When you are even thinking of selling your Chesterfield home, one of your first thoughts is "How much can I sell it for in the current market?" In this age when the Internet is a major tool in both home buying and selling, you are likely to ask for a computerized analysis on some agent's site. The number you see may make you happy or sad. What's important is that it is RIGHT.
As we will see below, what you are most likely to receive in an online competitive market analysis (CMA) is a ballpark figure. Only a real live real estate agent - and hopefully you will realize that your best choice is one from the Becky O'Neill POWER Team - can properly take the data for your home, evaluate it in view of the particular features that makes your home unique, and compare it to similar homes in the area. The analysis is free and does not commit you to list your home with Becky or any other agent you choose.
Why is this important? First, a correct CMA is the basis for pricing your home accurately. It is tempting to price it so it covers extras you have put into it and allow you to make a profit, but your dream price might not reflect reality. Many sellers have the "Taj Mahal syndrome" and overvalue their homes. Housing values have declined. It is also tempting to "test the waters" with a higher price than your agent suggests, but having the right price on your house when it is freshly listed will give you a competitive advantage.
In Chesterfield, MO, there are 426 3-bedroom homes in the area that range from $4.5 million to a low of $99,000. Though the average home in the neighborhood is $499,161, the median home in the area goes for $394,900. Within the city, there are four neighborhoods that span three zip codes, where the median values vary by nearly $170,000. Here's why a computerized CMA alone is not enough to adequately account for the differences
• The website may only have access to data for some sold properties in the St. Louis area. Only REALTORS® members who belong to the Greater St. Louis Multiple Listing Service have the complete picture.
• Computer searches compare your home to those within a certain distance from your home. Some homes in the area might not really be comparable in size, age, lot size, or condition.
• The computer obviously is working with a few statistics about your home, and cannot properly figure in the condition, the upgrades, the style, or the general appearance.
Your agent from the Becky O'Neill POWER Team knows the neighborhoods well enough to know that 
homes on your street bring you more than those on the next street. Almost every home in Chesterfield has the prerequisite granite counters and upgrades, but only an agent can translate those counters, plus your Italian marble foyer, your covered pool house, you amazing curb appeal, and other unique features into a higher asking price. If your home lacks what others in the neighborhood have, your agent will let you know.
Computerized CMA's, though useful, are produced by number crunching. Your agent from Becky's Team of young professionals offers the judgment and perception you need to position your home for a faster sale. Now that the home buyer's task credit is done, buyers are more picky about what home they want, so proper pricing is essential to making sure that your home is one of the one they want to see in person.
If you are even thinking of selling your home, call the Becky O'Neill POWER Team for a free market analysis. We promise a Positive Outcome With Exceptional Results. Visit www.beckyoneill.com and our property site, www.TheStLHomefinder.com today. We specialize in fine properties in Wildwood, Chesterfield, Manchester, Glencoe, Ballwin, Ellisville, Ladue, Clayton, Fenton, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Clarkson Valley, St. Charles, St, Peters, O'Fallon, Town & Country, and the surrounding area in St. Louis or St. Charles Counties and help you buy your next home too.
