Why not just use one of the online estimators?
You can, and it takes ten seconds. Just know what you're getting.
Automated estimates work off public records and averages. They don't know you finished the basement. They don't know the house behind you backs onto a rail line. They don't know your unit is the one with the parking spot and the one across the hall isn't, or that the two comparable sales on your street this year were both estate sales that went under market.
On a straightforward subdivision home they'll often land within a reasonable range. On anything unusual - a converted duplex, a corner lot, a heritage property, a condo where the view matters - they can be out by six figures in either direction. And they're just as likely to be high as low, which is the expensive direction. Nothing costs a seller more than listing at a number the market was never going to pay, then chasing it down over eight weeks while the days-on-market count works against them.
What I actually do
I pull what's genuinely comparable - same type, same size bracket, same pocket, sold recently rather than just listed. Asking prices tell you what people hoped for. Sold prices tell you what buyers paid.
Then I adjust for the things that make your place different from those comps, look at what's currently competing with you, and give you a range with the reasoning behind it. Not one number pulled out of the air - a range, and why.
If there's something that would move the number meaningfully before you list, I'll tell you. If there isn't, I'll tell you that too. Most of the time the honest answer is that someone is about to spend money on a renovation the market won't pay them back for.
What your value isn't the same as what you keep
Worth saying, because it's the second question every seller has. The number I give you is what I'd expect the house to sell for, not what lands in your account.
Commission and the HST on it, legal fees, your mortgage discharge and, if you're partway through a term, a prepayment penalty all come off that. I've broken every one of those down with the actual math in what it actually costs to sell a house in Ontario. If you want, I'll do the valuation and the net-proceeds estimate together, so you're looking at both numbers at once.
What it costs and what happens after
It's free, and there's genuinely nothing attached to it.
I do these for people who are listing next month and for people who are just curious what happened to their equity over the last few years. Both are fine. A good chunk of the ones I run never turn into a listing, and that's the deal - you get the number, and if you decide to sell one day you'll know who to call.
I won't add you to anything you didn't ask for and I won't chase you. If you'd like to hear from me occasionally with what's happening in your area, say so and I'll keep you posted. If not, you'll get your number and that's the end of it.
What to send me
The address on its own is enough to start. But if you can tell me the following, the number gets tighter:
Beds and baths, and whether the basement is finished
Anything you've done to it - kitchen, roof, windows, furnace
Parking, and for condos, the locker and the maintenance fee
Anything a buyer would notice that the listing history wouldn't show
Whether you're thinking about selling or just want to know
That last one matters more than people expect. If you're listing in the spring, the useful number is what it'll be worth then and what's worth doing between now and there. If you're just curious, I'll skip all that and give you today's number.
Where I work
Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Grimsby, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga, plus most of the surrounding area. If you're outside that, send it anyway - I'll either help or point you to someone local who will.
Ready when you are
Texting is usually fastest. Send the address and I'll come back with questions if I have any.
Keep reading
- What it actually costs to sell a house in Ontario
- What your area's detached median actually was in August
- What Hamilton's new mid-rise zoning means if you own on a main road
- Request a free home valuation
Daniel Zareh is a REALTOR® with over 20 years of experience serving Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Grimsby, Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga. Call or text: 416-276-0052
Send me the address and I'll send you the number
Texting is usually fastest, but the form works too. Send the address, and anything you think a buyer would notice that the listing history wouldn't show. I'll come back with a range and the reasoning behind it, not one number pulled out of the air. If something would move the number meaningfully before you list, I'll tell you. If nothing would, I'll tell you that instead.