Is price per square foot a good indicator of a home’s value?

Question: “I know you’ve said before not to use price per square foot to figure out home values, but an agent I know uses it all the time…” Answer: If price per square foot actually works, then I’ve got some exciting news. You and I are about to get rich! How? We’re going to build
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Is it bad to list As Is?

Question: “Is there an inherent negative stigma to listing As Is?” Answer: I was very hesitant for many years to put “sold as is” in my marketing for a home. I felt it gave the impression that there were serious problems that the seller was unwilling to fix. So yes, I think there WAS a
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Will you match an agent who will list my home at a lower rate?

Question: “I’m talking with an agent who’ll list my home at 4%. She hasn’t sold that many homes and isn’t as successful as you are, but will you match her fee?” Answer: Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? It sounds like if I matched her fee, you’d have me sell your
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Is selling my house to a flipper safe?

Question: “We may sell our house to a flipper who contacted us…” Answer: Be careful! A cautionary note about home flippers, aka investors who buy, fix, and resell homes… I deal with them regularly, and many follow a strategy of: Make a “cash” offer, often sight unseen. Get the offer accepted, “tying up” the home.
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Does getting several offers mean you listed your home at too low a price?

Question: “My neighbors just listed their home and I know they got several offers the first week. Do you think that means they should have asked a higher price?” Answer: Not necessarily. Yes, homes that are priced too low usually attract multiple offers.  However, even in today’s “normal” market, you can also get multiple offers
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What is a home really worth?

Question: “I’m thinking of selling my home and buying a bigger one. And I’m concerned about asking the right price. Everyone talks about list price, sales price, CMA, appraised value, etc. But what is a home really worth?” Answer: Great question! Recently a young man told me his condo had just appraised at $460,000. But
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How to plan a move around your escrow closing

Question: “I’m really nervous about rushing to move out the day escrow closes. Escrows don’t always close on time, so how can I be expected to move with very little notice?” Answer: It can be stressful. I handle it for my clients this way: First, I explain to my clients up front that we can’t
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Can I trust the median value when pricing my home?

Question: “I live in North Clairemont and an agent told me my house is worth $575,000, but I saw online that the median in my zip is $667,400.  Do you think the agent is lowballing my home value?” Answer: I don’t have enough information to answer that. But here’s what I can tell you… First,
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Why pricing your home according to market value is important

Question: “I’m thinking of selling my condo and I want to get top dollar. So I’m thinking of starting high to see what happens…” Answer: Hold on a sec. Here’s the rule when pricing your home in anything OTHER than a market experiencing rapid appreciation: “The closer you price your home to market value, the
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Why you should choose a home price that is easy to remember

Question: “We’re thinking of pricing our home at value range $794,325 to $823,450. Do you think that’s a good range?” Answer: Sorry, but I don’t. I want you to do something. Tell that price to a friend of yours, then ask them to repeat it back to you. Odds are, they can’t. Why? Our brains
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