I've been analyzing listings in the St. Petersburg market and wanted to share

something I've noticed — the listings that look like the worst deals on the

surface often have the most negotiating room.

Here's what I look for before I even make a call:

1. Cumulative days on market — not what Zillow shows (they reset the counter on

relists). The real CDOM tells you how long a seller has actually been trying.

2. Price drop pattern — a single 5% cut is different from three cuts in 60 days.

The trajectory matters more than the current ask.

3. Vacant property signals — empty houses cost money every month. That's

leverage.

4. Seller language in the description — phrases like "bring all offers," "must

sell," "relocating" tell you the motivation level before you pick up the phone.

I built a scoring tool that tracks all 8 of these signals across Zillow listings

automatically (motivatedseller.io) — happy to show anyone how it works if

you're curious.

For those investing in the Tampa Bay area — what signals do you look at to gauge

seller desperation before running comps?