Pricing
How to Price
Your House
There are really THREE prices on your house ...
a High-Price, a Mid-Price, and a Low-Price
1. High Price
Asking a high-price is definitely worth considering if your home has an incredible kitchen, fantastic views, gorgeous yard, lot-split or development potential or other cool features. I have set a lot of records for the highest sale price in a neighborhood
2. Mid Price
This is what your home should sell for and is supported by a number of comps (other recent sales nearby). Getting just one additional Offer can increase your sale price - sometimes up to the high-price.
3. Low Price
This is the lowest your home will probably sell for. When Realtors brag about getting 14 Offers on a sale, this is usually from starting with a low price. If you have an extreme fixer, this is where you want to start off. Many times, we can generate enough interest to get several Offers, which brings your price up - sometimes way over the mid-price.
Off-Market Price
I’d say that 10%-15% of homes sell “off-market”. This can be a sale to a friend, relative, neighbor, tenant or someone you want to have your home. This can also be a sale to someone who makes you an Offer that exceeds your expectations or is a “bird-in-the-hand” that gives you a quick and simple sale. The trade-off is not exposing your home to the market to see if there is a much higher Offer waiting for you. I have done quite a few of these and can help you sort through your options.
I am a fan of Zillow, Homes.com, Realtor.com and Redfin - their maps make it really easy to search for listings and Open Houses. 90% of buyers use these websites when looking for homes to buy - or to get an idea on what their home is worth.
Most of the photos and details come from the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), which is the “Mothership” of most real estate info. Each Realtor enters their listings into the MLS, which is then automatically distributed to all of the online websites.
Zillow's Price
For houses not on the market yet, Zillow will give you a Zestimate - which is usually based on$/sqft (dollars per square foot). In 2023, the average per square foot was $653 in Pleasant Hill. See the chart above for the average $/sqft for each city.
I have seen Zillow spot-on for pricing - and - I have seen their Zestimate off by a few hundred thousand dollars. WHY? Zillow has no way of knowing the details that can affect the price of your home ... the condition and “flow” of your house, your yard, the desirability of your neighborhood, street noise, views, curb appeal, history of your house, hillsides, neighbors, assigned schools, etc.