Choosing who values your home before you choose who sells it

Most homeowners meet a handful of agents, hear a handful of price opinions, and pick whoever quoted the highest number or made the best impression. That process answers who you like, not what your home is worth. Those are separate questions, and mixing them up is one of the most expensive mistakes a seller can make.

Why the highest quote is not the best one

An agent chasing a listing has an incentive to tell you what you want to hear. A valuation built to win your business is not the same as a valuation built on evidence. If one opinion is meaningfully higher than the others, the first question should be what comparable sales support it — not whether you like the number.

What a credible valuation looks like on paper

Ask to see it in writing, with the underlying data attached. A serious valuation shows recent sold comparables in your immediate area, the adjustments made for differences in size, condition, and features, and a stated confidence range rather than a single suspiciously precise figure.

• A range, not a single number pulled from thin air
• Comparable sales listed with addresses and dates
• Clear adjustments explained for condition and layout differences
• A track record of past sale-to-estimate accuracy in your area

Track record matters more than the pitch

Ask how many properties like yours the person has valued and sold in the past year, and how their estimates compared to the eventual sale price. A pattern of estimates that run well above eventual sale prices is a warning sign, regardless of how confident the presentation sounds.

Separate the valuation from the sales pitch

It is reasonable to get an independent valuation before you interview anyone about listing your home. That way, when someone quotes you a number, you already have a baseline to measure it against, and you can spot immediately if a figure is being inflated to win the listing.

The paperwork you should keep

Keep the comparable sales list, the written estimate, and any notes on adjustments. If you later interview several agents, compare their opinions against this baseline rather than against each other, and treat any large deviation as something that needs an explanation, not just acceptance.