How Do You Price Your Manteca Home the Right Way?

Short answer: price it from what similar homes nearby have actually sold for, then check it against the homes you'll be competing with right now. A price is not a hope. It's a number buyers can see is fair.

I'm Carolyn Cardoza, a Realtor and Broker Associate with Realty 1 Team in Manteca, California. I was raised here, and I've been selling homes here since 2007. I also hold the Pricing Strategy Advisor designation, which is training in this exact question.

Of everything you decide before you list, this one matters most: what number goes on the sign. Here is how I think it through.

I hear this from nearly every seller, and I understand why it feels safe. It feels like you're protecting yourself.

In my experience, it usually works the other way. Buyers look at a lot of homes. When a home is priced above what they see as its value, they don't make a low offer. Most of them just keep scrolling.

When you first list, that's when the most buyers see your home. That's your best chance to get attention. If the price is off during that stretch, you can miss the people who were ready to look.

Then comes the part sellers don't like. If the home sits and the price comes down later, buyers start to wonder what's wrong with it, even when nothing is.

It isn't a number you hope for, and it isn't an online estimate. I look at three things:

1. Recent sales. What buyers actually paid for similar homes nearby, not what sellers asked.
2. Active listings. The homes competing with yours today. A buyer will compare you to them.
3. What's changed since those sales. The condition of your home, the location, the lot, what has been updated, and where the market is right now.

Recent sales tell us what buyers have paid. Everything else tells us where your home fits among them. A price is part numbers and part judgment, and I'll show you both.

• "What if I price it too low?"
• "What if I leave money on the table?"
• "What if I scare buyers off by pricing too high?"

Those are fair, and all three can happen. That's why I put the sales on paper and we go through them together. You see what I see.

Yes. If your home isn't getting the interest we expected, we look at why. The price may be part of it, and it may not be. I'd rather tell you what I see than let you wait.

I won't tell you a number just because it's the one you want to hear. If a price won't get you where you're trying to go, I'd rather tell you now than in six weeks. I'll also never push you to a number that doesn't fit your plans. It's your home and your decision.

Is an online home value estimate good enough?

It's a starting point. It can't see your kitchen, your lot or the street. I price from recent sales of comparable homes and what I see in person.

Should I price above the sales to leave room to negotiate?

In my experience, that often costs you buyers before they ever make an offer. Let's look at the sales for your specific home first.

How long does it take to get a price from you?

Call or text me and we'll set a time. I'll walk through your home and bring the sales with me.

If you're thinking about selling and want to know what your home is worth, tell me where you are with it and I'll tell you what I'd do. No pressure here. I'd rather you get this right than get it fast.

I'm Carolyn Cardoza, a Broker Associate and REALTOR® with Realty 1 Team in Manteca. If you would like to talk it through, contact me. You can also read more about selling your home, how I sell a home or what helps a home sell well.