Top 5 factors that influence a home's value

Being an agent is not easy. Every professional real estate agent is supposed to have many soft skills they need to excel, i.e. communication, negotiation, active listening skills. Besides, it's an agent who a buyer usually contacts to appraise a home. Here strong analytical skills will come in handy. In order to price a home accurately an agent should consider a plenty of factors. In this post, we've tried to outline the crucial top 5 factors that determine a home's value.

1. Location or Neighborhood

Location will play a crucial role in determining the sale price. The more desirable location of your home is, the more buyers you’ll have making offers. Here are some of the top amenities people are looking for when buying a home: grocery stores, restaurants, shopping center, peaceful neighborhood, family-friendly parks.⠀What else makes a great home location? Here are a few more factors that makes a good neighborhood location:
* Low crime
* Top-rated schools
* Near hospital, fire station, and/or police station
* Walkable
* Nearby homes are mainly owner-occupied, not rented, foreclosed, or for-sale
* Easy transportation

2. Property Age

The newer the property is, the more buyers would be willing to pay for it. Buying a newly built home has many advantages: more energy efficient and environmentally-friendly than older properties, attract higher-quality tenants, newest design, etc. When you buy a new property, you can benefit from the convenience of not having to spend money on repairs or ongoing maintenance.

3. Comps or comparable homes

Comparable homes or comps are one of the most significant factors that might affect a home's value. The properties could be comparable in terms of: Location, Size, Bedrooms/bathrooms, Condition of home, Age of home, nearby features, Square footage, etc. An appraising agent will have to take a close look at recently sold nearby houses with the same or similar features.

4. The economy

The real estate market and the economy are often related. If economy is shaky, people worry about many things like rising prices and salary freezes and they can't risk or just can’t afford to buy a new home.⠀
On the contrary, if the economy is going stronger, people become more confident and it's more likely they can afford to buy a new home. That's why top-notch agents always keep up with current events such as like job growth, unemployment rates.

5. Home's design & Curb Appeal

These things do matter as well and add value to any home. Even though it looks like a very subjective factor but it is an ingenious marketing tool. Proper curb appeal will make potential buyers to look inside if they like what they see outside.
Accurate home appraisal is just the first step to sell a house. Once you are done with it, you can publish it on your website. To sell it faster, our tips how to make the most of your real estate website will be helpful.