Should I raise my list price back up after adding the upgrade a buyer asked for, or just eat the cost to get it sold?

Before raising the price, I’d review how many showings you’ve had, what feedback keeps coming up, and how your home compares to similar homes that are selling or going under contract. Think about it from the buyer’s side, too. At $565,000, a buyer putting 5% down needs $28,250 for the down payment alone. Using a rough closing-cost estimate of 2–5%, that’s another $11,300–$28,250 before any credits or assistance. Adding an immediate HVAC expense can make an already expensive purchase harder to manage. There’s also a difference between a home without central air and one with a broken heating and cooling system. Depending on the loan, adequate working heat may be required, and certain repairs may need to be completed before closing. That’s something to confirm with the buyer’s lender. Your break-even number matters when you’re looking at your investment, but it doesn’t determine what a buyer is willing to pay. Installing central air may make the home more competitive without increasing its value by the full installation cost. If updated comparable sales support $575,000 with the new system, consider it. If they don’t, raising the price could mean more time sitting and more holding costs. For your next flip, I’d have an agent prepare a market analysis before you buy and help identify what buyers expect at your planned resale price. Build your purchase and renovation budget around a realistic sale price, with room for unexpected expenses and holding costs. That can help keep you from getting squeezed at the end.

I'd lean toward keeping it at $565k, at least to start. Here's my thinking. Buyers don't pay for what you spent. They pay for what the house is worth next to the other houses they're seeing. Central air isn't really an upgrade in Franklin. It's an expectation. You're not adding a bonus, you're removing an objection. That usually helps it sell, but it doesn't usually justify a higher price on its own. And bumping back up has a cost. Anyone who's been watching the listing sees the history go $600k, $565k, $575k. That can read like a seller chasing a number, and it gives buyers a reason to start lower. What I'd do instead: - Have your agent pull fresh comps for homes with central air. If those truly support $575k, then you've got a case. Let the comps decide, not your break-even. - Market the change hard. New photos, a new headline, "central air just installed," and a direct note to every agent who showed it and passed because of the AC. - Hold firm at $565k with that fresh push for a couple of weeks before you think about price again. You've already got two months of feedback telling you what buyers want. Fix it, tell them it's fixed, and give it a real shot at the current price. A sale at a smaller margin beats another month of holding costs. Coming from a construction background, I know it stings to not get paid back for the work. But the market rarely pays for fixes that just bring a house up to standard.

Sawyer, I would hold at $565k and use the new central air to get offers, not to justify a higher number, because a price increase after a reduction tells buyers the market already said no. Buyers passed at $600k and the listing now shows a drop, so a bump back to $575k reads as a mixed signal and resets the clock in the wrong direction. Central air removes an objection more than it adds dollar for dollar, so its job is to turn the showings you already have into offers. Run the math on what the delay costs you. Two more months of mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities on a flip can easily exceed the $10k gap between $565k and $575k, and your break-even is $555k, so you have thin room either way. A faster sale at $565k often beats a slower one at $575k. Two practical moves: relaunch with fresh photos and a line in the remarks announcing the new central air, and ask your agent for the pending and sold comps from the last 30 days to see if the market supports more. If comps are tight, watch the appraisal, since a higher price also raises the odds of a low appraisal. I am a real estate professional, not a lender or appraiser. Zoltan Peresztegi here, happy to look at it with you if you are ever selling in the South Bay. Zoltan

Sawyer, that's a great question, and I can understand wanting to recover the cost of adding central air, especially when your profit margin is already tight. I wouldn't automatically raise the price just because you've added central air. Buyers determine value based on comparable sales, not necessarily what you've invested. The fact that multiple buyers are requesting central air tells me you've identified an objection that's potentially keeping your home from selling. My recommendation would be to keep the price at $565,000, highlight the new central air, and see if it generates stronger interest. I would only consider increasing the price to $575,000 if recent comparable sales support it. Remember, the goal isn't to recover every dollar spent. It's to remove buyer objections, attract offers, and get the property sold at the best price the market will support. Brenda Ashby | REALTOR® | JohnHart Real Estate | DRE License # 01700249

Do you want to sell the property or roll the dice? Bird in the hand.... Keith Jean-Pierre Managing Principal The Dapper Agents Real Estate Operations in ALL 50 States

I'd keep it at $565k, Sawyer, and let the new central air do the work. Buyers already passed at $600k, and jumping back to $575k right after a drop can look strange in the listing history. New AC mostly removes an objection. It doesn't always add value in a buyer's eyes, since a lot of them expect it at that price. Treat the install as news instead. Update the photos and description the day it's done, and have your agent reach out to every buyer and agent who asked about AC. That's a warm list. As for how an agent would price it, we'd pull recent sales of similar homes nearby that already had central air and see where they closed. If those comps support $575k, a bump is defensible. If not, a $10k margin beats another month of holding costs. My license is in California, so have a Franklin agent run those comps. Alla Novytska, Realtor®, JohnHart Real Estate, DRE #02254775

I would if the comps justify doing so! The only real fear is if it would not appraise at the higher price. The fact that you had it priced higher before would indicate to me that an agent has run the comps and you are within or close to the list price before.