Owner Report: Why it didn’t sell, and how we fix it
About Me
My name is Grant Dolby, co-founder of Dolby Haas Real Estate Solutions. I’ve spent decades helping sellers across the Front Range (especially Douglas County) achieve exceptional outcomes, including homes that previously failed to sell.
I started in real estate in 1987 selling HUD foreclosures in a brutal economy. By age 30, I was running offices for Coldwell Banker. Later, Keller Williams recruited me to turn around a struggling Highlands Ranch office. Within 36 months, it became one of the top-producing brokerages in the country, with nearly 300 agents and roughly 100 closings a month. Years later, I partnered with Phil Haas at RE/MAX Masters in the Denver Tech Center, where our team became #1 in what was then the top-producing RE/MAX office in North America.
Today, as an independent brokerage, we focus on precision pricing, positioning, and execution. We’re also known for our Cancel Anytime Guarantee, because great service shouldn’t require handcuffs.
The Market Record: What Happened (Recent Listing History)
That’s a total reduction of $25,000 (about 2.1%) before it came off the market.
Translation: the market didn’t reject the home. It rejected the value proposition at that number, in that season, with that presentation.
Why the Previous Listing Didn’t Sell
Most homes don’t fail because of the property. They fail because of the launch and the strategy after the launch.
1) Wrong season to “test” a premium price
Late summer into fall is a tough time to experiment. Buyer urgency fades and buyer pickiness goes up. If you’re priced even a little optimistic, the result isn’t dramatic. It’s quiet. Quiet kills momentum.
2) Premium location, but the aesthetics are mostly original early 2000s
A premium setting can justify a premium price. Dated finishes create a built-in mental deduction for buyers, and they usually overestimate the cost and hassle of updating.
Buyer logic looks like this:
That narrows the buyer pool and increases discounting.
3) The reductions were too small to change buyer behavior
A $5,000 reduction at $1.2M is a rounding error to most buyers. It doesn’t reset the story, it doesn’t re-energize the online audience, and it doesn’t create urgency.
4) Days on market became the enemy
Once a listing sits, the internet does what it always does. Buyers assume they can negotiate harder, or they assume something is wrong. Pulling it was smart. Now the job is to relaunch without dragging that old story back into the market.
What Makes This Property Stand Out (and how we make buyers see it)
If a home has a premium location, buyers need to feel that premium the moment they click.
The job is to clearly translate:
When the look doesn’t match the number, buyers hesitate. When it does, they compete.
The Dolby Haas System: How We Reset the Narrative and Sell It
A) Condition and presentation plan (high ROI, no wasted money)
Before we talk price, we walk the property to identify the highest-impact fixes that remove buyer objections. Usually this is not remodeling. It’s targeted “retail polish,” like:
Goal: eliminate the “early 2000s discount” buyers apply in their heads.
B) Pre-Marketing / Off-MLS launch (our signature move)
This is the step most agents skip. It’s also why we consistently sell homes other brokers couldn’t move.
Before the property ever goes live in the MLS, we syndicate and test-market across the sites buyers actually use:
We watch real buyer behavior:
This prevents poor timing, overpricing, underpricing, and stale listings. We enter the MLS with a strategy that’s already been validated by buyer reaction.
C) Premium media and messaging
Premium location requires premium presentation:
D) Broker network promotion (the quiet weapon)
In Douglas County, many high-end deals move through agent networks. We promote directly to the people who actually control buyers:
E) Weekly analytics and real adjustments
No guessing. You’ll see exactly where you stand:
Proof of Performance (Douglas County is our backyard)
We have dozens record sales in Douglas County that show the effectiveness of this approach: reset condition + tighten messaging + price with precision + control the rollout. That’s how you turn “this should have sold” into “why did it sell so fast?”
Pricing Strategy (how we pick the number)
We don’t price to be “right.” We price to win.
That means:
Sometimes the best move is not a small reduction. It’s a clean relaunch at a number that changes the psychology instantly.
The Purpose of Our Call (and the next step)
The goal of the call is simple: to determine if we should meet at the house.
At that meeting we will:
Instead of guessing from a spreadsheet, we’ll leave you with a clear plan.
I look forward tour our call.
Thanks
Grant Dolby
Estimate your monthly mortgage payment, including the principal and interest, property taxes, and HOA. Adjust the values to generate a more accurate rate.
Dolby Haas has established a reputation for outstanding performance including several recording-breaking sales from Northern Colorado Springs, Evergreen, Greater Denver, and Broomfield. Contact him today!
