There’s one choice you’ll make when you sell that decides if your house sells quickly or just sits on the market, whether buyers make an offer or scroll past it, and whether you walk away with the best return or end up dropping the price later.

And that's the price you're asking for.

The #1 Mistake Sellers Make Today: Trusting the Wrong Number

If you’re planning to move and want an idea of what your home might sell for, it’s tempting to try an online valuation tool. They’re quick, free, and simple to use, and you don’t need to speak with anyone. The drawback is they can’t account for the unique features and condition of your house.

And that can be an even bigger drawback than you might think.

Where Online Estimates Fall Short

Online tools often fall behind the market. They rely on closed sales and outdated information, so they’re working with incomplete data.

““While these tools can be a useful starting point, keep in mind that they typically do not provide the most accurate pricing. Algorithms can only rely on the information available; they can’t account for things like a home’s condition or renovations made since the last public information was updated.”
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— Bankrate

They can’t see:

• The little details and upgrades that make your home stand out
• The care and effort you’ve put into maintaining it over the years
• Or how hot your specific neighborhood is with buyers right now

So while they might get close sometimes, they’ll never be as accurate as a local agent who’s in the market every single day and truly knows what’s happening on the ground.

In a market where buyers have more choices, even a small pricing mistake can cost you thousands if you go too low, or cost you valuable time and momentum if you aim too high.

If you want to sell for the most money in the shortest time, don’t go for the quick answer on pricing your house. Choose the right one.

That’s why the smartest homeowners today don’t trust algorithms when it really counts. They turn to people, trusted local agents.

What an Expert Agent Brings to the Table

According to 1000WATT, most sellers feel real estate agents understand a home's true value much better than any automated tool.

That confidence isn’t accidental. As Bankrate explains:

““A professional appraiser or real estate agent can visit the home in person, assess the neighborhood as a whole as well as the individual property, perform more thorough market research, and consider subjective details.”
”

— Bankrate

And those details really matter. A great local agent doesn’t just run numbers. They understand what’s happening in real time:

• What buyers are actually paying this month, not last month or last year
• How your home stacks up against the current competition nearby
• Which features buyers are willing to pay more for right now
• How to price your home in a way that creates urgency in today’s market

Once an agent walks through your home, they may discover that your online estimate was actually too low. If you rely only on that estimate, you could be leaving money on the table, and nobody wants that.