The greatest challenge you'll face as a home seller is determining the proper selling price for your home. Sellers usually have an idea of what they "want" their home to be worth. They may "need" to gain every penny of equity in order to qualify on the purchase of a new home. And that's why we have been helping home sellers get the most money from the sale of their home for over 20 years.

To be a successful seller, one must think like a buyer. Many sellers adhere to the old adage that "You can always come down in price," but is thinking can be costly to a home seller. In a hot market like we are currently experiencing, buyers fully anticipate that a seller intends to receive offers very close to asking price, if not more. Therefore, an unrealistically high price will chill the market for your home, and cause prospective purchasers to rule out your home immediately as a poor value.

If a buyer walks in your front door and immediately concludes your asking price is not justified, your home will be mentally eliminated from the possibles. You could reduce your asking price later but it will never erase that initial first impression of "not justified." Most experts agree, the best pricing and negotiating strategy is fairly price your home to receive, quick, optimal interest that compels action by a buyer (or multiple buyers) as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, you never want to price your home too low. If your asking price is too low you may receive an early offer, or even multiple offers, but you may not be able to get the prospective buyers up to the true value of your home. This is why we do a very detailed market analysis to get you the optimal, fair market price for your home.

Below are a few points to be considered when pricing the fair market value of your home.

Location, location, location
The location of the property has always been the most important, or close to it, factor in determining the price of a home. Location includes not only the physical address, location to businesses, freeways, parks, beaches, and ocean.

What Is the Property?
A homes worth is greatly dependent on what it is. Size, age, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, style of architecture, degree of upgrades, interior appointments, parking situation are all key factors in determining the fair market value of a home. None of the above factors will individually determine the value of your home, but the factors will, in the aggregate, be massively important in deriving a selling price for your home.

Why This Property?
The location of a property and the physical characteristics of a home will be used to come up with a fair market value only when viewed relative to other similar types of homes in similar areas. This concept is an important one, because denying the existence of competitive homes currently on the market will lead to frustration and a slower market time. Think like a buyer and attempt to honestly compare the value of your home versus the other options currently available to prospective purchasers.

What Have Similar Homes Sold For?
In the end, it is very important to have a firm grasp of where the market currently is for homes similar to yours. The best way to figure this out is by comparing recent sales information, or as we call them - comps. It's important for you as a home seller to examine the listings that have gone under contract, but are still available, because they are the latest indication of what is selling in the marketplace and for approximately how much.

Using an Agent to Price Your Home
One of the many valuable services that we provide our clients is an excellent idea of the value of your home. We would be happy to provide you with a detailed Comparable Market Analysis.

Contact us today, 949-240-1085 or click here for our online contact form.