As your agent, I will provide you with comparative data for your area as a way to get a feel for the proper price for your home. Some factors I will be investigating include:

• Proximity to your home: I will investigate properties no more than 1/2 mile from your home. If it's in the same neighborhood, that's even better.

• Recent sale timeframe: The real estate markets change so quickly that I will look at homes that sold within the last 3 months.

• Similar size: Pricing has a lot to do with the size of a home, so l I will look at one of similar size.

• Similar features: Age, construction, lot size, condition, number of rooms and any additional features added to the home are all part of what makes the home's price, so I will look at comparables that have similar features to your current home.
  

Learn About Sales Sweeteners

If possible, I will investigate any sales sweeteners used when the comparable home was sold. For example, if the seller offered down payment assistance, then the home's price may be higher than the price you would want to ask for your home.

Get Agent Insights

After looking at comparables, I will have a good many insights about what is happening in your neighborhood and your local real estate market. I may have even been inside homes that recently sold in your neighborhood, or at least seen their interior photos in the MLS before they sold, and will be able to help you understand how the factors you can't measure, like ugly flooring or poorly placed furnishings, impacted the sales price, and how that translates into the pricing strategy you should use in your home.

Comparable sales are a good way to get a feel for your home's potential starting price, but they are far from a cut-and-dried answer. You have to consider all of the factors that go in to the comparable home's sale and price your home realisticly.