What goes into a home valuation?
An online estimate can start a conversation. To talk seriously about a price, we need to look at your home and the homes a buyer would compare it with.
Joe GoodmanBroker, Hayden & Bach · DRE #01300057
Start with the closest comparisons
Recent sales are useful when the properties are actually comparable. Size matters, but so do the layout, condition, lot, parking and exact location. A renovated home on one street may tell us very little about a home that needs work a few blocks away.
I want to understand what made each comparison sell. When the differences are meaningful, I explain them instead of averaging a few prices and calling it a valuation.
Look at the competition today
Closed sales tell us what buyers have paid. The homes currently for sale show what a buyer could choose instead of yours. We look at both, along with homes that have reduced their prices or remained on the market.
That context helps us discuss a starting price and what we would watch after the listing goes live. An asking price is a decision we make together, with the evidence in front of us.
Account for the home itself
Tell me about improvements, repairs you know are needed and anything a buyer might not notice in photographs. If you have a floor plan or a list of recent work, that helps. We can then decide whether a visit would give us a clearer picture.
Your timing also matters. Preparing for a move next month is different from exploring a sale next year. I’ll ask what you need the sale to accomplish before we discuss a plan.
What you receive
A broker-prepared comparative market analysis helps us discuss an asking range and the reasoning behind it. It isn't a licensed appraisal or a promise about the final sale price.
Send me the address and a little about your plans. I’ll review the property and follow up with the next step.
Keep reading. More guides.
Questions about your move?
Tell me where you are and what you're weighing. I'll tell you plainly what I'd look at first and what I'd do in your place.
