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) for pricing theirs. For the uninitiated, a Comp is one of the three homes Realtors and appraisers use to determine fair market value; once...Read More
Guilt by Association? Not Necessarily As a listing agent trying to make sure their client’s home appraises, I know the concern: if the Comp’s you provide to the Appraiser are all less valuable than your client’s home (known as the “subject property”), they’ll drag its price down, too. Not necessarily. Step #1 is to realize that...Read More
Real Estate Vocabulary #101 At least when it comes to residential real estate, when is a positive a negative, and a negative a positive? Answer: when it comes to doing a Comparative Market Analysis (“CMA”), the tool Realtors — as well as appraisers — use to estimate a property’s fair market value. CMA Math So,...Read More
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” –Daniel Patrick Moynihan Substitute “Comp’s” — as in “Comparable Sold Properties” — for “facts,” and you’ve got a pretty good rule of thumb for pricing residential real estate. So, while prospective home sellers can (and do!) compare their home to any properties...Read More
When Doesn’t “Sold” Mean “Sold?” So, when it comes to residential real estate, when does “Sold” not mean “Sold?” When it means “Pending” (as in, when there’s a big, bold “Sold” sign in front of a “For Sale” home). Huh?!? At least in Minnesota, once the Buyer’s Inspection has been removed,** the convention is to...Read More
What Is — and Isn’t — Relevant Pricing a Home Wait a second! Why, in early July, am I discussing homes that sold last December? Because they pop up as “Comp’s” (Comparable Sold Properties) for at least 2 relatively unique homes that I’m trying to price for clients now. No doubt (many) other Twin Cities agents are...Read More
