So, its time to think about the future.  You really love your little piece of the Northwoods, wouldn't have traded those years here for anything, but nothing is forever.  Time brings changes, and now maybe the wise thing to do would be to sell the property - or at least look into what the 'ol homestead is worth.  But where to begin?  It is as simple as 1-2-3.

1.  Begin by reviewing your financial situation and other considerations important to you and develop a timeline - when would you like to close?  The timeline is important as there is a time value to money.  Conduct an honest assessment of just how motivated you are to sell.

2.  Review the Today's Market page for my opinion of the state of our local real estate market.  How does your property fit in with what's hot and what is not in today's market?  Time for another honest assessment - is the property ready for the market or do deficiencies need to be corrected?

3.  Contact a full service, full-time real estate professional.  Your REALTOR® will be a valuable resource as you go through the step-by-step process of evaluationg the real estate market, your property, and your needs as they relate to real estate.  I suggest that you contact your "go-to" guy -- me.

Now you should be ready for a professional opinion of the market value of your home or other property.  As you probably know, most agents will produce a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) for you at no charge, but unfortunately, sometimes it is only worth what it cost you.  Let's review exactly what a CMA is (and is not.)

The Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is the tool that the real estate professional uses to develop his (her) opinion of market value.

Market value is what a willing buyer would be willing to pay, and what a willing seller would accept, neither being under any abnormal pressure to complete the sale.

A CMA is not an appraisal and is not done to the same standards, but contains many of the same elements.  I put a great deal of research and preparation into my CMAs and am confident in the validity of my price opinion.  The CMA is free to you - no strings attached.  My reward is the oportunity to demonstrate to you my competence and professionalism.  See my Property Evaluation page.

Well, market value is one thing, but what about list price?  List price, of course, is the seller's call, and sometimes here is where the opinions of the seller and the REALTOR® may diverge.  Many times other considerations creep into the seller's decision making process that have nothing to do with market value as defined, such as:

     •  How much the seller paid for the property

     •  How much cash is needed for the replacement property

     •  Time and money spent on improvements ovewr the years

     •  Emotional investment in the property

     •  Seller's motivation

     •  How much the neighbor is asking for his comparable property

I will give it to you straight, but at the end of the day, list price is your call.  In marketing a property, list price is the nextmost important decison after selection of your agent, so intelligent pricing is a must.