Recent Home Sales Prices -
Comparable Home Values in Whittier, CA

Why search recent home sales prices to find your home's value? Why bother with comparable real estate values around Whittier, California by neighborhood or zip code? Why? Because recent local home sales are the biggest factor in finding real estate values for your home. Nothing else is as important when you're asking yourself how to sell your house in this post-bubble market. Nothing.

So use this map search (allow a bit of time for all the features to load, ok?). Check out how a bank appraiser sets house values. But before you make any pricing decisions contact me, Whittier agent Bob Ulrich, or call 562-947-8125. I may know about some local market conditions and real estate market trends that will allow you to get more for your home. And I certainly know how to present and market your home to get top dollar.

How A Bank Appraiser Sets House Values (the short version)

An appraiser will be looking for solid, measurable facts to value your home. They cannot establish values on 'feelings'. They are looking for more than 3 homes of similar size, beds and baths that have sold within the last 6 months within a one mile radius of your house.

So here’s how you do it
1. Set the criteria on the map to the same number of square feet that you have in your home (plus or minus 100), beds and baths.
2. Click the blue search button near the bottom of the search box. Zoom to your neighborhood.
3. When you have several house icons showing on the map, click on one of them. It will bring up a “Property Details” box.
4. Select the “View Details” link. Then look below the photo gallery to the “Details” chart.
5. Choose “Market & Analytics”
6. Look at the “Nearby Comparable Sales” list. You’re looking for homes that have sold within the past 6 months that match your homes features the closest. A bank appraiser will try to find 3 that match closely and average their recent home sales prices.

Why Are Appraisers Being So Rigid?

Post-bubble banks and lenders are running scared. All they care about is if they can sell your property for loan value if a buyer defaults. And appraisers are now licensed. So if an appraiser makes a mistake they could lose their license or worse. So everyone's going to be conservative.

What this means is that recent home sales are the main criteria a bank will choose to set how much a buyer can borrow for to purchase your home. Extras like a remodeled kitchen or bath will add to your property value, but maybe only enough for replacement costs. And if many other houses in the area have upgraded also, you may not get an extra price 'bump' even if you have upgraded.

But it's not all concrete, cut and dried. There are things that you can do to increase your property value, and put you at the top of the range of recent home sales. Contact me, your Whittier real estate agent Bob Ulrich, or call 562-947-8125 to help you get the most dollars for your home sale.

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