When you decide to sell your home, setting your asking price is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Depending on how a buyer is made aware of your home, price is often the first thing he or she sees. Many homes are discarded by prospective buyers as not being in the appropriate price range before they even have a chance of a showing.

Your asking price is often your home's "first impression", and if you want to receive the most money you can for your home, it's imperative that you make a good first impression.

Setting the asking price of your property is as much about knowing how buyers think as it is about how much the property is worth.

1. Price it right
In order to set the right price, check out your competition first. A little real-estate research can be handy. Take a look at homes sold in your neighbourhood. Ask yourself: what are they selling for? How long have they been on the market? Study the supply and demand within your neighbourhood to consider whether to price your home above or below the market value.

Pricing your home lower than your competitors can essentially generate more offers, thereby driving the price higher. On the other hand, price it too high and you risk the buyers going into “sticker shock”.

2. The missing penny trick
To grab the attention of potential buyers, Take a pricing tip from discount retailers like Wal-Mart. Take, for example, $19.99 vs. $20.00. While it is only a penny difference between the two, the $19.99 price just seems like a better deal! Why? Because when people see a price, they make judgements in a fraction of a second whether it is a good or bad deal. And, since we read from left to right, the first number receives the most focus. Therefore, a home listing for $199,999 will generate more attention then $200,000 because people will perceive $199,999 to be a better deal. Retailers have been using this proven strategy for a long time, make it work for you.

3. Raise the reference point
You can raise people’s reference point by asking for a high price, people use that information in setting their reference price. In addition, you can affect the reference price of buyers by telling them the price of competing properties in the neighbourhood. However, pass along this information only if the comparisons are in your favour.

On the other hand, if you set a price that is implausibly high, the impact will be less than if you set a price that's more reasonable.

4. Send the right message
People associate precise numbers with bargains. If a house should sell for around $300,000, then offering a round number like $295,000 will convey quality and willingness to negotiate, and choosing a higher but precise number like $295,485 would indicate a bargain.

A precise number may also signal that you have given a careful consideration to the price and you aren't inclined to negotiate. So you may want to use this trick with caution.

Trying to settle on an asking price for your home? If it's a new development and want to give the impression of prestige, go for the nicely rounded (up) price. But if you're going for the quick sale and you want to give the impression of a bargain, you would want to go for the precise number.

5. Make the price cuts easy-to-understand
We perceive easily computable discounts as better than larger discounts. A discount from $395,485 to $385,485 might seem better than from $395,485 to $378,495.

When a home has been on the market too long and very few offers have been made, the logical option is to reduce the asking price. But by how much? The trick here is to reduce the price by a nice, easy-to-calculate number, so buyers can easily calculate their savings.


The longer your house sits on the market, the less cash it commands, use these expert tricks to sell your house fast and maximize your profit