Kamloops Real Estate: How To Determine Your Homes Value

Kamloops Home Evaluation & AppraisalThere are many reasons for a seller to want to sell their home, but the main goals are to sell it fast and for the highest price possible. It is important that before you list your home on the real estate market that you establish a list price. To figure out your homes value, you don’t base it on what you bought your home for or how you have improved or renovated your home. The value of a home is solely based on market value or simply what a buyer would pay for the home. “Market value is the price at which a particular house, in its current condition, will sell within 30 to 90 days.” Three things make up market value: The specific Home, the present condition of the home and what it will sell for in 30-90 days.

The best way to determine the value of a home is to either get an appraisal or a comparative market analysis (CMA). Appraisals must be conducted by a certified appraiser and a CMA is conducted by a Realtor. Each assessment is based on recent sales of comparable properties, location, construction / upgrade quality, floor plan, and distance to schools, shopping and transportation etc. A CMA is free of charge on the other hand an appraisal commonly costs between $300 and $500.

Specific Home:  Market value of a home is limited to the specific home. Often homes in different neighbourhoods in the city are not comparable because there are many factors that are different about each neighbourhood. This is why when considering the value of a home you have to compare it to similar homes in the same neighbourhood.

Present condition of the Home:  The second aspect in order to determine the market value is the condition of the home. Often the condition is referred to how the home “shows”. Things like improvements, renovations, maintenance and cleanliness are important factors to consider when assessing your home’s ability to show well. Homes that require work typically take longer to sell. Some people believe that to determine market value they subtract the amount of estimated fix up costs from the selling price. This is not the correct way to evaluate a home. If a home that is in good condition sells for $100,000 and your home needs $5,000 in updates the list price should not be $95,000. To attract buyers, the home that needs updates has to be reduced beyond the cost of the repairs.

30 to 90 days:  A competitively priced home typically sells within 30 to 90 days. If a home doesn’t sell in that time period, the simple explanation is the price is too high. Many people believe that Realtors are in charge of market value, but the only determining factor of a home sale, is that a buyer is willing to buy that home at the agreed price, plain and simple.  We are experiencing a slow market currently in Kamloops. Homes are taking longer to sell, but homes that are priced competitively do sell within this time period.

It is important to get a number of professional opinions about the current real estate market. It is essential to get educated about market conditions, recent sales in your neighbourhood, condition of the home, your urgency to sell, financing, additional items (i.e. redecorating allowance, appliances), and outstanding repairs. In a buyers market, there are many more homes for sale than the demand from buyers. Buyers take more time choosing a home and when they place an offer they have much more negotiating power.

Price is the most important factor to consider when selling your home. An overpriced home will sit on the market and may not sell. Price reductions are not a bad thing, think of a price reduction as a market adjustment. Sellers need to adjust their price to what the  market dictates. If a seller prices too high to begin with, the seller may receive less than if the home was priced competitively in the beginning.  Currently many sellers in Kamloops are chasing the market down. As they adjust their price downwards they are only pricing to the current level of the market. In order to sell your home today, you have to price it under the curve and catch the buyers as the market adjusts downwards.

Kamloops Home Evaluation Interested in finding out what your home is worth? Click here to find out. Contact me directly if you have any questions.