As real estate agents, we are often asked: “What do you think my place is worth?”

It’s common small-talk at parties, dinner, in line for a coffee (sight unseen!). We don’t mind at all talking real estate but that sort of question makes us wonder how a home owner got the impression that we could just pull an accurate number out of thin air.

We spoke with two people in the last month who gave us some insight into this phenomenon: they both had had similar experiences where a well known, reputable agent in their area walked through their home and pulled a number from thin air when they were done the tour. And why that price? Because they are considered the neighbourhood authority.

This gets under our skin, big time. We don’t feel that being an agent means we have the magical power to just throw out a number and therefore “it is so”. This is, in most cases, the most valuable, expensive thing that you own. It’s a big deal. There’s no reason to be flippant about it.

So, while we love to talk about real estate  (and regale you with our tales of dirty underwear, passed out tenants and creepy basement rooms), we want to respect you when it comes to pricing your home.

How do we do that? In an ideal situation we would walk through your home, take some notes, ask some questions and then get down to work preparing a Comparative Market Analysis. Crunch numbers, weigh out the differences and study market trends. When we meet back up to review you’ll know we aren’t coming in blind or wearing top hats to pull a number out of. But we can bring a wand if you want it to appear a little magical. Up to you.

The two key elements in selling a home are price and marketing. Check out our marketing plan under Selling to see our comprehensive strategy.