I had an interesting conversation with a Seller client recently. We were talking about how to price his property for sale. I made the comment that his home was NOT worth what we might list it at. Okay, that’s fairly obvious! I went on to tell him that it may NOT even be worth the price that the eventual Buyer offers to pay for it. At that statement the Seller tilted his head and looked at me quizzically. I told the Seller that his home will be worth what the Appraiser says it is worth (assuming that the buyer is not paying cash).

          Here’s what I mean … We all know that Appraisers have been under a great deal of fire from the lending world to be accurate, even conservative, with their appraisals. And should an appraisal come in below the contract price that the Buyer and Seller have agreed on, you can bet in this market that the Buyer is going to want to re-negotiate the contract price down to appraised value.

          So what is the moral of the story for Sellers? There are actually two … Consider getting a professional appraisal up front before deciding on a listing price AND work with a professional real estate agent who will meet with the Appraiser at your property and give them a written list of all the upgrades and features of the property that support the contract price. Your agent should be working hard to get you every dollar you deserve!

          If you have any questions about listing your property for sale please contact me. Aloha, Allison