Is the Online Value of My Pensacola Home Accurate?

A lot of the time, no. The internet doesn't know whether you've made upgrades, it sometimes has the wrong number of bedrooms or bathrooms, and the comparable sales it uses often aren't the ones that really match your home. Use an online value as a starting point, not the price.

Vivian Corwin is a bilingual Realtor and Military Relocation Professional with IXL Real Estate Florida in Pensacola, FL, helping military and relocating families buy and sell homes across Pensacola, Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, and Navarre.

• It can't see your upgrades. A new roof, an updated kitchen or repairs you've made don't show up in the number.
• The details can be wrong. Sometimes the online record has the wrong number of bedrooms or bathrooms.
• The comparable sales don't match. The homes it compares yours to may be a different size, age or condition, or in a different part of town.
• It can't see what still needs doing. Repairs a buyer will notice aren't in the number either.

• Recent sales of similar homes near you
• What's for sale right now that buyers will compare to yours
• Your home's condition, updates and features
• Whether it will pass a VA appraisal, since so many buyers here use VA loans
• How fast homes in your price range are selling

1. Look at the online number, then set it aside. It's a starting point.
2. Make a list of what you've updated. And roughly when.
3. Check the basics. Bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage.
4. Get a home value built on real sales. I look at real sales near you, walk through your home, and show you a price range you can actually plan around.

Get a free home value analysis, with no pressure and no commitment to sell.

• Treating it as the price. A price the market won't pay is how homes sit. My post on why pricing too high can hurt your sale explains why.
• Assuming it's too low or too high. It can miss in either direction.
• Not checking the details. A wrong bedroom count changes the comparison.
• Forgetting the appraisal. The price still has to hold up when the buyer's lender orders one.

Here's an example of how I lay out the steps. It shows the process, and it isn't a real client's story.

• Your address. I pull the recent sales that actually match your home.
• A walk through your home. So the upgrades and the repairs count.
• A range you can plan around. And how I'd price it, using Plan A, B and C.
• Your call. No pressure, and no commitment to sell.

Is the online value of my home accurate?

A lot of the time, no. Use it as a starting point, not the price.

Why is my online home value wrong?

It doesn't know about your upgrades, it sometimes has the wrong number of bedrooms or bathrooms, and the comparable sales it uses may not match your home.

What sets my home's real value?

Recent sales of similar homes near you, the competition, your home's condition and updates, and how fast homes like yours are selling.

How do I get an accurate value?

Ask for a home value built on real sales near you and a walk through your home.

Vivian Corwin is a bilingual Realtor and Military Relocation Professional with IXL Real Estate Florida in Pensacola, FL, helping military and relocating families buy and sell homes across Pensacola, Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, and Navarre. Let's talk about your goals and your timeline. I'll walk you through it before you decide anything.

See how I sell homes in the Pensacola area, or schedule a time to talk with Vivian.