Home Price as a Moving Target “Those who know, don’t talk; and those who talk, don’t know.” —Stock market saying. What’s true in the stock market is also true in real estate. Namely, the value of what Realtors call a “Comparative Market Analysis” (“CMA”) that can be had for free is . . . about what...Read More
Why “Just Previewing” (Usually) Serves Sellers’ Interests A Realtor showing is when a Realtor takes their client ” a prospective Buyer (or one would certainly hope!) ” through a “For Sale” home. No competing Sunday open house traffic, no busybody listing agent (representing the owner) present, and ” perhaps most importantly ” no owner around. The convention is to...Read More
When? How Much? If an otherwise well-staged, well-marketed home isn’t selling after a reasonable interval on the market**, a price reduction is invariably indicated. How big? It all depends on how overpriced the home appears to be. Toss Out the CMA Once a home is actually on the market, interest from prospective Buyers ” or...Read More
He Who Adjusts Least Adjusts Best” When it comes to pricing a home off of Comp’s (“Comparable Sold Properties”), the trick is to minimize both the number and absolute magnitude of the adjustments. The ideal would be a condo identical to its peers in every respect ” floor plan, size, condition, location, market conditions, etc....Read More
The Art of Comp Selection One of the trickier home features to account for in a Comparative Market Analysis (“CMA”) is a busy street. For a family with little kids, a busy street may very well be a deal breaker ” in which case the discount is theoretically infinite. At the other extreme, an investor looking...Read More
Comparing Honey Crisps to Braeburns One of the more quizzical looks Realtors get is when they (try to) explain to a prospective home Seller that their neighbor’s house isn’t a “Comp” (Comparable Sold Property). In plain English: it isn’t relevant ” at least directly ” for pricing their home. For the uninitiated, a Comp is one of the...Read More
