Fortes Seller’s Minute: Every Home Home Has A Shape

Words I Like: Clarity before strategy. Once you know your shape, the plan gets simple.

Fortes Seller’s Minute: Your Home Has A Shape

Most owners stress about price and timing without realizing their sale has a natural shape.

Your reason for selling creates that shape. Fighting it is why a lot of people feel stuck.

Here’s what I mean:

Max-Price Shape: The Climb

You want the most money possible – to upgrade, retire, or clear debt.

You’ll invest in prep, staging, photos, and a launch that creates competition.

The shape:
A slow climb to the top of your price bracket, by using time and marketing as leverage.

Fast-Sale Shape: The Sprint

You care more about certainty and speed than squeezing every last dollar.

Job move. Life change. Pressure.

You price to stand out, simplify terms, and make it easy to say yes.

The shape: A quick drop in days on market, with a clean, simple deal.

Balanced Shape: The Bridge

You want a strong price and a smooth move.

You’re willing to prep the home, but you’re not trying to live in a construction zone for six months.

The shape: A steady diagonal line—not a fire sale, not a waiting game.

Why This Matters

Max-price sellers who act like sprinters get frustrated. Fast-sale sellers who price like maximizers sit and chase the market.

These aren’t mistakes in effort—they’re mistakes in shape.

The Real Question

Does your sale plan match your shape?

• If you want max price, you need time, prep, and a launch strategy.

• If you want a fast sale, you need standout pricing and simple terms.

• If you want a balance, you need clear guardrails on both.

Pick the shape that fits where you want to go. Then stop fighting it. Work with it.

As promised, value in under a minute.

If you want help naming your shape and seeing what it means for your price, schedule a call by hitting the button below or hit reply and type “SELL.” I’ll map it out with you.

PS - If you find value in this and you feel compelled, please share this newsletter if you know of anyone thinking of selling that this could help.

🎯 “What Shape Is Your Sale?” – Seller Quiz

Instructions for the homeowner: Answer quickly. Go with your first gut response.

1. When you think about selling, what matters most?

A. Walking away with the highest possible net.
B. Getting this sold and closed fast.
C. A strong price without my life turning into chaos.

2. How firm is your timeline?

A. I can be flexible if it means more money.
B. I basically have a deadline (job move, life event, pressure).
C. I have a general timeframe, but I can adjust within reason.

3. How do you feel about repairs and prep?

A. I’m willing to invest time and money if it boosts my final number.
B. I want to keep repairs minimal—just enough to sell.
C. I’ll do targeted updates, but I don’t want a full remodel.

4. Which statement sounds closest to you?

A. “If I leave $20K–$30K on the table, I’ll be annoyed.”
B. “If I’m still on the market in 90 days, I’ll be stressed.”
C. “I want to feel like I made a smart, balanced decision.”

5. How urgent is the money from this sale?

A. Helpful, but I’m focused on maximizing it, not rushing it.
B. I need the money or the move to happen soon.
C. It matters, but I’m not in panic mode—I just want a clean plan.

6. Pick the offer you’d rather take:

A. Higher price, slightly longer timeline, few more hoops.
B. Slightly lower price, fast closing, fewer contingencies.
C. Fair price, reasonable closing, reasonable terms.

7. What would you regret more?

A. Selling quickly and hearing later I could’ve gotten much more.
B. Sitting on the market, doing showings for months, and still reducing.
C. Feeling like the process was way more stressful than it needed to be.

8. How do you feel about showings and disruption?

A. If it helps my price, I’ll deal with the traffic.
B. I want as few showings as possible.
C. I can handle a controlled burst of activity, not a circus.

🧩 Scoring Your Shape - Answers

• Mostly A’s → Max-Price Shape (The Climb)
  You’re a top-dollar seller.

  • You’ll likely do more prep, staging, and a strategic launch.

  • You win by using time + marketing to create competition.

  • Your plan should focus on positioning and leverage, not speed.

• Mostly B’s → Fast-Sale Shape (The Sprint)
  You’re a speed and certainty seller.

  • You win with standout pricing, simple terms, and clean deals.

  • Your plan should reduce friction and make it easy to say yes.

  • Your leverage comes from being decisive and straightforward.

• Mostly C’s → Balanced Shape (The Bridge)
  You’re a balance seller.

  • You want a healthy price and a sane process.

  • You win with realistic pricing, targeted prep, and clear boundaries.

  • Your plan should protect both net proceeds and sanity.