A Beacon Hill real estate thought: Is being honest always the best policy?

Is honesty the best policy when it comes to Boston real estate? Perhaps not. Today, I just lost a Beacon Hill sales listing. To make a long story short…a seller wanted $2,000,000 for his listing, he told me if I listed his listing for $2,000,000 “I would get the listing.” I told him, I think we should list it at $1.6 million but be prepared to entertain offers at $1,450,000 – $1,500,000 – he told me: “I’ll find a Boston broker that will list it at $2,000,000. I told him you probably will find a Boston agent that will list it at $2,000,000 – “But it won’t be me.”