market value or appraisal value. This assessed value is used as the basis of property tax and when a property tax is levied. The assessed value of real property isn’t necessarily equal to the property’s market value. Approximately 80 percent of U.S. properties are assessed at a number which differs from their current value. Assessed values can be used as clues as to what the homes will sell for, but only when used to compare the ratio between current assessed value and actual selling price on a sample of a dozen or more nearby homes.
WHAT IS YOUR HOME WORTH?
The first step in selling your home is knowing the difference between value, worth, and price. Let’s examine the determining factors at work. Understanding those factors allows them to be leveraged. There are several ways a home’s value is derived.
ONLINE HOME VALUATION
One place to begin researching a rough estimate of a home’s market value is online. Several free online tools provide an estimate of your home’s current value based on recent comparable home sales in your area using a comprehensive database. The downside of these systems is that the assessment is based on available public data, with no guarantee of accuracy and often using an algorithm that simply averages comparable sales in the geographic area. These are quick and easy, but do not answer questions regarding factors like location and current local trends. Be aware that in practice, the prices arrived at might be highly inaccurate. For example, a home in Ohio was put into one such system, Redfin (www.redfin.com/what-is-my-home-worth). The home last sold
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