Pricing Your Home
Pricing your home correctly is both an art and a science. The right price balances objective market data with an intuitive understanding of your property’s unique appeal and current market conditions.
The goal is to find a price that:
- Attracts qualified buyers
- Maximizes your return
- Helps your home sell quickly
While you set the asking price, the market determines the value. Buyers ultimately decide what your home is worth based on how it compares to others available in your area. Avoid letting emotion or enthusiasm lead to overpricing — it’s one of the most common and costly mistakes sellers make.
The Importance of Proper Pricing
Setting the right price from the start offers major advantages:
- Faster sale with fewer disruptions
- Greater exposure to serious buyers
- Increased interest from Realtors®
- More advertising and sign call activity
- Higher-quality offers
- Maximum net proceeds
- Avoids the “shopworn” effect of a stale listing
Buyers will always compare your home to others for sale nearby. A well-priced property stands out and generates immediate attention.
Common Reasons Homes Are Overpriced
- Over-improving beyond neighborhood standards
- Emotional attachment or personal bias
- Trying to recover a high original purchase price
- Relying on assessed value or opinions from friends and family
- Lack of current market data
- Leaving “bargaining room” in the price
- No urgency to move
- Comparing to higher-priced areas nearby
The Dangers of Overpricing
The first few weeks on the market are crucial — that’s when your listing gets the most attention. Overpricing can quickly derail momentum and lead to long-term setbacks:
- Missed early buyer interest and urgency
- Reduced visibility as newer listings take priority
- Appraisal issues that can cause loan delays or denials
- Hesitation from buyers and agents who assume something is wrong
- Attracting the wrong buyer demographic
- Helping competing homes sell faster
- Increased carrying costs — mortgage, taxes, insurance, and maintenance — while waiting for a sale
Even if your home offers more features or upgrades than others, buyers won’t schedule a showing if the price feels out of line with the market.
The Role of a Real Estate Agent in Pricing
A skilled real estate agent helps you navigate pricing strategically by providing a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) — a detailed review of recently sold, active, and pending homes similar to yours in location, style, and amenities.
Your agent will:
- Analyze comparable sales and current competition
- Estimate your potential net proceedsafter closing costs
- Recommend marketing strategiesand offering incentives
- Keep you informed on market trendsand buyer activity
- Help you determine the right balance between price, timing, and presentation
Remember:
There’s no exact price for real estate — the market determines value, and together, we determine the price.
An agent cannot control the market, but they can control the marketing plan, ensuring your home receives maximum exposure and interest. Always choose your agent based on their expertise, not the price they promise.
Ready to Learn What Your Home Is Worth?
Marketing Your Home
A successful home sale begins with a strong marketing strategy. Our comprehensive approach combines professional presentation, wide-reaching exposure, and the latest technology to ensure your property stands out to qualified buyers — both locally and online.
Multiple Listing Service (MLS)
Your home is immediately listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), a powerful database used by member brokers to share up-to-date property information. The MLS features detailed descriptions and professional photos, accessible to thousands of agents and their buyers.
We personally manage your listing submission to ensure your home is presented with the most compelling photos, accurate details, and engaging descriptions — maximizing its visibility and appeal from day one.
Online Exposure
With over 80% of buyers starting their search online, a strong digital presence is essential. Your property will appear:
- Under Featured Listingson our website
- On all major local real estate websites connected to the MLS
Our website offers advanced tools such as interactive maps, virtual tours, and automated email alertsto keep buyers engaged and returning frequently. This ensures your home reaches the widest possible audience — from local buyers to those relocating from out of the area.
For Sale Signs and Brochure Boxes
A distinctive “For Sale” sign is promptly placed on your property to attract drive-by buyers and neighborhood interest. Each sign includes a brochure box stocked with professional photo flyers and property details, allowing buyers to take information with them even when you’re not home.
Professional Photo Flyers
Our Commitment
From MLS exposure to digital marketing and professional presentation, every detail of our marketing plan is designed to generate maximum interest and deliver the best possible results.
Your home deserves more than just a listing — it deserves a strategic marketing campaign that gets it sold.
Showing Your Home
First Impressions are Lasting Impressions.
The exterior of your home often determines how buyers will view the interior, so:
- Make sure your front entrance is clean and inviting.
- Paint or replace your front door if it’s faded or worn.
- Add some paint to shutters, trim and any other outside features showing signs of wear.
Add vibrant plants and put down some fresh mulch.
Accentuate the Positive.
“How we live in a home and how we sell a home are often two different things.” Try to see your home with a fresh perspective and arrange each room to bring out its best attributes, including:
- Keep windows and floors clean.
- Replace faded wallpaper and glue any areas that have come away from the wall.
- Repair worn woodwork.
- Repaint scarred or dirty walls in a neutral color.
- Steam clean carpeting or replace it, if necessary.
- Repair loose knobs, sticking doors and windows, warped cabinet drawers, broken light switches and other minor flaws.
- Check and repair caulking in bathtubs and showers.
Try to see your home with a fresh perspective and arrange each room to bring out its best attributes, including:
- Open draperies and curtains to let the light in during the showing.
- Remove all unnecessary clutter from your attic, basement and closets to better display spacious rooms (consider storage or a garage sale to dispose of extraneous items).
- Arrange all your rooms neatly and remove excess furniture. Keep fresh, clean towels in the bathroom. Use candles or air fresheners to make the room smell pleasant.
Put Your Home in the best possible light.
Strategically lighting your home, even during daytime showings, can create a cozy mood and highlight positive attributes of each room, so:
- Avoid the use of overhead lighting that makes rooms look washed out and lifeless.
- Be creative and arrange lamps to help smaller rooms seem larger, and large rooms seem more intimate.
- Use lighting to highlight the “living areas” of your home, such as a pair of chairs near a fireplace, or a table in a breakfast area.
Inside:
- Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items.
- Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops. If it hasn’t been used for three months…put it away!
- Clear refrigerator fronts of messages, pictures, etc. (A sparse kitchen helps buyers mentally move their own things into your kitchen.)
- In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from countertops, tubs, shower stalls and commode tops. Keep only your most needed cosmetics, brushes, perfumes, etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only.
- Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. As owners, many times we have too much furniture in a room. This is wonderful for our personal enjoyment, but when it comes to selling, we need to thin out as much as possible to make rooms appear larger.
- Take down or rearrange certain pictures or object on walls. Patch and paint if necessary.
- Review the house inside room by room. Paint any room needing paint, clean carpets or drapes that need it, clean windows.
- Leave on certain lights during the day. During “showings” turn on all lights and lamps.
- Have stereo FM on during the day for all viewings.
- Lockbox–#1 Importance: “If we don’t have it, they won’t show it.”
Outside:
- Trim landscaping to reveal architectural detail (bottom of windows, etc.). “If they can’t see it, we can’t sell it.”
- Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., into the garage.
- Check gutters and/or roof for dry rot. Make sure they are swept and cleaned.
- Look at all plants…prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows. “You can’t sell a house if you can’t see it.” Plants are like children-they grow so fast!!
- Weed and then bark all planting areas. Keep lawn freshly cut and fertilized. Remove any dead plants or shrubs.
- Clear patios or decks of all small items, such as small planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecues, toys, etc. (Put them in the garage).
- Check paint condition of the house-especially the front door and trim. “Curb appeal really works!”
In General
Nine Minute Showing Drill
Occasionally you will receive a call to schedule a showing to take place within the next few minutes. The following is a checklist for this type of panic:
- Sound: Turn off the television and tune the radio (low volume) to a soft rock, middle of the road or classic rock station.
- Sight: Turn on every light in the house (day or night) and open every drape and blind (day time only).
- Odors: Heat some frozen pastry slowly in the oven or heat a pan on the stove and then drop in a few drops of vanilla.
- Kitchen: Wipe kitchen counters, place dirty dishes in dishwasher.
- Bathrooms: Wipe counters, flush and close toilets.
- Living/Family Rooms: Hide magazines, newspapers, and games; remove clutter.
- Bedrooms: Straighten beds. Hide clutter under bed (not in closet).
- Exterior: Put away toys and clutter. Keep walk clear.
- Children & Pets: They are a distraction, so send them outside.
- Goodbye: Sorry, but this is the single most important thing you can do in a showing to help sell your home! Even if the showing agent insists that it is okay to stay, you must leave. Buyers must get emotionally committed to your home to buy it and they cannot become emotional about “their new home” if you, the current owners, are “hanging around.” Please, at the very least, go into the backyard. Even better, go to the store.
Home Safety and First Aid Supplies for Every Household
By William Lowden, Lic. #0603748
A well-prepared home safety setup includes both preventive measures (like smoke detectors and fire extinguishers) and response tools (like first aid kits and emergency supplies). Below is a comprehensive guide to what every home should have and why.
1. Core Home Safety Equipment
These items help prevent accidents and provide immediate response in emergencies:
- Smoke alarms:Install on every level of your home and inside each bedroom. Test monthly and replace batteries twice a year.
- Carbon monoxide detectors:Place near bedrooms and fuel-burning appliances.
- Fire extinguishers:Keep at least one in the kitchen, garage, and near sleeping areas. Choose an ABC-rated extinguisher for all fire types.
- Fire blankets:Useful for small kitchen fires or to wrap around a person if clothing catches fire.
- Flashlights and lanterns:Keep battery-powered or rechargeable lights in every major room.
- Surge protectors:Protect electronics from electrical surges or lightning strikes.
- Escape ladders:For multi-story homes, store collapsible ladders near bedroom windows.
- Emergency shut-off tools:Wrenches or pliers to turn off gas, water, or electricity in case of leaks or disasters.
- Home security system:Motion detectors, cameras, and alarms deter intruders and provide early warning.
2. Comprehensive First Aid Kit
A first aid kit should be accessible, well-stocked, and regularly checked for expired items.
Essential items include:
- Adhesive bandages (various sizes)
- Sterile gauze pads and adhesive tape
- Antiseptic wipes and hydrogen peroxide
- Antibiotic ointment
- Tweezers and small scissors
- Disposable gloves
- Instant cold packs
- Elastic bandages (ACE wraps)
- Thermometer
- Pain relievers (acetaminophen, ibuprofen)
- Antihistamines for allergic reactions
- Hydrocortisone cream for bites or rashes
- Burn ointment or aloe gel
- Eye wash solution (saline)
- CPR face shield or mask
- First aid manual or quick reference guide
Optional but recommended:
- Digital blood pressure monitor
- Finger pulse oximeter
- Emergency blanket
- Splinting materials (foam or aluminum)
- Oral rehydration salts
3. Emergency Preparedness Supplies
Beyond first aid, every home should have a basic emergency kit for power outages, earthquakes, or severe weather.
Include:
- Bottled water (1 gallon per person per day for at least 3 days)
- Non-perishable food (3-day supply minimum)
- Manual can opener
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- Extra batteries (for flashlights, radios, and detectors)
- Multi-tool or Swiss Army knife
- Whistle (for signaling help)
- Blankets or sleeping bags
- Copies of important documents (IDs, insurance papers, medical records) in a waterproof container
- Cash in small denominations
- Cell phone charger or power bank
- Spare keys for home and car
4. Safety for Children and Seniors
Childproofing essentials:
- Safety gates and outlet covers
- Cabinet locks for cleaning products and medications
- Corner guards for sharp furniture edges
- Window locks and blind cord wraps
For seniors or those with limited mobility:
- Non-slip mats in bathrooms and showers
- Grab bars near toilets and tubs
- Nightlights in hallways and bedrooms
- Medical alert devices or wearable emergency buttons
5. Pet Safety Supplies
If you have pets, include them in your safety planning:
- Extra food and water (3-day supply minimum)
- Leash, carrier, and identification tags
- Copies of vaccination and medical records
- Pet first aid kit (bandages, antiseptic, tweezers, and vet contact info)
6. Maintenance and Organization Tips
- Store first aid and emergency kits in easily accessiblelocations known to all family members.
- Review and restock supplies every six months.
- Conduct family safety drills(fire escape, earthquake response, emergency contacts).
- Label all emergency shut-offs (gas, water, electricity).
Keep a list of emergency numbers near phones and saved in mobile devices.
7. The Bottom Line
A safe home is one that’s prepared, organized, and equipped to handle unexpected events. Combining preventive tools like alarms and extinguishers with a well-stocked first aid and emergency kit ensures your family can respond confidently to any situation.
For guidance on protecting your home, family, and assets through smart insurance and safety planning, contact:
William Lowden, Lic. #0603748
909‑714‑5516 — Helping California homeowners stay safe, prepared, and fully protected.