Pricing

One of the sayings from the “gold-rush” days–“Them that’s got the gold, sets the price!”–is also a principle that applies to real estate. We say that a house is only worth what someone will pay for it, even though the owner, the bank, and the agent all have their own opinions about the “market value” of a home. In other words, no sale ever takes place until the buyer agrees with the price.

How can sellers arrive at the maximum “fair” price that buyers are willing to pay? Buyers (and appraisers) make their decision based on comparisons. While shopping for a home, buyers will visit many similar homes in their price range and measure the features of each one against the price. They decide which house offers them the maximum value for the price. Buyers do not expect a home to be a “steal” or dramatically under-priced, but they do expect it to be a fair value.

Sellers must determine the value that their home offers in order to arrive at the right price. The real estate agent will advise the sellers what buyers should be willing to pay for their home, but the asking price is set by the seller.

When a seller lists a home with a real estate agent, a lot of brainstorming follows. Who are the potential buyers, where do they live and work? How can they be reached effectively with information that will attract them to this particular property?

In addition to advertising each home on the widely used Multiple Listing Service, professional real estate agents employ marketing techniques tailored to the individual home they are selling. An agent will review various buyer lists to find potential purchasers. They will use telephone and direct mail marketing, produce property flyers and advertise on the Internet, in the newspaper, in community publications and in real estate magazines. Contacts will be made to other agents who sell homes in the area to encourage them to show the home to prospective buyers.

Real estate agents combine pro-active marketing with realistic pricing to generate results for their home sellers.

A recent study conducted by the National Center for Real Estate Research evaluated the features of a home based on what each contributes to the selling price.

According to the study, the feature that can most dramatically increase the value of a home is an additional full bathroom, upping the selling price by a remarkable 24 percent. Installing an extra half-bath can add 15 percent to the selling price. A grage, a fireplace and a central air conditioning unit each add a little more than 12 percent to the home’s market value. A laundry room located on the main floor of the home increases its value by 15 percent, while a basement laundry room can potentially reduce the home’s overall value. Homes with raised or vaulted ceilings sell for 6.2 percent more than identical homes with standard ceilings. Each extra bedroom increases the price by 4.1 percent. A family room adds 7.3 percent, and a dining room is worth 6.2 percent. A view of the water adds 7.8 percent, but a golf course view is better at 8.1 percent. A home built on the waterfront is worth 18 percent more than the same home in a landlocked location.

Every real estate market is different, so consult your real estate agent regarding the resale value of your home’s special features.

The first step you take when putting your home on the market is establishing the price. A professional market analysis can help you determine what the property is worth. Contact a real estate agent who is familiar with your area to get prices on the homes that are for sale and to see how long they have been on the market.

Your real estate agent will be able to provide you with information about the actual sale prices of homes that are similar to yours. He or she can also tell you about the features that influence the value of each property, such as the number of rooms, the overall condition, and the extra amenities — home office, finished basement, luxury bathroom, hardwood flooring.

You can establish a market value for your home by putting all of this information together. If you price your home within 5% of the established market value, it should sell quickly.

Only approximately 2% of all listings nationwide are sold by the listing agent. When you list your house with me, I will try my best to sell it myself, but more importantly, I will simply get it sold.

Colleagues in my firm or real estate agents who are affiliated with a cooperating broker may sell my listings. This is why I work hard to maintain a reputation for being very professional and easy to work with. I make the homes I list as easy as possible for other real estate agents to preview or show to buyers.

When you select a real estate agent to market your property, you are hiring them not only for their list of prospective buyers, but for their ability to tap the lists of other people in the business. I constantly lobby among my competition, asking if they have seen my listings, getting feedback and urging them to add my listings to the short lists that they show when they have a prospective buyer.

Last summer your neighbors put their house on the market and had so many buyers that they were on the winning side of a bidding war. Now you are trying to sell your home, and there’s just no action.

The real estate marketplace is very unpredictable. Many factors come into play, the most important being interest rates and prevailing sales prices. In a strong seller’s market, prices tend to escalate until they reach a certain point where buyers begin to just say no and listing inventories increase. When this happens, sellers who price their homes at the higher level of previous sales prices must re-think their pricing strategies. If they don’t, their homes may not sell. Whether you are buying or selling a home, it is important to remember that the shift from a seller’s to a buyer’s market can occur very quickly. You can count on us for sound advice on what phase the market is in right now.

Picture this…

Your house has been on the market for four weeks. There have been a lot of showings but no offers, so you are wondering if you should consider a price reduction. You want to get as much as you can for your home, but more importantly you want it to sell!

This may be the time to have a frank discussion with your real estate agent. While price may be a major factor, it may not be the only consideration. Are you making your house easy for agents to show? Have you completed the necessary maintenance and cleaning so that your property is as appealing as possible? Review with your agent the current market conditions and the prices of other homes in your neighborhood before determining that a price reduction is in order.

Even though your price may be competitive, the marketplace may be telling you that buyers just won’t pay what you would like to get. If all indicators point to a price reduction, it is better to do it sooner rather than later.

Pricing your home is one of the most important decisions you must make when selling your property. Some sellers want to price their home based on the return they would like on their initial investment, while others will base the price on what they need to buy their new home. Location, condition, and accessibility are three other variables that will affect the price of a property.

It is crucial to price your home correctly from the beginning, because it may not sell if it is overpriced. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can reduce the price later. By this time you will have already lost many potential buyers. The motivation of the seller is a very important factor affecting the pricing decision. The higher the seller’s motivation, the lower the price, and low motivation usually means a higher price.

The state of your local real estate market is one of the strongest determining factors when pricing your home. A professional real estate agent will be able to guide you through the pricing pitfalls with a written market analysis that includes the selling prices for similar homes in your area.

When you decide to sell your home, your next decision is key to the sale–“How much should I ask?” If you ask too little for your home, you could potentially lose money. Asking too much for your home could cause it to sit on the market for a long time.

Your real estate agent wants to sell your home as soon as possible, for the best price. The agent will use a Competitive Market Analysis to determine the price for your home. The sales professional may advise you to reduce the asking price if buyers fail to surface after a certain period of time on the market.

If you are serious about selling your home, you should take your real estate agent’s advice. In case the first price reduction doesn’t generate a buyer, another reduction may be necessary. The monetary value of a house is only what someone is willing to pay for it, but if the market analysis is done correctly, you will get the maximum amount–and a timely sale.

When calculating what you can afford in a house, don’t just look at the list price. The amount you pay for a house is important when you consider your ability to re-sell the house. Today’s mortgage options are increasing the possibilities for home buyers, so you should also take a close look at what it will cost you to live in the house.

Your monthly housing cost is the second figure to consider, and that cost is largely determined by current interest rates. Today’s real estate market is very price-driven. Homes which are in the best condition and have the most attractive price tags are the ones that sell.

Diverse financing options and competition among lenders are giving many buyers the opportunity to buy a more expensive house or condo than they thought they could afford–and sooner. There are many creative ways to get into a home with a relatively small amount of money. Ask your real estate agent to help you look at today’s numbers–you may be pleasantly surprised.