Every seller wants to sell his/her home in the shortest amount of time at the highest price. When it comes to selling your home, positioning is everything.

Incorrect positioning commonly happens out of the right intention:

“I want the most I can get for my home, so I’m going to price it high and negotiate down to the amount I want.”

On the surface this approach seems to make sense; buyers are going to want to negotiate a better deal for themselves. The major flaw with this approach shows itself in a neighborhood with comparable homes for sale. The seller one street down and one block over has listed his home at a price that realistically reflects the market, is lower than yours, and comes in slightly under your other neighbors.  This seller has properly positioned his home to sell for the most money in the shortest time.

“But he’s listing for less than his neighbors, so how can he get the most amount of money?”

Simple. It comes down to value.  Buyers visit every home in the neighborhood that falls within their price range (unless the pictures on the internet scare them away first, but that’s another post).  They’re looking for the home that gives them the most for their money.  If the sellers in a neighborhood have comparable homes, the one who is priced at or below market value will have an immediate edge over those taking the approach of starting out above value and negotiating down.  The one at market value has begun the process by giving potential buyers more for their money and has a market position of advantage over the competition.  Out of the five homes selling in his neighborhood, his is the one that is going to generate offers.  Since it’s reflective of the current market, the seller’s price is based on what his home is truly worth.

His home is also the most likely in the neighborhood to generate multiple offers simultaneously, which can lead to a bidding war where buyers are coming in with their best bids rather than lowball offers.

At Crandon Hill Realty, your agent will provide you with a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that compares the prices of at least three properties in your neighborhood that are similar to yours and have sold in the past six months.  Your agent will then examine the status of the current market in your neighborhood to help you determine the best price to position your home for maximum market leverage.