How to tell if an agent's valuation of your home is actually reliable

Homeowners often collect valuations from a few different agents before choosing who to list with, and the range between the highest and lowest quote can be surprisingly wide. Knowing what to check separates a realistic number from one designed to win your business.

Ask what the number is actually based on

A reliable valuation is built from recent, genuinely comparable sales, adjusted for differences in size, condition, and location. If an agent gives you a number without walking through which specific sales support it and how adjustments were made, treat it with caution.

Watch for the highest number in the room

It is common for one agent in a group of quotes to come in noticeably higher than the rest, purely to win the listing. That number rarely survives contact with the actual market, and it usually results in a longer time on market followed by a series of price reductions that end below where a realistic valuation would have started.

• Ask for the specific comparable sales behind the number
• Compare how recent those sales are, not just how similar
• Ask how they would adjust the price if showings produce weak feedback
• Be skeptical of a number well above every other opinion you received

A good agent explains the downside, not just the upside

Someone giving you an honest valuation will also tell you what could pull the number down, such as a dated kitchen, a busy street, or a thin pool of recent comparables. An agent who only tells you good news about your home's value is optimizing for the listing, not for accuracy.

Check their actual track record

Ask how many listings they have priced and sold in your specific neighbourhood recently, and how those final sale prices compared to the original list price. A pattern of large price cuts across their past listings is a signal their initial valuations run high.

Get an independent number as a check

Comparing an agent's opinion against an independent valuation gives you a sanity check before you commit to a list price. The goal is not the highest number you can find, it is the number that will actually hold up once the home is on the market.