I’ll let you in on a little secret.  Pricing a home appropriately is the most important part of getting it to sell within the average days on the market in your area.  If it is priced too high, the home will sit on the market.  If it is priced too low, it will sell quickly, but might have you wondering if you could have asked for more.  As a Locust Grove REALTOR ® I have some tips for sellers to help you make the best decision when it comes to pricing your home.  

Don’t Rely on an Automated Value

Many of the big real estate websites will offer an automated valuation for your home.  These algorithms can be accurate but are not always since this type of valuation can’t take into consideration the condition of the home.  While they can give you a general idea of the worth of your home, when it comes time to list your home in Locust Grove for sale, talk with a Locust Grove REALTOR ®.  As a local agent, I build a comprehensive comparative market analysis to accurately price a home.  A CMA includes information from tax records, recently sold comparable homes, considers the condition of a property, and upgrades done to the home that is used to suggest a market value list price. Are you interested in finding the value of your home? To start this process, please complete this form. After I do a little research, I will contact to you find out some further details about your home like recent updates in order to present you with an accurate valuation. (No, I will not bombard you with phone calls.)

Price Within the Search Bracket

Keep in mind that most buyers begin their search for a new home over the internet.  Buyers can search for a home according to price point, so keep your listing number within a search bracket.  For example, you may choose to list your home at $300,000 instead of $305,000 in order to capture all the buyers that are searching within that $300,000 and under price bracket.  At $305,000, your home will be filtered out of searches that are close to the listing price.

Understand that Pricing Can Be Fluid

If you meet with a Locust Grove REALTOR ® to price your home in April, but don’t actually list it until June, then know that the listing price could be different.  As the housing market changes, the prices change too.  The price your agent suggests in April may not be the same as May, so ask your agent if he/she suggests any price alternations before you go on the market.

Be Open to Price Changes

If the past few years have demonstrated anything, it is that the housing market changes and at times changes quickly.  When these changes occur or if your home isn’t getting an offer as quickly as you would like, then your Locust Grove REALTOR ® may suggest a pricing change as a way to respond to a slowing market, to build more interest in your home, or to adjust to a changed market.

Share Your Home Selling Goals with Your REALTOR ®.

It is important to be open and clear with your Locust Grove REALTOR ® about your home selling goals.  This can impact pricing.  If you have a home that you are eager to move on from, then pricing it at the lower end of its market value range will encourage more interest from buyers.  However, if you have to meet a certain price point, then letting your agent know this helps your REALTOR ® best negotiate on your behalf.  I always strive to meet and exceed my client’s real estate goals, but I can’t do that if they don’t share this information with me.