Looking for a good (local) property appraiser - Arlington, VA

[Daniel Sherman]

Greeting all,

We’re selling our home in a few weeks and feel our realtor is lowballing is on the list price. Even though we put on a new roof and completely new kitchen with mid-high end finishings, he said he’d list it for the same amount as before all the work. We feel he is trying to just move the house fast since the market in our area is so hot. To him, the difference of $30k in the sale is small as his commission will likely top $24k anyways.

We’re looking for an appraiser who knows the area and is able to consider the difference between high end marble and ceramic, for example.

Please message or post any suggestions.

Thanks,

Dan

[Tanya S.]

In Arlington, you will get your price. I put an offer on a home I wanted here, and my offer was $100k over asking. I didn't get it. Winning offer was $125k over ask. List price was $650k - way under market for that particular home. They had 13 offers. 

In this  particular case, the price was WAY off, and it wasted a lot of people's time and money (I'm thinking home inspections, which are expensive). $25-$50k over ask is definitely not overboard and I see homes that are worth it sell that much over ask routinely. 

It's funny - as a realtor, I know intellectually that I will get a better price at the end by pricing low and getting maximum exposure, but when I sell my own homes, I have all this anxiety that it will sell for that lower price. 

Remember that this is only one strategy to sell a home, and you are in the driver's seat. If you don't want to employ that strategy, you're the boss. Tell your realtor that you'd prefer a strategy where you list more closely to market value. 

Generally speaking, the statistics in Arlington predict that your realtor's strategy *may* net you more, but you're the one that has to be comfortable with it and it's your home, so do what works best for you.