I Can’t List Your House based on What You Want to Net
Kathy McGuriman of Lansdale, PA writes this excellent post for her hypothetical (possibly not so hypothetical) seller. The real estate market doesn't care what you need or would like to get for your home. You will get what a buyer is willing to pay. And that value ir more often than not within a few percentage points of market value.
I hear this comment several times from a prospective seller, "If I don't get X from the sale of my home, I won't be able to do Y". So "we" need to price it at Z! Mr. & Mrs. Seller, this is not a good approach to take in selling your home. It doesn't matter to a prospective buyer what you want to net. The only thing that matters is what a buyer is willing to pay for your home.
I research, very diligently, what has sold in the area, comparable to your home. Remember, your home will have to appraise. An appraiser will look at those comparables as well. I look at what is on the market that is your competition. We want a buyer to choose your home over the others. I evaluate how many houses sell per month and how many are listed in the area of your home. That is an indication of the number of buyers. And then I do the math to reach a price to market your home based on its condition, location, appeal. There is no calculation for what you want to net.
Agents don't create the market. Market demand, interest rates, the economy and inventory are what control the local market. We realtors can't fix the economy and we can't change what people are willing to pay for your house. So we cannot control what you want to net.
I Can't List Your House based on What You Want to Net
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