Rockland County, NY Real Estate - Pricing -- it's the single most important factor in selling your listing.

Pricing -- it's the single most important factor in selling your listing. And let's be blunt here; it doesn't matter what they (client) think the home is worth. What matters is what the BUYER thinks the home is worth! With the Internet most buyers are educated buyers, and a dedicated buyers agent would do a CMA for their buyers, buyers could go online and get the value of the home they are interested in.

Doing a professionally prepared Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is the critical step in pricing the home. A CMA is what professional appraisers and real estate agents develop in order to determine the MARKET VALUE of the home. Because home values appreciate over time, the CMA maximizes listing prices by looking at Past Sales (TT) / Under Contract (UC) / Present Listing (Active) and Future.

But not all CMAs are created equal. Many agents and appraisers look only at recent MLS (Multiple Listing Service) sales for similar homes near you. A good CMA however, will include much more. To properly prepare a CMA an agent MUST also do a tax record search for non-MLS sales. This takes a lot of time and effort, and let's face it; not everyone is willing or able to put in the time and effort it requires. WE SHOULD BE WILLING, AND ABLE!

Why is it critical to investigate tax records and deed filings? Simple. Not every house that is sold is listed in the MLS. Some people successfully sell their homes themselves. Some relocation companies don't list homes in the MLS, and some homes are sold under exclusive listing agreements--"inside" or "pocket" sales within a particular real estate agency. A simple MLS search may be leaving out many comparable home sales.

You (The Agents) should be the local experts and should be happy to sit down with your clients and answer all questions, and prepare a unique Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) which goes beyond just looking at comparable neighborhood sales, with hard work you can arrive at a selling price representative of your client home's true Market Value. GOOD LUCK!

For assistance with any of your real estate needs, please contact me by email, phone or visit me at my office, whether it's to get started on helping you realize your goals and dreams, or just to ask a question - no pressure, no hassle, no obligation - just a friendly conversation. I would welcome the opportunity to make a difference for you.

Anthony Stokes Pereira Office: (845) 770-2188 Cell: (845) 538-7021 Fax: (845) 624-7137 Email: anthony.stokespereira@randrealty.com www.anthonystokespereira.com