How One Bold Marketing Move Turned a Stalled Listing into a Fast, Full-Price Success
In every market — whether slow, competitive, or somewhere in between — the agents who win are the ones who know how to think differently. Creativity sells homes. Strategy sells homes. Positioning sells homes. And sometimes, one smart decision can turn a stagnant listing into multiple showings, competing interest, and a signed contract in a matter of days.
This is one of those stories.
It’s a story from my years as an active real estate agent — long before becoming the #1 Real Estate Coach and Speaker at Tom Ferry — and it’s one I still teach today because it reveals something most agents never learn:
You don’t need a new price.
You need a new perspective.
Because when you understand how buyers think, what stops them from engaging, and how to reposition a listing quickly and effectively, you unlock the same strategic mindset I now coach agents on every single day.
This is exactly the kind of marketing intelligence, problem-solving ability, and client communication strategy real estate agents develop when they work with me through coaching or attend one of my speaking events.
Let’s dig into what happened.
The Before: A Listing Stuck at 60 Days, With Only Two Showings
I had a listing with investors — a home that should have moved quickly. Good numbers. Good location. Good opportunity. But the property wasn’t getting traction. At all.
We hit 60 days on the market with only two showings.
That’s a major red flag.
But more importantly, it’s a signal:
Something in the positioning is off.
The investors had made one fatal mistake — something buyers react to instantly and emotionally:
They painted the house a truly terrible shade of yellow.
Not a cheerful yellow.
Not a charming cottage yellow.
Not even a “it will grow on you” yellow.
It was… bad.
And buyers knew it the second they scrolled past the first photo.
Now, could the house have been repainted in real life before relisting? Sure.
But that would cost money, take time, and ultimately delay showings even further.
And this is where most agents freeze.
They either:
- push for a price reduction, or
- keep waiting for the “right buyer,” or
- hope more time on the market magically solves the problem
But great agents don’t wait.
Great agents make the market move.
So I asked one simple question — the kind of question that changes outcomes:
“Would you be willing to paint the house with an acceptable offer?”
The investors said yes.
And that opened the door for the next move.
The Strategy Shift: Repainting the Home — Digitally
If the real paint couldn’t change today, the perception needed to.
So I did something unconventional, but incredibly effective:
I had the exterior of the house digitally repainted to Elephant Skin Grey.
Why that color?
Because buyers respond to:
- neutral tones
- modern finishes
- homes that feel updated and intentional
Elephant Skin Grey checked all those boxes.
It softened the shape of the house.
It modernized the curb appeal.
And most importantly, it changed the emotional reaction buyers felt in the first 1–2 seconds.
Then, I posted the new photos on a Thursday.
That timing is everything.
Thursday is the warmup for weekend traffic — and the perfect moment to create urgency.
The After: Two Showings by Saturday, Under Contract by Sunday
Once the photos were updated, everything changed.
Thursday: New photos posted
Saturday: Two new showings
Sunday: Under contract
Just like that.
No price reduction.
No long delays.
No waiting around for the market to “pick up.”
And the craziest part?
The buyers chose to paint the house Elephant Skin Grey — the exact color I digitally selected.
Because the truth is this:
Buyers don’t just buy homes.
They buy possibility.
And your marketing determines what’s possible in their minds.
This story isn’t about paint.
It’s about positioning.
It’s about understanding how buyers make decisions.
And it’s about knowing how to fix the right problem — not the loudest one.
What This Story Teaches (And What I Now Teach Agents Everywhere)
This isn’t just a listing win.
It’s a blueprint for how top producers think.
Today, as a national real estate speaker and the #1 Real Estate Coach at Tom Ferry, this is exactly the kind of strategic mindset I coach agents to build:
1. Never Assume the Market Is the Problem — Diagnose First
Most struggling listings aren’t suffering from demand issues.
They’re suffering from perception issues.
Photos, paint, staging, lighting, angles, color tones, curb appeal — all of these shape buyer engagement before they ever step foot inside.
2. Don’t Wait for Solutions — Create Them
You cannot sit back and hope the market corrects a weak presentation.
Top-producing agents take control by:
- repositioning
- reframing
- adjusting marketing assets
- rewriting narratives
- redesigning the buyer experience
3. Use Visual Strategy to Influence Buyer Emotion
A color change — even digitally — can drastically shift engagement.
This is why one of the core principles I teach is:
Your visuals are your first showing.
Your strategy is your second.
Your negotiation is your third.
In that order.
4. Educate Clients, Don’t Just Inform Them
When I asked the investors if they’d consider painting with an offer, I wasn’t simply gathering information — I was demonstrating leadership.
Great agents guide.
They don’t wait for permission.
They recommend action with confidence.
5. Every Listing Deserves Creative Problem-Solving
Your value is not just in putting a home on the MLS — it’s in diagnosing the real obstacle and solving for it in a way the average agent won’t.
This is the kind of thinking I teach in my:
- private coaching
- team training
- brokerage workshops
- mastermind sessions
- national conference keynotes
Because when agents learn to think this way, they stop competing with the market…
They start controlling their outcomes.
Why This Story Matters for Today’s Market
The modern buyer lives online.
That means:
- their first impressions happen digitally
- their emotional reaction happens instantly
- their decision to see a home happens within seconds
Which is why your marketing strategy must be:
- adaptive
- intentional
- fast
- inventive
- visually driven
- rooted in understanding buyer psychology
This is where the coaching work I do overlaps with my speaking work:
I bridge the gap between traditional real estate principles and modern marketing behavior, helping agents navigate each listing with clarity and confidence.
How This Story Elevates My Coaching & Speaking Frameworks
When I share this example on stage or inside a coaching session, it illustrates three pillars of my methodology:
1. Systems-Based Thinking
It wasn’t luck that saved this listing.
It was a repeatable decision-making process — the same one I teach agents who want to scale.
2. Marketing Intelligence
This strategy wasn’t random.
It was rooted in understanding buyer triggers and how to influence demand through visual repositioning.
3. Leadership Under Pressure
The investors trusted my advice because I led with clarity, not fear.
That’s what I help agents build — confidence that comes from knowing how to diagnose and solve problems quickly.
Ready to Learn This Level of Strategy? Work With Me.
If you’re a real estate agent, team leader, or broker who wants to think at a higher level — who wants creative problem-solving to become your default setting — then the next step is simple.
Explore:
- Speaking engagements: https://coachemilyterrell.com/speaking
- Coaching programs: https://coachemilyterrell.com/coaching
- Resources & training: https://coachemilyterrell.com/blog
- Direct inquiries: https://coachemilyterrell.com/contact-me/
Every agent has listings.
But not every agent knows how to transform a stuck listing into a success story.
If you want to think strategically, position powerfully, and lead confidently, I would love to help you get there.