4 Things (We) Agents Consider When Setting Listing Prices

There’s no online calculator for setting the perfect listing price for your home. It takes experience, market savvy, and even a bit of psychology. A strong listing agent can help you set the right, most competitive price for your home. Here are a few things they might look at:

1. The competition
Your agent will look at the prices of similar homes in your area that either are currently listed or sold during the past few months. They’ll take into account how many days the properties were on the market, and how the listing prices for those homes differed from the final sale prices.

2. Market trends
What’s affecting the market in your neighborhood, and your region? Your agent will consider national factors that shape the real estate market, such as possible rising interest rates, as well as local factors, like whether the average home price in your neighborhood has been rising or falling. They’ll also think about things such as new companies moving to the area in the near future, or plans for improving local amenities, like parks and shopping districts. All can increase the value of your home to a buyer.

3. Your neighbors
Although a home the same size and age recently sold for a high price, your own place might not fetch the exact same fortune if, say, junky cars continue to proliferate in your neighbor’s driveway. On the flipside, if the grass is in fact greener on the other side of the fence, your home’s value may be higher due to your neighbors’ curb appeal.

4. The Goldilocks price
Listing your home at a price that’s “just right” from the start is critical to selling it quickly, for the best price. Overpricing your home, and then dropping the price a few times while it sits on the market, could lead to a lower final sales price than if the home was priced appropriately from the beginning. And, of course, setting a price that’s too low leaves money on the table.

Wondering how much your home might be worth in today’s market? I can explain how these and other considerations could factor into a pricing strategy for your home. Call or message me today.

Pending Home Sales Near Three-year High

More homebuyers signed contracts to buy last month than any time since April 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors. And, not counting tax credit-induced spikes, pending home sales last month were the highest in six years.

Pending sales of existing homes, or contracts signed but sales not yet closed, rose 4.5 percent from December and were up 9.5 percent from a year ago.

"Favorable market conditions and job growth have unleashed a pent-up demand," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "Most areas are drawing down housing inventory, which has shifted the supply/demand balance to sellers in much of the country."

The Washington-based association has also revised higher its expectations for price gains this year, to 7 percent or more, from its previous forecast of home values rising as much as 6 percent.

Pending home sales rose in all regions of the country, led by the Midwest, where contract activity was up nearly 18 percent from a year ago.

Data courtesy of Jeff Clabaugh, Washington Business Journal.

Survey Reveals Rising Prices, Strong Demand

The housing industry is staging a recovery with increasing sales and stabilizing prices, according to a national survey of RE/MAX agents. Four out of five agents believe U.S. home prices won’t decline further. In fact, nearly 70% predict prices will go up, led by a strong demand for homes in the low to middle price ranges.


"To active real estate agents, this market is definitely heating up," said RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly. "They are witnessing a recovery across the country fueled by home buyers and sellers taking advantage of a significant market opportunity."

Agent opinions are documented in the quarterly RE/MAX Market Insights, an online survey of 1,022 residential experts. The survey builds brand visibility for RE/MAX agents, and is typically picked up by more than 300 news outlets. Collectively, RE/MAX agents sell more real estate than any other real estate network in the U.S.

Download the RE/MAX Market Insights survey infographic.

Key findings include:

• Price rebound: 68% say prices will be higher by the end of 2012.
• Today’s prices: 29% below the peak reached during the housing bubble.
• Demand for lower-priced properties: 80% of agents say it’s good or very good.
• Demand for homes in the middle-price ranges: 71% rate it as fair to good.
• Demand for high-priced homes: 58% call it poor to fair.

A snapshot of today’s homebuyers served by RE/MAX agents:

• Roughly one third are first-time buyers. Another third are homeowners looking to sell so they can move up or downsize. The remainder are mostly investors, who believe the market has hit bottom.
• One in five buyers pays cash, receiving an average discount of 15%.

The most significant challenges facing first-time homebuyers are having an acceptable credit score, posting a down payment, and facing a shortage of homes for sale. Repeat buyers have the added burden of selling their current home. They, too, are facing a scarcity of homes to purchase in the lower and middle price ranges.

Nearly half of the agents say lower priced homes in their markets are selling for slightly less than the asking price, while 17% say buyers are paying full price and 11% say buyers are paying slightly more than the asking price.

For homes in the middle-price ranges, 49% report sale prices are slightly less than the asking price, while 8% say full-price is being paid. For the high-priced homes, 43% report that sale prices are moderately less than asking prices, with another 25% saying it is slightly less.

With bank-owned homes making up a significant portion of the current inventory, agents report that 62% of their non-investor buyers have a favorable attitude toward foreclosures, while only 27% have a favorable attitude toward short sales.

"With distressed properties still making up a sizeable portion of homes on the market, this inventory is being cleared effectively by buyers, who don’t mind investing a little to fix up a property in return for an attractive bargain," Kelly added.

Among buyers’ highest priorities were quality of schools, and condition and size of the home. The lowest priorities included public transportation, walkability and energy efficiency.

Most RE/MAX agents advise their buyers to hire a professional home inspector and to attend the inspection. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage, not merely pre-qualified, also is recommended.