Pricing your home to sell

One of the most important factors to consider when selling is price: how much your house is worth. You don't want to over price your home because you will lose the freshness of the home's appeal after the first two to three weeks of showings. After 21 days, demand and interest wane for buyers. On the other hand, don't worry about pricing it too low because homes priced below market value often will receive multiple offers, which will then drive up the price. Pricing is all about supply and demand. It's part art and part science, and no two agents price property the same way.
Pull Comparable Listings and Sales
Look at every similar home that have sold or is listed in the same neighborhood over the past six months because lenders will demand the apprasier to look at the last six months of comps.

The list should contain homes within a 1/4 mile to a 1/2 mile and no further, unless there are only a handful of comps in the general vicinity or the property is rural then use homes on your zip code or subdivision.
Pay attention to neighborhood dividing lines and physical barriers such as major streets, freeways or railroads, and do not compare inventory from the "other side of the tracks." Where I live, for example, identical homes across the street from each other can vary by $100,000. Perceptions and desirability have value.
Compare similar square footage, within 10% up or down from the subject property, if possible.
Similar ages. One neighborhood might consist of homes built in the 1950s next door to another ring of construction from the 1980s. Values between the two will differ. Compare apples to apples.

Sold Comps

Compare original list price to final sales price to determine price reductions.
Compare final sales price to actual sold price to determine ratios.
Adjust pricing for lot size variances, configuration and amenities / upgrades.

Withdrawn & Expired Listings

Look for patterns as to why these homes did not sell. Think about the steps you can take to prevent your home from becoming an expired listing. Make note of the days on market, which may have a direct bearing on how long it will take before you see an offer.
Examine the history of these listings to determine price reductions.

Active Listings

These matter only as they compare to your listing, but bear in mind that sellers can ask whatever they want.
To see what buyers will see, you may want tour these homes. Make note of what you like and dislike, the general feeling you get upon entering these homes. If possible, recreate those feelings of reception in your own home.
These homes are your competition. Ask yourself why a buyer would prefer your home over any of these and adjust your price accordingly.

Square Foot Cost Comparisons

Remember that after you receive an offer, the buyer's lender will order an appraisal, so you will want to compare homes of similar square footage.
Appraisers don't like to deviate more 25% and prefer to stay within 10% of net square footage computations. If your home is 2000 sq. ft., comparable homes are those sized 1800 to 2200 sq. ft.
Average square foot cost does not mean you can multiple your square footage by that number unless your home is average sized. The price per square foot rises as the size decreases and it decreases as the size increases, meaning larger homes have a smaller square foot cost and smaller homes have a larger square foot cost.

Market Dependent Pricing

Same house, three different prices. After you have collected all your data, the next step is to analyze the data based on market conditions. For comparison purposes, let's say the last three comparable sales in your neighborhood were $150,000. In a Buyers Market, your sales price might allow some wiggle room for negotiation but be strong enough (near the last comparable sale) to entice a buyer to tour your home. To sell in this market, you might need to price your home at $149,900, settling for $145,000.
In a Sellers Market, you might want to add 10% more to the last comparable sale. When there is little inventory and many buyers, you can ask more than the last comparable sale and likely get it. So that $150,000 home might sell at $165,000 or more.
In a Neutral Market, you may want to initially set your price at the last comparable sale and then adjust for the market trend. For example, if the last sale closed three months ago, but the median price has edged upwards of 1% per month, pricing at $154,500 would make sense.

Lease-to-Own Primer

Lease-to-own agreements can help sell a hard-to-sell property during a sluggish housing market. Here’s how they work:
A seller agrees to rent a property to an interested buyer for a set period of time, usually one to three years. At the end of the lease, the buyer has the option to purchase the home at a preset price.
A portion of the monthly rent paid during the lease is usually counted toward the down payment. To cover that, the seller charges a rent increment or monthly premium of $200 to $300 compared to comparable rentals.
Many owners also charge an option fee for taking the property off the market, usually 1 percent to 2 percent of the sale price. This may be applied toward the purchase.
Sellers have no guarantee that renters will buy at the end of the term, but if they don’t, they keep the option fee and the amount of the rent that would have gone toward the down payment.

FIRE POWER

Fireplaces have irresistible appeal. Just picturing a fireplace conjures feelings of warmth and coziness. Even in warmer climates where people don’t rely on them for heat, fireplaces add charm, character and value — about $12,000 per fireplace, according to the National Association
of REALTO RS® — to homes. They lend ambiance to just about any room, and with so many varieties and options available, it’s easy to see why people want them. If you don’t have a fireplace in your home, it’s easier than you might think to add one — without undergoing a complete remodel or major construction. Gas and electric models are more popular and affordable than ever and easy to install. And with so many options for every space and budget, the hardest part is choosing one that best suits your needs. If you do have a fireplace in your home, whether it’s the wood-burning, gas or electric variety, the most important factor is maintenance. Like cars, fireplaces need annual tune-ups. If you have a chimneybased fireplace — traditional wood-burning or top-vent gas — you should have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the chimney at least once a year or after approximately 80 fires. It’s also a good idea to have a certified service technician come out once a year to inspect other types of gas fireplaces and to replace bulbs on electric units.