How to Price a Home

Dated: February 11 2026

“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” —Audrey Hepburn. Happy Valentine's Day!
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JPRE Newsletter

John Payton
404-840-6940
JPayton Real Estate

In this Month's Issue...

Make a Room Feel Bigger with Illusion
Real estate news...Trump Admin Update
The New Math of Home Pricing
Your Winter Olympics Schedule Is Here!
For Valentine's Day—The Year You Plan Your Love
Homes Built for One
On the 17th—Rare "Ring of Fire" Eclipse
"Digital Detox" Vacations Are Selling Out
Winter Olympics Word Search Puzzle

How to Make a Room Feel Bigger with Illusion

Have you ever walked into a home and thought, 'This feels huge,' only to check the listing and realize the square footage isn’t actually that impressive? You’re not imagining things. Or maybe you are.

Optical Illusion

Psychologists have long studied a quirk of the brain called the Müller-Lyer illusion, where shapes can trick us into misjudging size. In the image here, the three lines are the same length. But the arrows at the ends fool our brains into making a snap judgment. Even animals have been shown to be fooled by this trick. Click here to see the illusion exposed.

Decorating with Illusion

In real estate, certain layouts and design choices naturally “stretch” our perception in similar ways, nudging the brain to read a room as larger than it really is.

Small Updates that Punch above Their Weight

● Using furniture with legs can show more of the floor, tricking the eye into perceiving a sweeping expanse of space. ● Using mirrors across from a natural light source can make a room feel larger, while taller mirrors draw the eye upward. ● Changing the direction of a table or floor rug can trick the eye into seeing a longer space. ● Strategically placed lighting can draw the eye forward and outward. Each of these updates makes use of the subconscious (like the Müller-Lyer Illusion) to trick the brain into perceiving more space. See more small space design ideas here.

What to Keep In Mind

For buyers, it’s a useful reminder to trust the floor plan, not just the feeling. For sellers, it’s good news. You don’t always need more square footage to create impact. If you need a good staging consultant, let me know.

REAL ESTATE UPDATE

U.S. Real Estate Market – Trump Admin Updates

Rates: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate is hovering around 6%.

Trump Housing Update
The Trump administration has floated two major housing proposals aimed at improving affordability. One would ban large institutional investors from buying additional single-family homes, hopefully reducing competition for everyday buyers in some markets.

The other would direct $200 billion into mortgage-bond purchases through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with the goal of pushing rates lower. It's a short-term, mostly symbolic effort, so it might not last. Still, if rates drift solidly into the mid-5% range, that could be enough to wake up a lot of buyers this spring.

Sellers who are sitting on low-rate mortgages should also take note. This might be a good opportunity to move at a rate that's palatable.

Contact me to prepare for your spring move. John, 404-840-6940

The New Math of Home Pricing

Homes are sitting longer on the market today than they were a year ago. And when homes sit, it’s usually because the price is too high. Not always. But if all the other pieces are in place — good marketing, proper timing, staging, accessibility, and so on — and the home still isn’t getting nibbles, price is often the issue.

A New Pricing Reality

This has been an adjustment for some homeowners who watched prices climb year after year, only to realize that when it’s finally their turn to sell, the market is asking for something different. Buyers are more cautious. They’re comparing everything. And they’re taking their time.

A Proven Pricing Strategy

The quickest sales I’m seeing are homes priced at, or even slightly below, recent comparable sales in the same neighborhood. It’s a long-standing truth in real estate: a well-priced home attracts attention and can push buyers to compete upward. An overpriced home, on the other hand, often sits while the seller slowly chases the market down to regain interest.

How to Price Accurately

Today’s buyers have instant access to MLS data, sold prices, and what your neighbor's house closed for last month. The best strategy is to look at your home the way a buyer would. I can provide the same data they’re using, and together we can build a pricing plan that gives you the strongest chance of getting top dollar — without unnecessary delays. John, 404-840-6940

FEBRUARY QUIZ QUESTION

You are trying to get out of a room alive. There are 3 exit doors. Behind door one is a lake of boiling lava. Behind the second are zombies who eat brains. Behind the third are huge lions who have not eaten for a year. Which door do you take?

Send your answer for a chance to win a $5 coffee card! Last month's Q&A: An archeologist finds a coin inscribed with the date 50BC. She immediately knows it’s fake. How did she know? Back then, the concept of BC didn't exist. Congratulations to last month's winner!

Send your answer now!

FEBRUARY BRAIN SNACKS

Your Winter Games Schedule

The 2026 Winter Olympics run February 6–22 in Italy, with 116 events set against some of Europe’s most spectacular alpine backdrops. The Opening Ceremony kicks off on February 6. The 2-week games will be split between two cities: Milan for ice events like hockey and figure skating, and Cortina d’Ampezzo for skiing and bobsled in the heart of the Dolomites. Here's the day-by-day schedule so you can plan your viewing parties!

For Valentine's Day!

The Year You Plan Your Love

A husband went viral recently for sharing something unexpectedly romantic: instead of winging Valentine’s Day at the last minute, he and his wife planned their entire year together in one sitting. Not just the big things like vacations and anniversaries, but the small stuff too — quiet dinners, lazy Sundays, and those “we should really do that sometime” ideas.

Social media fell in love with the idea. It was two people saying, 'You matter enough to schedule.' Even when life gets busy. So this Valentine’s Day, buy the card and chocolate. But also spend a cozy, loving day of planning, circle the dates on the calendar, and protect them like they matter. Because they do.

More Homes Are Being Built for One Person

Not families. Not roommates. One person. Builders are putting up micro-homes, small condos, and compact rentals designed for solo living. Partly it's commerce, as they can make a lot more units in a smaller footprint. Partly it's responding to lifestyle changes, like later and childless marriages, which in some ways is ironic, since the downsizing of families is somewhat linked to the unaffordability of houses.

Sky Spectacle: Annular Solar Eclipse Lights Up February

On February 17, 2026, the Moon will pass directly in front of the Sun, creating an annular or “ring of fire” eclipse. Unlike a total eclipse, the Sun’s outer rim stays visible, forming a glowing halo in the sky. The full ring will only be visible from remote parts of Antarctica — yet plenty of people will still make the journey. That’s because there’s a passionate global community of travelers who chase eclipses wherever they occur. Known as umbraphiles (“shadow lovers”), they treat these celestial events as once-in-a-lifetime milestones, planning trips years in advance and turning each eclipse into a bucket-list adventure.

Digital Detox Vacations Are Selling Out

Resorts that take your phone at check-in are booked months ahead. No screens. No Wi-Fi. No excuses. Guests report sleeping better, reading actual books, and feeling oddly nervous for the first day, then relieved. Apparently, “doing nothing” now requires reservations. For those of you without the luxury of a phone-free holiday, you can also try things like using the grayscale feature to remove all color from your phone, uninstalling all distracting apps, and of course, turning it off for hours at a time.

JUST FOR FUN!