Currently in the Columbia Metropolitan Area properly priced homes often command full asking price. The important thing is to get the buyer through your front door! You can't sell your home if nobody sees it. Selling agents will decide what the buyer is going to see based on what they pull from the multiple listing service. If you price your home too high the agent may decide you are an unreasonable seller and never even show your home to the prospective buyer. Price it right and it will be shown, and if the buyer really likes it, he will pay what is asked. Informed buyers will demand a market analysis from their REALTOR®, and they will be able to see that you have already priced your home to market conditions.

A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is a record of what the buying public has been willing to pay in the past few months for a similar home in your neighborhood. A CMA differs from a formal appraisal. An appraisal is a report which is based only on past sales in the last six months. It is usually prepared on behalf of a mortgage lender who is loaning money on the property to a buyer. A CMA is a more comprehensive report which includes additional data on homes which are currently on the market, those that are pending sale (under contract), and those which failed to sell within the last six months. Unless you have a truly unique property or there is a difference of opinion on value among co-owners, a market analysis is  usually enough to set a proper listing price. (Never say asking price - this implies that you will accept less than the listed price).

• Houses in your price range and area sold within the last half-year
• Asking and selling prices of houses
• Current inventory of houses on the market
• Features of each house on the market