How to Price Your Home Right in a Shifting Market
Price is the biggest lever you have when you sell. Price it right and buyers show up in the first weeks, when interest is highest. Price it too high and your home sits, and buyers start to wonder what is wrong with it.
Step 1: Start with recent sales
Your agent pulls homes like yours that sold nearby, usually in the last few months. Same size, same age, same kind of street. Sold prices matter most because that is what buyers actually paid.
Step 2: Look at your competition
Buyers compare your home to the ones for sale right now. Walk through them or look at them online. If your home is priced higher, it needs to be clearly better.
Step 3: Read the market speed
- Homes going under contract fast? You may have room to price at the top of the range.
- Homes sitting and cutting prices? Price sharper from day one. Chasing the market down costs more than starting right.
Step 4: Price for how buyers search
Buyers search in price bands, like "up to $400,000." A price just over a round number can hide your home from a whole group of buyers. Ask your agent which band your home should be in.
Mistakes that cost sellers money
- Pricing to what you need, not what the market will pay.
- Counting every upgrade dollar. Buyers rarely pay back the full cost of a remodel.
- Using an online estimate as the price. It is a start, not an answer. It can't see inside your home.
- Waiting too long to adjust. If you get showings but no offers, the price is usually the problem.
Know when to adjust
Set a check-in with your agent after the first two weeks. Look at showings, online views and feedback. Lots of views but few showings often points to price or photos.
Quick answers
What is a CMA?
A comparative market analysis compares your home with similar homes that recently sold, are pending or are for sale near you. Get a free home value.
Should I price below market to start a bidding war?
It can work when demand is strong, but it is a risk. Talk it through with your agent using recent sales. See how to read your market.
When should I lower my price?
If you get showings but no offers after the first two to three weeks, price is usually the reason. See selling when rates are high and your real costs.
Get a free home value · Read the home selling guide · Sell with AXEN
Where you buy changes this
Price is local. So are the costs a buyer will subtract from your number.
- Florida — buyers price in insurance, CDD assessments and estoppel fees.
- Texas — buyers price in the property tax rate, which varies by taxing unit.
- New Jersey — over $1,000,000 N.J.S.A. 46:15-7.2 charges the seller on the whole price, so one dollar more can cost thousands.
- Illinois — taxes are paid a year behind, so you credit the buyer at closing.
- Ohio — whether your county prorates short or long changes the number.
We keep a page for every state we work in, with a cost table, a step-by-step timeline and the rules that actually trip people up. See all AXEN locations.
Sources and further reading
Updated September 18, 2026. We check these sources each time we update this guide. See our editorial policy.
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