Pricing Your Home
The Price is Right: The Most Critical Decision in Selling.
Pricing a home isn't a guessing game. It’s a strategic calculation based on data, market trends, and buyer psychology.
Price it too low, and you leave hard-earned equity on the table. Price it too high, and your listing grows stale, eventually selling for less than it would have if priced correctly from day one.
At Heritage Realty Group, we don't just "guess" a number. We analyze the market to find the "Sweet Spot" that drives demand, creates urgency, and maximizes your return.
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“Can’t we just list it high and lower it later if nobody bites?”
We hear this often. It sounds logical, but in real estate, it is a dangerous strategy. Here is why:
The "Golden Window" of Attention: Your home gets 4x more views in the first two weeks than at any other time. If you launch with an inflated price, serious buyers will scroll right past it.
Stigmatization: If a home sits on the market for 30+ days, buyers assume something is wrong with it.
Chasing the Market Down: If you have to drop the price later, you look desperate. You lose leverage in negotiations.
The Goal: Price it correctly on Day 1 to capture the initial surge of excitement.
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How we use the internet to your advantage.
95% of buyers find their homes on sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, or Redfin. These sites use price brackets (e.g., $400k - $450k).
Example: If your home is worth roughly $505,000, but we list it at $510,000, you are invisible to every buyer who capped their search at $500,000.
By pricing strategically at $499,000, we:
Appear in the "Under $500k" search results.
Appear in the "$450k - $550k" search results.
Generate a "bidding war" environment because the home looks like a great value.
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We use a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to determine your home’s true market value. We look at:
Recent Sales (The "Comps"): What have similar homes in your neighborhood actually sold for in the last 90 days? (Not what they are listed for—what they closed for).
Current Competition: Who are we up against right now? We need to be the best value on the block.
Condition & Upgrades: Does your new kitchen warrant a premium? We adjust the value based on your specific improvements.
Market Momentum: Is inventory rising or falling? Are interest rates shifting buyer power?
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The "Algorithm vs. The Expert" Debate.
Online valuation tools (like Zestimates) are great starting points, but they have a major flaw: They have never been inside your house.
Algorithms can't see that you have a brand new HVAC, a stunning view, or that your neighbor's house sold low because it needed a new roof. They rely on averages. We rely on specifics.
Trust the data, but verify with an expert!