The Art of Pricing Your Home

by Dan Krell © 2007
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As February gives way to March home buyers make their way out of hibernation, while many home owners are preparing their homes for sale. Some home sellers will list their home with a Realtor, while others will attempt to sell by owner. As the home sellers are making their preparations, one item is still undecided-the list price.

Pricing your home correctly is the key to having a successful sale and will make the difference in going to settlement in a reasonable time or having your home languish on the market for weeks and months.

Although it is true that selling a home is not rocket science; however, home pricing is a science to some and an art form to others. There is a certain knowledge and technique in home pricing as well as requiring a lot of work in the form of research.

If you are presently selling your home, (if you haven’t realized it yet) market conditions are no where near the market conditions of several years ago. Don’t expect your home to sell fast at a higher price and/or in poor condition than other homes in your neighborhood-those days are over.

The first step in pricing your home is to see what is happening in the local market and neighborhood. You can see this by getting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a Realtor. I would ask several Realtors for a CMA as there may be differences in approach and presentation. A CMA is not an appraisal; however it is a comparison of your home to similar homes. It is important to compare your home to homes of similar style and size. Dissecting the analysis in six, three, and one month segments will show you any market trends.

When looking at the analysis, compare recent sales to currently active homes. Are the current listing prices consistent to recent sale prices and days on market? Is your competition is over priced for present market conditions, or is the market slowing down?

Look at the expired and withdrawn listings too. Try to find out why these homes did not sell and avoid doing the same mistakes. Also, look any pending sales for price reductions and seller concession as these may give you a hint to where you need to be in pricing your home.

Now that you have the analysis, it is important to know your competition first hand. Go visit your competition when they hold an open house. Compare active listings’ condition and amenities to your own home. Does your home compare; is the price reasonable; would you consider buying this home?

Be honest with yourself about your home’s condition and features. Are there amenities that will attract home buyers? Are there any problems or shortcomings that will turnoff home buyers? You will need to adjust for these items accordingly.

Home buyers in today’s market are looking for homes that show well and are reasonably priced. Additionally, many home buyers are in need of closing cost assistance. Don’t expect home buyers to make an offer just because the home is on the market-they won’t. Be realistic, as there are lots of other homes on the market that show well and are competitively priced.

This column is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. This article was originally published in the Montgomery County Sentinel the week of 2/12/2007. (c) 2007 Dan Krell.