The listing agents for a $3 million Los Angeles dwelling that spent months on the market with no offers have revealed how they ignited a three-way bidding war for the property that ultimately saw it sell for $300,000 over its asking price.
Located in Nichols Canyon, the property was initially put on the market for $3.59 million in March 2025—where it sat for several months with no bites, even after multiple price reductions that saw the ask drop to $2.99 million. Disheartened, the sellers opted to take it off the market after just a few months.
However, instead of giving up hope, they sought out a new strategy, opting to change up their listing agents in a bid to give their property renewed appeal.
Having seen one of their neighbors list a home on their street for close to $4 million, only to sell the dwelling for $4.2 million less than three weeks later, the sellers enlisted the agents responsible and asked them to work similar magic on their own home.
Sisters Claire and Sam O’Connor of O’Connor Estates immediately took stock of the property—and its previous listing—and recommended some simple, yet very effective changes, starting with the way the home was presented to prospective buyers.
The first step was for the sisters to reimagine the listing by restyling and staging the home, and reshooting some new images to reintroduce the residence to the market.
“As real estate agents, we have to do other things to sell that premium that buyers are looking for, so we pushed the sellers to make some changes, so that the house presented better. It’s all about presentation and timing,” Sam told Realtor.com.
They also lowered the initial asking price from $3.59 million to $2.98 million, a decision that they said was motivated, at least in part, by the impact of the 2025 California wildfires.
While Nichols Canyon was not directly affected by the blazes, the siblings noted that the home is in a fire zone and the devastation of the fires had a lasting effect on the entire Los Angeles housing market, something that they felt was important to take into consideration.
“When the previous listing agent put it on the market, they started a little high and it was a post-fire market, and the home is in a fire zone,” Sam explained.
Another key aspect of their selling tactic was creating an “emotional” connection between prospective buyers and the property, something that they felt could be done by ensuring a spectacular first impression.
“Everyone knew it was on the market but when we listed it, we created an emotional response,” Sam said. “It’s all about that first impression.”
The sisters’ strategy centered on what they call the “first four days effect,” which focuses on the the most critical first few days of a listing. After repainting the exterior and refining the interiors, they were able to further elevate the listing with editorial-quality photography.
“I think honesty goes a long way when you are upfront,” Sam said. “One thing I noticed was the glass sliding doors has a film on it to stop the dogs from scratching it and UV rays from damaging the floors.
“I told them to take the film off which was an easy fix. There was also a crooked balcony coming off of the house that was leaning. It was removed and a Juliet balcony was created.”
Listed on a Thursday, the agents showed the home over a weekend that culminated with an open house on Sunday.
“A buyer should not be calculating what needs to be done to the home; they should be envisioning living there,” she said. “As a seller, you have got to invest a little. We listed it on a Thursday, had an open house on Sunday and three offers by Monday.
“We ended up with a cash deal, $300,000 over asking, and a 14-day close.”
Because the sellers were living between two homes and “were about 95% moved out,” according to Sam, they asked them to move out entirely.
“That way, you can have a staging company come in and present the home in a cohesive way,” she said. “Staging made it very livable, and it can also be personalized along the way.”
In addition to staging the home, Sam says photography is a key factor when appealing to buyers.
“We use the photographs to try to create a buzz on social media as well,” she said. “When you live in your house, you tend to overlook things.
“I was selling my own home in Oregon and spent about $2,000 to prepare it for sale by fixing things. Five days later it was in escrow. That was a good learning moment for me and totally paid off.”
Sam added there are several things to consider when trying to achieve a dramatic shift in buyer perception.
“It’s important to trust your Realtor® on the first impression,” she said. “It’s also important to never pressure the seller to spend money that they won’t get back. Our secret is in our listing prep.
“We are trying to evoke an emotion that creates a bidding war. We were strategic in our planning.”