In luxury real estate, the way a home is presented can make or break a sale, and one broker argues that a common marketing tactic—itemizing renovation costs—is actually driving buyers away. Bent Danholm, founder of Danholm Collection, a Central Florida brokerage specializing in properties above $1.5 million, says that leading with upgrade lists is one of the most costly mistakes in luxury marketing.
Danholm’s argument is rooted in the psychology of affluent buyers. Rather than conducting a cost-benefit analysis of renovation expenditures, these buyers are evaluating whether a property matches the life they want to live. “I think that’s generally probably the most missed opportunity, to tell a story and to show what the lifestyle could be if you’re moving into this home,” Danholm said.
The case study he points to is a listing on Broadwater Avenue in Winter Garden. The property had been on the market for approximately 10 months, with the seller distributing a detailed upgrade list to prospective buyers. The list included more than $300,000 in improvements—new flooring, updated light fixtures, and a fully renovated kitchen—yet the home failed to sell.
“One of the key features of the previous listing was a two-page listing of all the upgrades, even with money attached to each upgrade,” Danholm recalls. When he took over the listing, he stopped sending the list entirely. “They either like it, or they don’t like it. What we’re trying to sell is the dream of living in this home.”
The seller initially resisted, repeatedly asking if Danholm had sent the upgrade documentation. But Danholm remained firm, arguing that the list was irrelevant to the purchase decision. The strategy shift paid off: the property went under contract in 74 days, despite being a relisted expired listing.
Danholm notes that more than 90 percent of his listings over the past couple of years have been expired or canceled listings that he has remarketed, often without significant price reductions. The key, he says, is changing the narrative from a maintenance history to a lifestyle story.
For the Broadwater Avenue property, that meant creating a detailed buyer avatar. Danholm identified potential buyers as those with a net worth between $5 million and $10 million or annual earnings of roughly $800,000 to $1.8 million. The ideal buyer would be a large family or international relocator drawn to the quiet neighborhood, strong schools, and proximity to farmers markets, trails, and green space.
The staging process also reflects this philosophy. Rather than creating a sterile, depersonalized environment, Danholm aims for a space that feels aspirational but livable. “It’s got to look a little bit like a magazine where you can imagine yourself living,” he says. “You don’t feel like you’re entering into somebody’s home.”
For sellers whose homes have lingered on the market, the actionable question is not whether to cut the price or add more property details. It is whether the current marketing tells a story that matches how their likely buyer actually thinks about where to live, or whether it reads like an invoice. Danholm’s experience suggests that shifting the focus from upgrades to lifestyle can be the difference between a stagnant listing and a successful sale.
