What is your home worth?

There are many elements that affect the value of your home…Some under your control, but sadly, most are not.

The condition is certainly under your control:

• What does it look like from the curb?
  Is the landscaping attractive? How is the paint?
• Are there maintenance issues?
  How is the roof, the plumbing, carpets, floors?
• The furnishings
  While people are not buying your furniture, they do make a presentation. What do the draperies look like.
  Is the house clean, neat and sparsely decorated?
• Neutral colors are easier to sell than vibrant or busy patterns.

When during the year you decide to sell may, or may not, be under your control.

Other factors are simply out of your control:

Your few blocks that make up your neighborhood:
Do they demonstrate pride of ownership? Are the neighbors improving their homes? Are your near distractions, like a freeway or an attractions, like a park or shopping?

Your city or community:
Are jobs moving in or out? Is it a well-run government?
A highly desirable location?

The general economy:
How is consumer confidence? How is the stock market? Is it an election year? What are interest rates?

Your competition:
It is more than just your direct neighbors. You competition is every house on the market in a fairly large area in your price range. What are the buyers other choices to spend their housing dollars?

Do the best you can with what you can control and carefully consider everything. Try not to judge the information, or take it personally. Just use it to make the best choice your can about price. Go for a price that is just over what other, similar homes have sold for and just under what your competition is asking.

Then, keep integrating any new information that the MARKET gives you along the way.

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