Pricing

After a month of trying to sell your home “By Owner” you may decide to list it with a real estate agent. If you are in this position, you may begin to notice that your agent doesn’t market the home the same way you did. You ran classified ads every weekend, but your agent has only advertised twice all month. Even so, there is a lot more interest and activity than you were able to generate on your own.

When your home is being marketed professionally, your real estate agent has many powerful selling tools that make it worth hiring someone who is experienced and competent. Some advantages to hiring an agent are the national and worldwide referral networks, the Multiple Listing Service, and the Internet. We advertise extensively in almost every media available including TV, which may bring in a call from the people who will buy your home. We work cooperatively with other brokers and share information about listings. Communication is the key to our success. We use all of these tools to market our listings aggressively to get sales action!

A real estate agent has shown you a house that you like a lot. There is only one problem–the price seems too high. In a situation like this, you can still make an offer that you feel is appropriate.

The real estate agent cannot tell you how much to offer, but he or she can give you information about the selling prices of similar homes in the area. The agent will present your offer to the sellers. They have three choices–they can accept, reject, or counter your offer.

If the house is a new listing, or if your offer is very low, they may decide to hold out for something better. Sellers frequently build a little negotiating room into their asking price. Prices that are not negotiable at the beginning of a listing period may become flexible as time goes on. If you want to test the sellers’ flexibility, make them an offer.

When you get serious about selling your home, the chances of your selling it quickly for top dollar will improve considerably if you list it with a real estate sales professional. If you doubt this, consider the fact that eight out of ten homes sold today–more in some markets–are listed with a professional real estate agent.

Listing your home places it on the local Multiple Listing Service that is subscribed to by a majority of real estate sales professionals. Through the MLS listing, your home is assured of getting the widest possible exposure to the market place.

Some buyers shop the home market on their own, but most save time and money by using the services of a real estate sales professional. Ask yourself which homes the real estate agent is going to show the prospective buyers–homes listed on the MLS or those that are not?

If you still want to try to sell your own home, be aware that you will face stiff competition when it comes to attracting qualified buyers!

What is the best price for a piece of real estate? Mortgage lenders, appraisers, and real estate brokers use what is called the “fair market value” (FMV). FMV has been defined as “the price that a buyer is willing to pay and the seller is willing to accept, when both parties are knowledgeable about the property and neither is under any time pressure to buy or sell”. Sounds great, but how is this price determined?

The starting point for determining a fair price may be an opinion of the value or “comparative market analysis”. Such an analysis uses information on similar properties which are: 1) currently for sale, 2) already sold, or 3) expired properties (those which did not sell). Local, national and international trends and market conditions must also be evaluated.

By comparing similar properties in each of the three categories and the market conditions, appraisers, lenders and agents come very close to the maximum price that buyers would be willing to pay for a house.

Here is a scenario for sellers to avoid. You contact a real estate agent to list your home and the agent suggests that you might get more for your house than comparable homes on the market. The agent assures you that it only takes finding one person who is willing to pay your price!

Some agents approach a listing appointment as if they are bidding for your home. The unfortunate result is that you start out with an unrealistic opinion of your home’s value. There is often a strong temptation to work with a person who says what you want to hear. An experienced, reputable real estate agent will back up their opinion of your home’s value with hard data. The agent should give you information about the listing price of homes that are currently on the market, and recent selling prices of similar properties in your immediate area.

Even the most heroic marketing efforts won’t work on a property that is obviously overpriced, (except in the most exaggerated of seller’s markets.) Even if you find a buyer who is willing to pay more than your home is worth, the sale could fall apart when the appraisal comes in lower than the agreed-upon price. Listen to everything, but be careful!

If you are going to sell your present home, the market conditions will play a crucial role in determining the asking price. Market conditions change constantly, so it is important that you get solid advice from a real estate professional who is familiar with your specific area.

A good real estate agent will know how quickly houses in your area are selling, and will be aware of other factors that may influence the sale. For example, nearby commercial development, which may create congestion and noise, may also mean a greater demand for housing from people who will be working in the new office buildings. A bus route that cuts commuting time could make your home more valuable, while major highways close by can be an issue for many buyers. The economic conditions have a strong impact on the real estate market. Real estate professionals can help you consider all of the issues and assist you in setting a fair price for your home.

Pricing a house is one of the most important parts of the marketing process. You want to get as much for the property as you can, but if you set the price too high, you can turn away qualified buyers. Your real estate agent can tell you the selling price of homes comparable to yours. Pricing strategy depends on market conditions, and it is different in a buyers’ market than it is in a sellers’ market.

If your home is overpriced, the marketplace will reflect that to you. When a property fails to sell in a reasonable period of time, you and your real estate agent should have a frank discussion to determine whether too high a price tag is the reason. Your real estate agent will also be getting feedback from other agents who have shown your home.

Remember that price is only one factor. Consider ways you can make the property more attractive to show by handling needed repairs, improving curb appeal or making cosmetic improvements. Improve the condition of your home and you will improve its chances of selling.

You have seen it all over the years–interest rates rise and fall, sales prices escalate and decline. No matter what phase the market is in, it is always important to price your home in your area competitively. How can you price your home with confidence?

The first step is to contact a professional real estate agent for a comparative market analysis. The agent will look at recent sales of comparable homes in your area and give you information about other properties that are currently on the market. By comparing the size, location and condition of your home to the competition, your agent can help you determine how much to ask for your home. Even in an active market, an inflated price may frighten prospective buyers away. A house that is over-priced can take additional weeks or months to sell, and the final sale price may even be lower than if the sellers had started out more realistically. The price is based on market conditions, comparable sales, and our years of experience in the marketplace.

In the real estate world, a large group of people are looking to buy homes at any given time. These are the seller’s best prospects. This ready group of buyers is wasted, however, if your house is overpriced.

People who have been shopping around and are accustomed to comparing properties will probably refuse to look at your home with an unrealistic price tag. You and your real estate agent may know that you would sell for $10,000 less, but the buyers do not know this. As a result, your overpriced property receives little attention.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that your house is worth more than someone is willing to pay for it, or that it’s just a matter of waiting for the “right” buyer to show up. Surveys show that the longer a house is on the market before being sold, the greater the drop in price from the listing price when it does sell. The buying public eventually sets an accurate price. An overpriced house just sits on the market, waiting for a price adjustment before it will attract a buyer.

To take much of the guesswork out of your consideration about whether a particular property is a good investment, you can check on the actual selling price of similar homes in the neighborhood.

Some sales information, such as the selling price, the financing terms, and the transaction dates, is public information. Your real estate agent will have record of all recent sales. You can find out how properties have been appreciating, based on actual sales, rather than from the neighbors (they could be wrong!). Driving by comparable homes can give you an idea about how they compare with the property you are considering. Your real estate agent may have seen these homes and can give you additional information to help you make a decision.