“One of the fundamental problems I see,” she says, “is this belief from vendors that agents are valuers… and in fact, they’re not.”
That misunderstanding, Lisa explains, can undermine a relationship before it’s even begun.
If a vendor enters the process expecting a valuation, but receives what is effectively a market-informed marketing strategy, it can breed confusion – or worse, mistrust.
And in a competitive landscape where multiple agents may be pitching for the same listing, it’s easy to see how things can spiral. Promising a higher price can win the business. But it also creates a problem.
“It’s tempting, particularly for young agents, to overcook that initial answer,” she says.
“The vendor is predisposed to believe the biggest liar, let’s say. We all want to believe our home’s worth more than it is, because it’s special to us. Because it’s ours.”
Lisa has been thinking deeply about the industry’s relationship with pricing, particularly in the current climate.
Market conditions are more uncertain, vendors remain emotionally attached to pandemic-era price highs, and agents are under more pressure than ever to win listings in what she calls a “catch and kill” environment of leads and deals.
The temptation, she says, is to lean into what vendors want to hear, especially when there’s competition for the listing.
But that’s a short-term strategy with long-term costs.
“If you’re up against three or four other agents, you’re almost backed into a corner where you have to give a price,” she says.
“And again, that’s not our job. Our job is to market the property for the best possible outcome.”
That’s why Lisa believes agents need to be explicit with vendors from the outset: they are not valuers.
They can offer a guide based on comparable sales and current market trends, but they cannot make promises. And shouldn’t try.
“Saying ‘I can get you X’… that’s a big risk, isn’t it?”
She acknowledges that it’s not always easy, especially when you’re trying to build rapport. But it’s essential.
And if the relationship starts with honesty, she argues, there’s no need for the “conditioning”,
“If we’re not lying at the appraisal table, then we don’t have to do the conditioning, in inverted commas,” she says.
“I personally hate that word. If we open the relationship with honesty and integrity, we shouldn’t be having to condition anybody.”
Instead of quick wins, Lisa is an advocate for long-term thinking; the kind of approach where trust isn’t built in a single appraisal but across months or even years of staying in touch.
One of her agents, she says, recently listed a property after nurturing the relationship for over a decade.
“That’s extreme, obviously – but that’s the kind of agent I think we should be encouraging. Not someone who pounces the moment a vendor’s ready to sell, but someone who’s already a trusted advisor.”
That kind of trust, she says, is what makes the harder conversations, like price reductions, more bearable.
Because even when the facts are uncomfortable, the relationship can carry the message.
“If I’m your friend and I have to tell you your haircut’s really bad, it’s gonna hurt,” she says.
“But if we have trust, and we have compassion when we have those conversations, and they have proof points, more importantly, it’s a lot easier.”
Lisa is also quick to point out that pricing conversations aren’t just about data – they’re emotional.
For vendors, selling a home often means letting go of something deeply personal, which makes any discussion about value feel loaded.
“There is a euphoria,” she says, reflecting on her own experience as a seller.
“I’ve been caught in that trap before myself, even as an experienced industry player.”
It’s that emotional attachment that makes vendors particularly vulnerable to inflated price estimates.
When someone tells you your home is worth more than you thought, it’s validating.
But when reality sets in mid-campaign and the offers come in lower, the fallout can be harder to manage.
That’s why Lisa believes it’s crucial for agents to understand they’re stepping into what is, by default, an emotional relationship.
“People’s homes… you’re letting go of memories, you’re letting go of safety. It can be all sorts of different things to people,” she says. “So sensitivity and kindness is really important.”
Yet despite the obvious emotional layer, too many agents still default to a transactional mindset—rushing to secure the listing, make the sale, and move on.
It’s an approach Lisa finds limiting and, ultimately, unsatisfying.
“People are people. We’re a people business,” she says. “And trust is absolutely critical in our industry.”
