What price can you sell it for? Usually about as much as the neighbors got with some exceptions. I know, I know, your home is perfect in every way and should be able to be sold for thousands above your neighbor's... I get it. Lets look at facts though and not the fact that your college age child once took his first steps in front of that fireplace right over there!

Knowing how much homes similar to yours (the one's that don't have those first steps in), called comparable sales (or in real estate lingo, comps), sold for gives you the best idea of the current estimated value of your home in north Florida. The trick is finding sales that closely match yours and it's an art, not a science per se.

What makes a good comparable sale? Your best comparable sale is the same model as your house in the same subdivision—and it closed escrow last week. If you can’t find that, here are other factors that count:

Location: The closer to your house the better, but don’t just use any comparable sale within a mile radius. A good comparable sale is a house in your neighborhood, your subdivision, on the same type of street as your house, and in your school district.

Amenities and upgrades: Is the kitchen new? Does the comparable sale house have full A/C? Is there crown molding, a deck, or a pool? Does your community have the same amenities (pool, workout room, walking trails, etc.) and homeowners association fees?

Date of sale: You may want to use a comparable sale from two years ago when the market was high, but that won’t fly. Most buyers use government-guaranteed mortgages, and those lending programs say comparable sales can be no older than 90 days.

Even if you live in a subdivision like Waterleaf on Kernan Blvd., your home will always be different from your neighbors’. Evaluating those differences—like the fact that your home has one more bedroom than the comparables or a basement office—is one of the ways real estate agents add value.

An active agent has been inside a lot of homes in your neighborhood and knows all sorts of details about comparable sales. In our case we've actually sold over 400 homes in and around your neighborhood if you live in the aforementioned Waterleaf. He or she has read the comments the selling agent put into the MLS, seen the ugly wallpaper, and heard what other REALTORS®, lenders, closing agents, and appraisers said about the comparable sale.