitment, and exceptional customer service have earned our complete trust and gratitude.

If you ever decide to sell or just want to discuss potential options and possibilities, we encourage you to reach out to Susana. We're 100% confident that your experience will be the same as ours.

Thinking About Selling Before You're Ready?

What does it mean to sell a home off-market?

An off-market sale means the home is marketed and sold without ever being listed on the MLS or shown publicly. The agent sources a buyer directly, often through an existing network of buyers and agents, and negotiates a private sale.

Can you sell a home before it's fully renovated or show-ready?

Yes, if the strategy fits the situation. It requires an agent willing to work the phone and their buyer network before the property is camera-ready, and a firm price floor so the seller never accepts less than they'd get on the open market.

It depends on what you're solving for. If speed, certainty, and avoiding the disruption of showings matter more than maximum market exposure, particularly if you're mid-transition to a new home, an off-market approach is worth exploring with your agent before you list.

Most sellers assume the sequence is fixed: finish the house, then find the buyer. But the buyer search and the prep work don't have to happen in that order. If your circumstances call for speed, an accepted offer on your next home, a relocation, or simply not wanting to carry two mortgages, ask your agent whether they can start working their network before the house is camera-ready. The right buyer is sometimes already out there. You just have to go looking instead of waiting for them to find you.

For the Jackmans, that meant closing out 17 years of transactions with a sale that solved for exactly what mattered to them: certainty, speed, and not touching their retirement savings, while still landing above the number we expected.

If you're weighing a similar move, selling a home while you're mid-transition to the next one, I'm happy to walk through what your options actually look like.

Susana Murphy is the Founder of ALANTE Real Estate and a Luxury Real Estate Advisor serving Boston, Back Bay, the South Shore and Cape Cod. Her approach combines market intelligence, strategic property positioning, sophisticated marketing and candid client advice to help buyers and sellers make informed real estate decisions.

 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.

 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.

A Plymouth, MA couple had an accepted offer on their next home and a backyard still under renovation. Here's why we started finding their buyer before the yard was even finished.

Why We Started Selling Before the House Was Show-Ready | Plymouth, MA

WHY THEY COME BACK | ISSUE 02

Can You Over-Improve a Home? A Luxury Pricing Case Study

What one Kingston sale taught us about pricing an exceptional home when the comparable sales don't tell the whole story.

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.

I first helped them purchase their home in 

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.

Can You Over-Improve a Home for Its Neighborhood?

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.

Do we price strictly according to the comps?

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

We Chose an Aspirational Pricing Strategy

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.

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.

The photography and marketing showcased the property beautifully.

We gave the listing proper market exposure.

But the buyers weren't responding to our price.

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

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.

Their Goal Wasn't Simply the Highest Possible Price

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.

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

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.

My job wasn't to prove that my original pricing recommendation was right. My job was to get Keith and Derek the outcome they hired me to achieve.

Knowing When NOT to Reduce the Price Matters Too

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.

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

The variable that needed to change was price.

We Repositioned Before We Had to Chase the Market

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.

Can you over-improve a home for its neighborhood? Susana Murphy shares a real Kingston, MA case study on luxury pricing, timing and knowing when to reposition.

Can You Over-Improve a Home? | Luxury Pricing Case Study

WHY THEY COME BACK | ISSUE 01

If you are wondering how some homes in Plymouth MA sell over asking price while others sit on the market, the answer is not luck.

At ALANTE Real Estate, we focus on how a home is positioned, launched, and exposed to the market. The difference between an average listing and a high performing sale often comes down to how much demand is created in the first days on market.

A recent sale at 40 Danforth Lane U:40 in Plymouth shows exactly how this works.

If you are planning to sell your home in Plymouth MA, one of the most important questions to ask is this:

Why Some Homes in Plymouth Sell Over Asking and Others Do Not

A strong home sale in Plymouth MA is typically defined by three factors: high visibility, strong buyer engagement, and competitive offer activity within the first week. Homes that achieve all three tend to generate urgency. Homes that do not often rely on price reductions later. This is why the launch strategy matters.

Case Study: 40 Danforth Lane U:40 in Plymouth

This single family home was listed at $795,000 and sold for $829,000. That is $34,000 over asking price and $81,800 over Zillow Zestimate. The property received multiple offers and went under agreement in the first weekend. These are the outcomes most sellers want. The important question is how they were created.

The performance of this listing can be measured clearly:

18,960 views
5,109 listing engagements
849 interested buyers
44 open house visitors across two one hour events

These numbers matter because they reflect real buyer behavior. They show that the home was not just listed. It was actively seen, considered, and acted on.

Multi channel exposure that reached buyers everywhere

This property was marketed across email campaigns, social media, digital exposure, and postcard outreach. Buyers do not all search the same way. A broader strategy ensures the property appears in more places and stays top of mind.

Open house strategy that converted interest into action

Online attention is only part of the equation. 44 people came through the home during two one hour open houses. This level of in person activity reinforced buyer interest and helped build momentum quickly.

Positioning that created urgency and competition

The goal is not just visibility. It is timing and perception. By creating strong early exposure, the campaign encouraged buyers to act quickly. That led to multiple offers and a first weekend agreement.

Typical Listing vs Strategic Launch in Plymouth MA

Many Plymouth homes are listed without a coordinated launch strategy.

A strategic launch by ALANTE Real Estate includes:

Open house planning aligned with demand timing

Learn how ALANTE Real Estate helped a Plymouth MA home sell $34,000 over asking with strategic marketing, strong exposure, and multiple offers in one weekend.