"What do you think my home is worth?"

It's funny being a Realtor. We've often been compared to nothing more than glorified used car salespeople, paper-pushers, free-loaders, and the list goes on and on.  Yet we're trusted with selling many of your largest and most valuable assets.  What's even more intriguing is how everyone wants to talk about real estate, and when most people learn I'm a Realtor, they can't help but let it all out (despite what they might be thinking).

When I meet someone, the first thing they usually ask is, "So how's the market?" After a few minutes of explaining, "Well, it's not that bad really," the conversation usually switches to, "I did this to my place, did that, upgraded this, ripped out that, added this, supported that, my neighbors did this and it sold for that, if I did this would it be worth that, etc., etc., etc." I usually try to take a mental picture of what they're telling me and imagine other homes I've seen that sound similar, but it's not that simple.  Then comes the million dollar question that everybody is dying to know, "So what do you think my home is worth?"

I kindly advise these new acquaintances I really can't speak to the value of their home without seeing it, but that advice often seems to go in one ear and out the other, because before I know it, they're telling me about what they paid, why they paid it, and if they sold it today it would be worth at least $XXX,000 more. Then they ask again, "So what do you think my home is worth?"  This is all great and I love to talk real estate, but let's get real. You will ALWAYS think your home is better than the other, and I will ALWAYS be wrong about the price if I've never seen your home.

If you want to know the true value of your home somebody is going to have to come inside your front door and assess it. DO NOT use Zillow or any of the other new sites popping up for that matter, because they are incredibly inaccurate. Call a Realtor. They'll come take a look at it (free of charge), tell you what they think it is worth, and you can kick them to the curb immediately after, because that visit won't cost you a thing, and it'll be a helluva lot more accurate than any estimate I could give you while sitting in the sandbox, or Zillow could give you while searching your tax records. It's the best way to truly answer the question, "So what do you think my home is worth?"

(You'll likely never believe me when I say this, but selling real estate is a tough, tough business to be in, and anyone that thinks it's easy money is grossly mistaken, but that is an entirely different conversation and something we've already been through (in depth) on my blog).
Topics: san francisco real estate , alex clark , home value