The right listing price comes from a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) — not Zillow, not what your neighbor got two years ago, not what you need to net. A CMA looks at 6-8 homes that sold within the past 90 days, within a half-mile radius, with similar square footage, bedroom count, lot size, and condition. Your agent adjusts for differences: a finished basement adds value, an older roof subtracts, a busy street discounts.
Per DMAR, the current list-to-sale ratio is 97.9% — sellers are accepting about 2% below asking on average. The right strategy is to price at market value (not above), which attracts more buyers and potentially multiple offers that compete the price back up. Overpricing by even 5% dramatically reduces showing traffic — buyers’ agents filter by price band and your home simply won’t appear in searches for what it’s actually worth.