Ask most Fort Myers sellers what they’re focused on, and the answer is almost always the same: list price. How much can I get? What are similar homes selling for? But according to one of the area’s most active agents, there’s a hidden variable that matters just as much, and most sellers never think about it until it’s too late.
Martin Hawley, team lead at The Hawley Team at Keller Williams Fort Myers and The Islands, has closed hundreds of transactions in the area. One of the most powerful tools he uses isn’t a pricing algorithm or a market report. It’s a simple conversation about what it actually costs to wait.
The Number Everyone Ignores
Most sellers think about carrying costs in basic terms: property taxes, insurance, maybe an HOA fee. Add those up, and it feels manageable, a few hundred dollars a month to hold out for the right offer. What they don’t factor in is opportunity cost, the return they’re giving up by keeping equity tied up in that property.
Hawley walks every seller through this math, and the results are often eye-opening. “People always forget the carrying cost,” he says. “They think they know what it costs, the taxes and insurance, but they forget about the opportunity cost of that money.”
In one recent example, a seller with a condo she owned free and clear estimated her monthly holding cost at around $400. After Hawley’s team factored in what that cash could earn if invested elsewhere, the real number came to $2,300 a month. That single conversation changed the entire negotiation. She sold.
Why This Changes the Seller’s Calculus
Here’s the math in plain terms: if you’re holding out for an extra $20,000 on your asking price, but it takes six additional months to get there, and your true carrying cost is $2,300 a month, you’ve spent $13,800 to gain $20,000. That’s a much thinner margin than most sellers realize. And that’s before factoring in the price reduction you’ll likely need after the listing goes stale.
In Fort Myers right now, correctly priced homes are selling. Overpriced ones are sitting. “If a seller wants to overprice the property, it just sits. If they price it right, it sells,” Hawley says. The carrying cost calculation makes that real; it turns an abstract pricing debate into actual dollars walking out the door every month.
What Buyers Should Know
This dynamic works as a negotiating lens for buyers, too. If a home has been sitting on the market for weeks or months, there’s a good chance the seller hasn’t done this math yet, or has done it and is starting to feel the pressure. A stale listing is often a motivated seller in disguise.
Hawley’s team specifically works on expired listings, homes that failed to sell with another agent. In many cases, the issue wasn’t the property. It was the price, and a seller who hadn’t yet confronted the real cost of waiting. Once they do, deals get done.
How to Use This Right Now
For sellers: Before you set your list price, ask your agent to walk you through the full carrying cost, not just taxes and insurance, but what your equity could be earning in another investment. If you’re mortgage-free, this number will likely surprise you. Use it as a reality check before you commit to a price that keeps you waiting.
For buyers: When you’re touring homes that have been sitting, ask how long the property has been listed and whether there have been any price reductions. A seller who’s been carrying a property for three to six months is doing that math in their head every day. That’s leverage.
For small investors: This is especially relevant if you’re buying to hold or flip. Hawley describes an out-of-town investor who ultimately brought money to closing after months of failed showings on a mismatched property, a reminder that time on the market has a real price tag. Every month a flip sits unsold is a month of carrying costs eating into your return.
What This Means for Fort Myers Right Now
With the Fort Myers market now technically in seller’s territory for single-family homes, the window for buyers to negotiate freely is narrowing. But even in a seller’s market, overpriced homes sit, and sellers who haven’t done the carrying cost math are the ones most likely to negotiate when the pressure builds.
Hawley believes the market has bottomed out locally and prices will begin rising. Whether you’re buying, selling, or investing, understanding what waiting actually costs, in real dollars, is the clearest edge you can have in Fort Myers right now.
About the Expert: Martin Hawley is the team lead of The Hawley Team at Keller Williams Fort Myers and The Islands, with hundreds of closed transactions across the Fort Myers market.
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. The views and opinions expressed herein reflect those of the individuals quoted and do not represent an endorsement of any company, product, or service mentioned. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified professionals before making any investment decisions.