·        PRICING THE HOUSE TO SELL

Buyers will pay what other buyers are willing to pay for houses like yours and no more.  With today's technology buyers have unprecedented access to information.  I will provide you with a "Competitive Market Analysis" which will show you exactly how much a buyer paid in the past for comparable properties.

Do not set your price based on what you heard a neighbor got for their house.  From the statistics you will find that most people do not "get their price" but to protect their egos will instead tell you they "got what they wanted".  To assume they received the asking price will cause you to substantially overprice your property.

Beware of agents who try to "Buy Your Listing".  In other words, agents who suggest your home is worth more than it actually is to get the listing then convince you to bring the price down later in order to get it sold.  This tactic hurts you because by the time you eventually lower the price to a realistic level serious buyers have usually lost interest.  If you decide to list with an agent who offers to market your house at a substantially higher price than I tell you its worth, do yourself a favor and stick to your price. 

Again, buyers will pay what the house is worth and no more.  It doesn't matter how high a price you place on your house.  In fact, putting an artificially high price to "test the market" can actually result in a lower than market value for your property because if you lose the most valuable marketing period (the first 30 days) the only offers you are likely to receive are low ones.

If you want the highest possible price for your house advertise it at the price that it will sell at and make sure it is in optimum showing condition.  If your price and "curb appeal" attract a lot of interest in your house it could cause a "bidding war".  If not, at least it will sell at the highest price in the shortest amount of time.

No serious agent wants to "give away" your house at a bargain price because the higher price it sells for the more commission they will earn.  However, you don't want to allow the property to sit on the market until it becomes "stale".  If this happens, buyers will wonder "What is wrong with the house" or "Why hasn't it sold yet?"  If you get any offers at this point the only offers you will get from these buyers are low offers.

If you want to get your house sold... price it right.  This way you will get the highest price and be able to move on with your life.