Do you know how to find the true value of a house in Baltimore, Maryland? Whether you are selling your house or not, its a good idea to keep tabs on the value of your home. We can help! Learn how to do it in our latest post!
Many sellers think they know how to find the true value of a house in Baltimore but often times their numbers can be off. There are many reasons as to why but it is never as simple as relying on Zillow or your property appraiser to tell you how much to sell your house for. Before you decide whether to sell your house directly or hire an agent, you’ll want to know how to find the true value of a house in Baltimore. Here are a few ways to get an accurate value of your house in Baltimore.
Run A CMA
A Competitive Market Analysis or CMA, are often prepared by real estate agents, however, it isn’t anything you can’t do on your own. A CMA will take information from recently sold properties in your area, and provide you with an estimate on what your house will currently sell for. The information can be found on any site that shares MLS data such as Zillow or Trulia. You should look at at least three similar properties, comparing them to yours, and adding and subtracting for things like the number of rooms, lot size, and square footage. Average out the sale prices to determine a good base point for the value of your house in Baltimore. Many agents will provide you with a CMA free of charge. Just make sure there isn’t a catch, obligating you into a listing you don’t really want or need.
Online Calculators
There are many great tools out there that will help you determine the value of your home. These calculators can only work based on the information you provide, so make sure your facts are accurate. Some of the sites you can use include Chase, Zillow, Redfin, HomeGain, Remax, and Realtor.com. Make sure to look at a few of these sites, so you can compare the numbers and determine an average. No site is completely fool-proof, and your value might vary a bit from site to site. The calculators may tell you one thing, but at the end of the day it really comes down to supply and demand.
Hire An Appraiser
When you are still questioning the value of your property, hiring an appraiser can give you the professional opinion you need. An appraisal can be performed for just a few hundred dollars and will give you valuable insight into the value of your home. Before choosing an appraiser for your property, take some time to do some research. What are their experience levels and specialities Many sellers will schedule appraisals and inspections before putting their homes on the Baltimore. This will help them know what their property is worth and what challenges they might run into once a buyer is found. A professional appraisal can also help if you are challenging the about you are being assessed for property taxes. Many times people will feel as if they are being charged too much for their Baltimore property taxes. Having an appraisal done by a licensed Baltimore area appraiser will help you effectively challenge your local property appraiser if needed.
Watch The Market
Property values fluctuate. You can ofter discover trends when you study home values over time. Your property may be worth more in the summer than it is in the winter, or vice versa. While this isn’t true for every property, some property values will fluctuate based on the season, demand, and availability. As a homeowner, it’s important to always keep your eye on the market. This will help you sell at the time of year that will be the most profitable for you so you can sell your house for as much as possible.
What To Watch Out For…
Keep in mind that agents like to inflate the asking price in order to get the highest commission possible. By knowing the value before going into a sale, you will have the upper hand and will be able to help price your house accurately when selling your Baltimore house.
As always the land your house is sitting is worth something as well. Some locations are more valuable than others. While double and triple lots will be worth much more. Make sure the land is buildable and doesn’t have any problems that can lower the value of your property. You can simply doing this by calling up your local county zoning to ask what type of land your house sits on.
If you opt to have an agent create a CMA for you, make sure all of the data provided is correct. You’ll want to check everything out for yourself to ensure accuracy in your valuation.