Love this. As someone who purchased a below-average, older home in Bedford for roughly 100K over asking in 2022 (not quite in COVID, but not quite out either), I strongly suspect sellers today are expecting far too much of a 'lift' in their home's perceived value. Average growth (taking COVID out of the equation) for a home's appreciation is 3-5% year over year. Of course, that growth rate changes depending on countless factors, such as higher-than-normal demand, inventory, raw materials for new builds, interest rates, etc. Sellers have now anchored their expectations to the gains other homes in their neighbourhood sold for (whenever that was) and believe, "Hey, my house is worth that too!" Comparables tell a story, but not the full story. So, if buyers seem 'picky,' it's because the house is overpriced. Full stop. In 2016, we built a brand new home for $670K. We held it for 3 years and sold it for $680K. Bad real estate luck? I don't really think so. At the time, we breathed a sigh of relief that we got ANY lift. I'm the last person who wants the real estate market to crash, but the expectation that you can make six-figure profits after owning a house for a few years is bananas.