How will you choose your REALTOR®? Will you pick the agent who gives you the highest listing price? If so, you may be doing yourself a disservice. Some agents intentionally overestimate the value in order to get a seller to list with them. Their self-interest means that the overpriced home will sit on the market as the seller eventually reduces the price trying to find a buyer. At that point, the house is stale and the selling momentum is lost. REALTORS®, who suggest what seems to sellers to be a “low” value on the property, are motivated to get the price right so the property will sell. It takes time, energy, and money to sell even a properly priced home in this market. These are resources a good agent would not want to waste on an overpriced listing.

Sellers also tend to overlook the carrying costs of having a house on the market too long. Carrying costs are how much a seller will spend until the property is sold. Mortgage payments, taxes, heat, utilities, etc. all subtract from the bottom line of what a seller nets at closing. Obviously the longer a house is on the market, the less profit there is. Picking an agent who gives you the highest listing price may actually mean you end up with less money in your pocket. If you want to work with a REALTOR® who knows how to price listings in the current market conditions, then give me a call, 603-526-4116 or email donna@donnaforest.com.