A clean way to pick a number you can defend
You are deciding how aggressive to be on price without scaring off the buyers who will actually close. In Troy, NY during March 2026, I recommend you start with the market's proven closing level and then decide what risk you want to take above it.
In January 2026, the clearest signal was that the typical sold price was $290,000, and offers landed about 99.8% of asking Single Family Condo/Townhouse/Apt.. Where people get this wrong is treating list price like a wish instead of a strategy. Some metrics were not reported for this period, so I will not claim what buyers will do next I will keep this grounded in January 2026 closings hovered near asking and the typical sold price was $290,000. Set your starting price so you can justify it against the January 2026 closing level, not just your renovation receipts. Decide in advance what you will do if you are not getting serious traffic early adjust price or adjust terms, but do not drift. Keep your negotiation posture aligned with buyers paying near asking in January 2026, and write your counter strategy before the first offer arrives.
