How Michael John Lau sold 16 Milne Lane $100,000 over asking in 2 weeks, after a year on the market with no offers.
The owners of 16 Milne Lane, a 3+2 bedroom detached bungalow in Markham's Bullock neighbourhood, had spent more than a year trying to sell with another agent. No showings, no open houses, no offers. Michael John Lau reviewed the old listing, found the problems in the marketing rather than the home, and relaunched it with staging, professional media and a full digital campaign. In two weeks: 22 private showings, 28 open house visitors, two competing offers, and a firm sale $100,000 over asking.
The deal, in six lines.
- Client
- Homeowners who had already been on the market for over a year with another agent and had nothing to show for it
- Situation
- Expired listing: no showings, no open houses, no offers. They asked one question: what would you do differently?
- Location
- 16 Milne Lane, Markham (Bullock)
- Property
- Detached bungalow, 3 + 2 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 1,347 sq ft
- Timeline
- Relaunched with staging, new media and a digital campaign; 22 showings and 28 open house visitors in 2 weeks; sold firm
- Result
- Two competing offers; sold firm for $100,000 over asking [($999,990 list, $1,100,000 sold)]
What had gone wrong the first time?
When the homeowners reached out, they were frustrated and understandably skeptical. More than a year on the market with another agent had produced no showings, no open houses and no offers. Their question was direct: what can you do differently to help us sell?
Michael did not answer with a price. He started by reviewing the previous listing to understand why buyers had not shown up.
What did the review of the old listing find?
Four problems, none of them the house:
A weak marketing strategy with little to no exposure, so most buyers never saw the listing. Unprofessional photos that did not do the home justice, so the buyers who did see it scrolled past. No social media presence, which is where a large share of today's buyers first encounter a home. And no staging, so nothing made the home stand out from the competition. A home that nobody sees and nobody books is not a home the market has rejected. It is a home the market has not met.
How was the listing rebuilt?
As a new launch, not a relist. Michael's team staged the home professionally to highlight its best features, brought in high-quality photography and video tours for maximum online appeal, and built a large digital campaign through social media and targeted ads to put the home in front of the buyers the first listing had missed. Open houses and private showings were scheduled to concentrate that attention into the first two weeks.
What happened when it relaunched?
The home that had gone a year without a showing had 22 private showings and 28 open house visitors in two weeks. That volume produced what the first listing never could: two buyers competing for the same home at the same time.
How did it end?
With competing offers on the table, Michael negotiated carefully toward a result the sellers had stopped believing was possible. The home sold firm for $100,000 over the asking price, two weeks after relaunch, thirteen months after it first went to market.
"I was honestly skeptical at first since I found Michael through social media, and the market was tough at the time. But from the very first phone call and initial visit, they showed true professionalism and confidence. They gave a clear and accurate analysis of my home, provided great advice on preparation, and marketed it to the right buyers by highlighting what made our home unique. Their team worked extremely hard day to day, stayed on top of buyer interest, and negotiated carefully to reach a fair, win-win outcome. They didn't just focus on closing a deal. They focused on getting the best result for everyone involved. This experience showed me that not all real estate agents are the same."
The sellers · 16 Milne Lane
What should someone else in this situation know?
A home that sits for a year has usually not been rejected by the market. It has not been shown to the market.
Before you cut the price on a stalled listing, diagnose it. Ask what buyers are actually seeing: the photos, the staging, the reach. Strategic marketing, expert staging and disciplined negotiation working together is what sells homes faster and for more, and 16 Milne Lane is the proof that the same house can go from zero showings to $100,000 over asking when the strategy changes.
Questions people actually ask.
Why did 16 Milne Lane sit for over a year with the first agent?
Not the home and not the market. The previous listing had a weak marketing strategy with little exposure, unprofessional photos that undersold the property, no social media presence to reach today's buyers, and no staging. Buyers never had a reason to book a showing, so there were none.
What did Michael John Lau do differently?
He treated it as a new launch, not a relist. Professional staging to highlight the home's best features, high-quality photography and video, a large digital campaign through social media and targeted ads, and a schedule of open houses and private showings designed to bring serious buyers through the door in the first two weeks.
How did an expired listing sell $100,000 over asking?
By creating competition where there had been none. The relaunch produced 22 private showings and 28 open house visitors in two weeks, which produced two competing offers, and the home sold firm for $100,000 above the asking price.
What should a Markham seller do if their home is not selling?
Diagnose before you discount. In most stalled listings the price is not the only problem; presentation and exposure are. Ask the next agent you interview to show you specifically what they would change about the photos, the staging and the marketing reach before agreeing to any price reduction.
A conversation is just a conversation.
If your home has been sitting, or your listing has expired, call or text Michael at (416) 700-0286 or book a consultation. He will review the old listing and tell you what he would change before anyone talks about price.
Book a consultation Call (416) 700-0286Michael John Lau is a licensed REALTOR® with eXp Realty, Luxury Division (License #4784577), serving Markham, York Region and the Greater Toronto Area. Case studies describe real transactions; client details are shared with permission and some identifying information has been withheld. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and every sale or purchase depends on the property, the market at the time, and the client's goals. Nothing on this page is legal, tax or financial advice.