When playing the stock market, maximum results are best achieved when you “Buy low - sell high!”   That's a worthy goal with real estate too, with one exception.  

When investing in stocks, you sell whenever you like.   If the market is up, and you want to take your profit, you sell.   Selling your residence, however, presents a serious exception to the “sell high” part of the equation.

Rarely do homeowners sell just because prices are at a peak level.   Home are sold due to job transfers and other life-changing circumstances.   For that reason, homes sell at the market level that exists at the time the home is offered.

Market levels are set by the prices currently being paid for other similar homes - pure and simple.   Buyers may pay a percent or two over or under the market, but it is the buyers who dictate the final price.

How can you learn what buyers are willing to pay for your home?   Ask your agent to prepare a Comparative Market Analysis.   This informative document shows what buyers are currently paying, what sellers are asking, and what buyers are not willing to pay.

By comparing the homes shown on the CMA, it is possible to arrive at a price that should attract serious buyers.   Avoid overpricing and the result could be an early sale at the best possible price level.