At best YOU can only guess what your house is worth. If you guess too high, you will discourage many prospective buyers who will consider the property out of their reach. If you reduce the price, buyers may wonder what is wrong. On the other hand, if you guess too low, you will sacrifice money you should have had. And a "bargain" price may even seem suspicious to cautious prospects.

Value is not absolute. It is based on availability, usefulness, desirability, and need. Modern well-maintained homes with efficient use of space and attractive street-faces will sell for higher prices than properties in similar locations that have none of these features.

Homeowners often confuse cost with value. Buyers are not interested in what you, the seller, have spent on your home . . . buyers look for value. Several factors should not influence your asking price.

• Your Cost - Suppose you had received the place as a gift. Must you then give it away?

• Your Investment in Improvements - You put in that purple kitchen because you enjoyed it, but you are not likely to find anyone who feels your house is worth $15,000 more because of it. They may instead be calculating the cost of taking it out and replacing it with something in turquoise.
    

• Assessed Value - This figure is set by the taxing authorities . . . but even in areas where a sincere attempt is made to keep it at market, it is almost never a dependable guide to what buyers will pay.
   

• Your Needs - You may require $50,000 clear to use for the down payment of your next home, but that is not the buyer's section
   

• Emotion - Watch out that you do not ask too much for the place because your daughter took her first steps on the porch and your beloved Tabby is buried under the orange tree. On the other hand, do not let the stress of divorce, or the need to settle an estate quickly, lead you to under price the place.

According to the Real Estate Encyclopedia, market value is: "the highest price, in terms of money, that the property will being to a willing seller if exposed for sale on the open market . . . allowing a reasonable time to find a willing buyer . . . and with neither buyer or seller acting under necessity, compulsion nor peculiar and special circumstances.

When a property is listed at a price which reflects fiar market value, the greatest number of buyers will see value in the property within a reasonable time. You need an expert evaluation of all the market conditions; in othr words, you need a Professional Market Analysis. Beware of "front-porch" value estimates that are simply computer selected properties . . . look for real estate professionals who have the depth of knowledge necessary to interpret this data and help you understand the best listing strategy for successfully selling your home.