Should I Hire the Realtor Who Says My House Is Worth the Most?

Why the highest suggested list price isn't always the best pricing strategy

You're interviewing real estate agents to sell your home.

One tells you your home is worth $625,000.

Another says $650,000.

And the third says $700,000.

Let's be honest—which number do you want to believe?

Probably $700,000.

I would too.

But before choosing an agent based on the number you like best, there's a much more important question to ask:

“Can you show me why?”

Start With the Market

When I recommend a listing price, I should be able to show you the information I used to get there.

What have similar homes actually sold for?

What's currently for sale?

How long are homes taking to sell?

Are prices moving up, down or holding relatively steady?

How does your home compare with the competition a buyer will see when your property hits the market?

Real estate market statistics aren't perfect, and no two homes are identical. But there should be evidence supporting the pricing conversation.

If another agent believes your home is worth substantially more than I do, I'd genuinely like to understand why.

Maybe they see something I don't.

That's information worth exploring.

What Makes Your Home Different?

The next thing I'd want to examine is your property itself.

Have you remodeled the kitchen?

Updated bathrooms?

Replaced major systems?

Added an RV garage or shop?

Do you have an exceptional lot, view, landscaping or other feature that competing properties don't?

Those things matter.

Two houses with similar square footage in the same general area aren't necessarily worth the same amount.

That's one reason I don't like relying solely on price per square foot when determining a home's value.

Your house isn't just a mathematical equation.

But if we're going to argue that your property deserves a premium over comparable homes, we should be able to explain why.

The List Price and the Sales Price Are Two Different Things

This distinction is important.

An agent can recommend almost any listing price.

That doesn't mean the market will produce that sales price.

I sometimes joke that I'd like to turn pricing into a game show.

Before the house goes on the market, every agent writes down what they believe the home will ultimately sell for. We seal the answers in envelopes, hide them somewhere, and don't open them until closing.

Now that would be interesting.

Because the goal isn't to win the listing presentation.

The goal is to develop a strategy that helps the seller accomplish what matters to them.

Ask What Happens If the Market Disagrees

Here's a question I'd encourage sellers to ask every agent they interview:

“If we list at this price and buyers don't respond, what happens next?”

That's an important conversation to have before the home goes on the market.

What indicators will you watch?

Showings?

Online activity?

Feedback?

Competing listings?

Offers—or the absence of them?

And at what point do you reevaluate the strategy?

I don't think a seller should be surprised three weeks into a listing when the first serious conversation about pricing finally happens.

What Is Most Important to You?

This is the part that sometimes gets lost in a pricing conversation.

Selling for the highest possible price may be important—but it probably isn't your only goal.

How quickly do you need to move?

Where are you going next?

Do you need proceeds from this home to purchase another one?

How important is personal communication?

How much disruption can you tolerate?

Are you comfortable testing the market, or would that create unnecessary stress?

There isn't one correct strategy for every seller.

That's why I want to understand you before we decide how we're going to sell your house.

What If I Don't Agree With Your Price?

Sometimes a seller believes their home is worth considerably more than I believe the market supports.

That doesn't make the seller wrong.

And it doesn't automatically make me right.

We can look at the information, talk about the differences and decide whether there's a strategy we're both comfortable with.

But sometimes I may have to say:

“I may not be the right agent to sell this home.”

That's not a conversation I particularly enjoy having.

But I think it's more respectful than telling someone what I think they want to hear and planning to have a very different conversation with them later.

A successful listing requires a relationship.

We need to be able to look at the same information, talk honestly about what we're seeing and make decisions together.

Don't Choose the Number. Choose the Reasoning.

If you're interviewing agents to sell your Boise-area home and one recommends a significantly higher price, don't automatically reject that number.

But don't automatically believe it either.

Ask:

Why?

Ask to see the market information.

Ask what makes your home worth more.

Ask about the pricing strategy.

Ask what happens if buyers don't respond.

And ask yourself whether this is someone you trust to have an honest conversation with you if the market tells you something neither of you wanted to hear.

Because choosing a listing agent isn't simply about finding the person who gives you the biggest number.

It's about finding someone you trust to help you interpret what the market tells you—and decide what to do next.

Thinking About Selling in Boise, Eagle or Meridian?

Every home—and every seller—is different. If you're considering selling a home in Boise, Eagle, Meridian or the Treasure Valley, I'm happy to look at the property, review the market data and talk through what a pricing strategy might look like for your particular situation.

Elizabeth Hume
Associate Broker | Eagle, Idaho