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4 Tips for Setting the Right Sales Price

Right Sales Price home sold wilmington NC Real Estate Property Shop
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Home with For Sale sign out front.

One of the most common issues that Sellers will face with their REALTOR® is the right sales price for the home that they have taken such pride in over the years.

Sellers think their homes are worth more than their real estate professional recommends, and buyers think these same homes are worth less.

It’s a difficult disconnect that makes selling properties a challenge. Successfully marketing a home requires that the price be set carefully — or it will languish on the market. Among the considerations:

  • How many homes are for sale in the neighborhood? The more homes on the market, the more important it is to list at the lower end of the scale. “I want buyers to ask why is this house priced so competitively,” said NAR President-elect Ron Phipps of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. “I want the answer to be an offer.”
  • Take short sales and foreclosures into consideration when pricing. If the competing properties are in lousy condition, they are less of an issue, but if they are well taken care of, yet priced 25 percent below market, they can be a serious factor.
  • Negotiate decisively. “Buyers are not interested in back-and-forth negotiations these days,” Phipps said. “They are less emotional and more disciplined. They will walk away.”
  • Cut the price when you have to. If no one shows up for an open house, if no one calls and if there are no offers, then the price is too high. That means it’s time to make a meaningful price cut.

When all is said and done, finding the right sales price for your home will result in the selling of your home.

Source: The Washington Post, Associated Press (09/18/2010)