The right offer depends on the house, not a blanket declaration that buyers or sellers control the market. That is the central lesson of Michael Karch’s Triple Play 2025 conversation with Abdel on the Got Mortgages Podcast. Working primarily in Ocean and Monmouth counties, Michael describes a market where pricing, property-specific comparisons, and financing need to be considered together. His practical message applies to both sides of a transaction: buyers should not assume every listing requires an aggressive premium, and sellers should not carry the expectations of an earlier market into a new pricing decision.
Conversation originally published December 25, 2025. Recap added October 24, 2026.
Watch the original conversation on YouTube.
Key Takeaways: Price the Property, Not the Market Headline
Michael’s most useful distinction is that negotiating leverage can vary from one listing to another, even within the same area. A home priced above comparable sales creates a different decision from a similar home deliberately priced to attract competing offers. The asking price alone does not tell a buyer which situation they face.
Three practical lessons follow. First, review comparable sales before deciding how far above or below asking to offer. Second, distinguish newly available homes from listings that are simply taking longer to sell. Third, connect the agent’s pricing analysis with the lender’s financing review before competition pushes a buyer toward a commitment.
For sellers, the equivalent lesson is to ask for a supported pricing recommendation rather than an agreeable response to a desired number. For agents, Michael’s discussion of brokerage collaboration adds another point: access to a wider network matters most when it improves the guidance a client actually receives.
Local Knowledge Starts With the Life a Buyer Wants
Michael introduces himself as a Real Broker Realtor based in Toms River, with a primary focus on Ocean County and additional work in Monmouth County and shore communities. He particularly enjoys helping people find a second home or a home for retirement. His connection to the area is personal: he lives in the market whose lifestyle he helps clients evaluate.
That focus makes the conversation about more than winning a bid. A second-home search and a retirement move can involve different priorities, even when both buyers want a shore location. As a practical application, the first conversation should establish how the home will be used, when the move needs to happen, and which aspects of the location matter throughout the year.
Those answers also belong in the financing conversation. Buyers should explain the intended use to their lender rather than treating every purchase as interchangeable. Local enthusiasm can help identify a good fit, but it should work alongside a realistic review of ownership costs and the buyer’s longer-term plans.
Brokerage Support Should Be Judged by How People Work Together
Michael entered real estate in 2018 and describes several stages in his brokerage career. He began at a large corporate brokerage to learn the business, worked within a team, helped build an office through another brokerage, and later moved to Real Broker. The conversation recognizes the value of a traditional office for newer agents: being near experienced colleagues lets them observe the work they are trying to learn.
His enthusiasm for his later brokerage arrangement centers on collaboration rather than simply operating without a conventional office. Michael says he introduces colleagues to a company that has suited his own business, while emphasizing that the fit depends on their circumstances. He also describes how company-linked financial interests can give agents an additional reason to support one another.
For an agent considering a move, the useful question is not merely whether a brokerage is traditional or virtual. It is who will help with a difficult pricing discussion, an unfamiliar transaction, or a referral outside the agent’s area. Michael’s experience supports evaluating the working relationships behind the model, rather than assuming the model itself provides support.
A Broad Network Does Not Replace Local Due Diligence
Abdel and Michael discuss the value of being locally focused while having access to professionals elsewhere. A client may live in New Jersey but want to purchase in another state. Michael sees a nationwide brokerage network as a way to connect that client with someone closer to the destination market, rather than trying to provide every answer himself.
They extend that idea to investment property. Michael notes that buyers can research opportunities outside their immediate area instead of limiting themselves to a property they can personally drive past. The opportunity is access to information and professional connections, not an assurance that a distant property will be profitable.
A practical extension is to separate discovery from validation. Finding an appealing listing or projected return is only the beginning. A buyer still needs local property knowledge, a realistic operating budget, and confirmation that financing is available for the intended transaction. A broad network is valuable when it helps assemble that review; it should not become a substitute for it.
Why Comparable Sales Matter More Than a Standard Overbid
When the conversation turns to 2025, Michael calls the work a grind and contrasts it with the easier affordability conditions he remembers from the earlier pandemic-era market. His more consequential point is that he would not neatly label the environment as either a buyer’s or seller’s market. He sees the individual house as a major determinant of leverage.
Abdel gives the financing-side version of that problem: when a buyer asks how high to go, he cannot responsibly answer without working with the agent on comparable sales. An asking price may already be ambitious, or it may have been set low to generate attention. Adding a standard premium to either one ignores the underlying value analysis.
For a buyer, that means separating three figures: the seller’s asking price, the price supported by the available evidence, and the buyer’s own affordable ceiling. They may not match. If an appraisal comes in below the contract price, the effect depends on the financing and contract terms; the buyer should not assume the original cash requirement remains unchanged.
The useful agent-lender handoff is specific. The agent explains the comparable properties and the rationale for the offer. The lender reviews how that offer and a possible appraisal shortfall could affect the transaction. Together, those conversations help the buyer choose a limit before the pressure of competing bids takes over.
More Inventory Can Mean Older Listings, Not Just More Choice
Looking toward 2026, Michael resists treating a larger inventory count as a simple signal. He points out that homes can accumulate because they are sitting longer, while expensive borrowing can reduce the number of active buyers. He also notes the seasonal difficulty of judging activity during the December period discussed in the interview.
This is an important distinction for anyone interpreting a market update. More active listings can reflect an increase in new supply, slower movement through existing supply, or both. Those situations do not necessarily offer buyers the same selection or negotiating position. A larger pool may contain homes that remain available because their prices have not adjusted to buyer expectations.
For a specific search, ask the agent to separate fresh listings from older ones and review price changes alongside condition and comparable sales. Days on market can prompt a useful question, but they do not by themselves establish a bargain. Michael’s comments are best understood as a way to examine inventory, not as a prediction that every seller will become more flexible.
Seller Education Matters More Than Agreeing to a High Price
Michael identifies a mismatch between some sellers’ expectations and the conditions buyers face. A homeowner who watched values rise over several years may assume that the same pace should continue when it is finally time to sell. He criticizes the approach of agreeing to an ambitious asking price and waiting to see what happens instead of explaining the evidence.
A more useful listing discussion connects comparable sales, competing properties, and buyer affordability. Mortgage costs matter because buyers experience a purchase through their budget, not only through the headline price. That does not mean a seller must accept any low offer; it means the pricing recommendation should explain who is likely to buy and why the home compares favorably with their alternatives.
Michael also questions using the number of offers as the primary measure of success. Heavy competition may reflect an intentionally low starting price rather than exceptional execution. Sellers should evaluate the resulting terms and the path to closing, not just the excitement generated. If a price change becomes necessary, it should respond to evidence rather than simply restart the same experiment.
Final Checklist: Build a Clear Decision Before Negotiating
For buyers, define the intended use, location priorities, timing, and comfortable budget before touring becomes a bidding exercise. For each serious contender, request the agent’s comparable-sales review and ask what explains any difference between the asking price and the recommended offer.
Before submitting, have the lender review the proposed price, available cash, and the possible effect of an appraisal below the contract amount. Ask the agent to explain the relevant contract protections and deadlines. Make the decision around the whole transaction rather than the desire to beat another bidder.
For sellers, request a pricing rationale that distinguishes recent sales from current competition. Agree on how showing feedback, offers, and time on market will be reviewed. Avoid treating an earlier period’s appreciation or a neighbor’s asking price as sufficient evidence.
For agents and lenders, decide who owns each part of the explanation and when to reconnect. Michael closes by wanting a market in which winning a home feels exciting rather than exhausting. Clear roles, supported pricing, and realistic expectations cannot remove every obstacle, but they can keep clients from having to make consequential decisions through unnecessary confusion.
Frequently asked questions
Should a Jersey Shore buyer automatically offer above asking price?
No. Michael and Abdel emphasize reviewing the individual property and comparable sales first. A listing may already be overpriced, or it may be priced low to attract competition. Set an offer using the evidence, the terms, and your affordable limit rather than a standard amount above asking.
What should an agent and lender discuss before a competitive offer?
The agent should explain the recommended price and supporting comparable sales. The lender should review the proposed financing, available cash, and how an appraisal below the contract price could affect the purchase. The buyer also needs the agent’s explanation of contract protections and deadlines.
Does rising housing inventory mean buyers have more leverage?
Not necessarily. Michael points out that inventory can grow because existing listings remain unsold longer. Ask how much of the available stock is newly listed, how much has had price reductions, and how the particular property compares with its alternatives.
How should a seller respond when a home is sitting without offers?
Review the original pricing assumptions against competing listings, recent sales, and showing feedback. Michael argues for education rather than simply posting an aspirational price. A price change should have a clear rationale based on what buyers are choosing instead.
Is receiving many offers proof that a listing was priced well?
It is not enough on its own. Michael notes that a low initial price can generate multiple offers. Sellers should assess the final price, financing strength, contingencies, timing, and likelihood of closing rather than counting offers as the sole measure of success.
What should a second-home or retirement buyer clarify at the start?
Explain how you intend to use the property, when you expect to move or begin using it, and which location features matter year-round. Michael’s shore-market focus includes both second homes and retirement homes. Share those plans with the lender so the financing discussion addresses the intended purchase.
How can a nationwide real estate network help an out-of-state buyer?
It can connect the buyer with an agent who understands the destination market while helping coordinate the financing conversation. Michael discusses this benefit for purchases outside New Jersey, including investments. Buyers still need to validate local costs, property conditions, and financing eligibility.
What should an agent ask before moving to a virtual brokerage?
Ask who provides practical transaction help, how training works, and how referrals and collaboration operate across markets. Michael values collaboration at Real Broker but also recognizes the learning benefit of a traditional office. Evaluate the support available for your business rather than the brokerage format alone.
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Author: Abdel Khawatmi with PRMG Got Mortgages | 973-536-0276
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