Keystone Realty

“… Your home is your castle .. even when it’s for sale…”

Let’s say your terms are competitive: your timing’s clearly set. Now, what about your asking price?

Without question, price is your most important sales tool. Here’s why:

The period of best opportunity for selling a home at a reasonable price is the first four weeks after it is put on the market. Buyers who have seen most available listings are waiting for just the right house to come on the market. If your house is priced right from the beginning, you are in the best position to attract the maximum number of buyers able to pay the price your home is worth – and to sell your home within your timetable.

.. If your house is under priced, you may be swamped with lookers and perhaps get many offers. But you could lose thousands on one of your family’s largest investments.

.. If your house is overpriced, lookers are apt to be few and far between, with little chance of any offers to pay your unrealistic price. You may lower your price later, but by that time you will have missed many of the most interested buyers.

Why is overpricing risky?

A price more than 5% over market value may have these results:

.. Buyers may resist inspecting your home because they can find better values elsewhere.

(Overpriced houses tend to sell the competition first.)

.. Potential buyers who can’t afford the price don’t bother to look–or to make offers.

.. A buyer willing to pay an over market price may have difficulty getting financing. Lenders may not approve a loan if the appraisal is lower than the contract price. (The delay from a failed sale can mean missing out on the critical first 30-day marketing period.)

.. Your unsold home will begin to get “stale,” as the marketplace assumes there is “something wrong” with the house.

.. To make up for lost time you might be inclined to lower the price below competing houses in order to move it.