Erica Carlson - Realtor

Trying to sell your current home and buy your next one?

The time of year can make a difference when you’re asking a seller to accept an offer with a home-sale contingency.

Fall and winter can give you a little more negotiating room than the busiest months of the year.

If you’re a first-time seller navigating the sell + buy process, I’ve put together a guide with more things to think about.

It’s in the link in my bio.

You don’t need to know every real estate term. You don’t need to understand the entire process before you begin. And you definitely don’t need to figure it all out from random Google searches.

That’s why I created my Minnesota First-Time Home Buyer Playbook.

It walks you through the things I see first-time buyers struggle with most, including budgeting, cash to close, mortgage basics, inspections, the buyer agreement, making an offer, and what happens between accepted offer and closing.

Comment PLAYBOOK and I’ll send it to you.

Most people glance at their Zillow listing views the way people check their horoscope. Interesting, but probably meaningless.

Zillow’s own analysis of thousands of listings shows that engagement metrics are strongly correlated with faster sales and higher prices.

And now we have the actual benchmarks.

Here are the numbers that matter:  

250 views per day: Homes typically go under contract in about one week.

Roughly 75% sell within two weeks.

500+ views per day: Frequently sell at or above list price.  

5saves per day: Sellers often accept an offer within one week.

10+ saves per day: Homes are more likely to sell above asking price.  

10 shares per day: Many homes reach pending status in about a week.

20+ shares per day: Listings commonly sell over list price.That last one is the sleeper stat.

Shares happen behind the scenes: texts between spouses, emails to agents, family group chats.You never see them, but they’re one of the strongest signals of emotional buy-in.

Save this data for when you go to sell or share it with a friend you know thinking about making a move.

Not every great house listing comes with perfect photos or polished staging. Many sellers or agents make mistakes—like using few photos, listing during a holiday, or overpricing—that can actually create opportunities for buyers.

Savvy buyers look beyond the listing pictures. Use satellite view, street view, and the specs of the home to focus on what matters: size, location, and potential. By spotting the right “flaws” in a listing, you can get a better deal without taking on unnecessary risk.

These are the things I go over when working a new client as a standard practice. If you aren’t ready to talk to me or any other agent. I get it. See my link in bio to get the MN first time home buyers playbook.