Match what was included in a sold home
Before you compare a sold price, write what that sale included and what yours includes.
Two houses can close at different prices because one included the appliances, a repair credit, or a roof, and the other did not. The headline price does not say which. Before you treat a sold price as a match for yours, write what that sale included and what yours includes. If you cannot find those facts, that sale is not a comparison. Drop it.
For each sold home, make one row: the date, the sold price, and the items the listing said were included or credited. Look for appliances, a closing credit, and repairs the seller agreed to finish. Then make the same row for your house. A refrigerator you plan to take is a difference. A water heater you replaced is a difference. Write both in plain words. Do not convert them into a mood.
Use only sales you can describe this way. Three thin rows you understand are more useful than a long list of prices. If the listing is silent on what stayed, do not guess that it matched yours. Silence is a reason to drop the sale, not a reason to assume the best. Ask your agent, if you have one, to pull the concession line from the closed file when that line is available to them. If it is not available, say so on the row.
When you set your list price, read your row next to theirs. If your house is missing something theirs included, your price should reflect that on purpose, or your credit list should. If yours includes something theirs did not, that belongs in the photo set and in the inclusion list, not only in your head. Attach this page to the pricing notes so the first offer is compared with the same facts.
What to do
- Pick sold homes that are similar on facts you can check.
- Write what each sale included or credited, and write the same items for your house.
- Drop a sale you cannot describe.
- Use those rows when you set the list price and when you read the first offer.