- 1). Ask at least three real estate agents in your area for an estimate of your home's value. While all three estimates may vary by thousands of dollars, you can average those estimates and price your home based on the average or tack it up a bit higher than the middle estimate.
- 2). Search websites such as www.zillow.com, www.Realtor.com, or www.PropertyShark.com and make or print out a list of comparable houses within one mile of your house that sold within the last year. Some websites, such as zillow.com will give you an aerial view of your house and those around you. Look at multiple listing and county websites that can give you price, history, square footage, and other specifics about a house that you can't get anywhere else.
- 3). Figure the value of your house by following a fairly simple formula. First, from your list of recent comparable house sales that you gathered in Step 2, discard those that are smaller or bigger by more than 20 percent of the size of your house. Next, take off the two with the highest and lowest prices. Lastly, figure the average of the remaining house prices on your list to get a pretty good rough estimate of the value of your house.
- 4). Drive to the comparable homes on your remaining list to determine if they're truly comparable. Look at the landscaping and any exterior improvements or visual signs of deterioration that may raise or lower the value. Also, houses that are newer or much older than your house shouldn't be considered in averaging value. For example, if your house was built in 1970 and one of the comparable houses on your list was built in 2008, its value will be much higher even if the square footage is at least 20 percent of the size of your house.
- 5). Hire a professional appraiser if you don't mind spending some money. He'll walk through your house with a fine tooth comb and make sure all systems are up to code. He'll make special note of any improvements, and compare your house with others in the area, saving you all the legwork. In the end, you'll get an accurate report of your home's current value.
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