When I go to sell, I typically would go to an agent and say, hey, can you give me an idea what you think you could get for my house? Are agents, though, going to give you a number that you want to hear rather than a realistic number? Like, how much store can I put in that number?

It comes down to the integrity of that agent.

So in the industry, that's known as buying a listing.

If you have a $1 million house and that's the market value based on recent sales and based on houses that are currently on the market today and the quality of the home, the renovation, the position, the land, the aspect, all the things that add up to what the value is.

And then an agent walks in and says, I think it's worth 1.1 to 1.2. you need to sit down and really quiz that agent as to why are you saying that.

I've presented you an appraisal that might have six comparable houses.

It might have up to 20 comparable sales.

Is there any reason why they wouldn't accept that? And how do they protect themselves in case someone comes along in the interim or there's an upswing in the market before I've settled?

When I go to sell, I typically would go to an agent and say, hey, can you give me an idea what you think you could get for my house? Are agents, though, going to give you a number that you want to hear rather than a realistic number? Like, how much store can I put in that number?

It comes down to the integrity of that agent.

So in the industry, that's known as buying a listing.

If you have a $1 million house and that's the market value based on recent sales and based on houses that are currently on the market today and the quality of the home, the renovation, the position, the land, the aspect, all the things that add up to what the value is.

And then an agent walks in and says, I think it's worth 1.1 to 1.2. you need to sit down and really quiz that agent as to why are you saying that.

I've presented you an appraisal that might have six comparable houses, it might have up to 20 comparable sales.

And if you're saying, here's a house with a swimming pool and mine doesn't have a pool, yet now you're saying my house is worth the same as the one with the pool, Ask that agent why.

Is there any reason why they wouldn't accept that? And how do they protect themselves in case someone comes along in the interim or there's an upswing in the market before I've settled?