What Online Home Value Estimates Get Wrong

It takes about ten seconds to look up your home’s value online. Then you check another site, get a different number and wonder which one to believe.

When someone asks me what their house might sell for, one of my first questions is, “What’s changed since you bought it?” The answer can tell me quite a bit before I even pull up the sales.

Two houses can look alike on paper.

Picture two three-bedroom ranches with about the same square footage. One has a newer roof and a detached garage with room for a workshop. The other has a remodeled kitchen and a basement with a history of water problems. Those two houses can look like a good match on a screen. Walk through them with a buyer and you’ll hear two very different conversations.

I hear a lot once we’re back in the car. Buyers tell me what made a home worth a second look and what made them pass on one they loved in the photos. I bring that experience to your house when we talk about what’s worth fixing and what you can leave alone.

A good price starts with the right comparisons.

I sell homes in Topeka and Osage County. In town, layout and condition might help me narrow down the best comparable sales. For a rural home, I may look farther out to find properties with similar acreage, outbuildings and road access.

I look at what comparable homes sold for, how long they took to sell and what buyers can choose from today. When I can see that a seller helped with closing costs, I factor that in, too. Two homes can sell for the same price and leave their sellers with different amounts at closing.

If you’re curious what your home could sell for, give me a call or send me a message. I’m happy to walk through it with you, show you the sales I’d use and explain the price range I’d recommend. If you’re thinking about doing some work before you sell, let’s talk before you start writing checks.