What a valuation really looks at
Behind a free valuation: the comparables, the condition, the street and the calendar, and why the first number is never the whole story.
Imogen Hale · · 6 min read
When we walk through a house for a valuation, the owner usually expects us to look at the kitchen. We do, but it is rarely the thing that moves the number.
Sold prices, not asking prices
The starting point is what similar homes have actually sold for in the last six months, within a few streets. Asking prices are opinions; sold prices are facts. We adjust for size, condition, outside space and the quality of the street, and we write down every adjustment so you can see it.
The things buyers notice and owners stop seeing
Daylight. A sound roof. Whether the front door sticks. Damp smells. The state of the boiler. A buyer forms a view in the first ninety seconds, and we walk the house as they would, from the pavement in.
The calendar matters more than people think
A house that goes on the market in the second week of September meets more buyers than the same house in the second week of December. Sometimes the right advice is to wait six weeks.
Why we give a range
We give a recommended asking price and a realistic range, and we explain what would move the property to the top or the bottom of it. If another agent offers you a number far above ours, ask what they have sold at that level in your street.
This article is demo content for the Keystone template.