Here's an interesting conundrum for a home seller...

1. In today's market, it is imperative to price your home competitively.  Over-pricing will often lead to significantly fewer showings, and lower levels of interest from buyers.
2. In today's market, nearly every buyer will want to negotiate with you, not being satisfied with paying too close to asking price.

So what is a seller to do!?!

Let's suppose, for a moment, that recently sold properties suggest that a home has a value of $250,000.  Competitive pricing would, perhaps, mean pricing your home between $240k and $255k.  With elevated inventory levels, you must stand out on price, being seen as a good buying opportunity.  But then, when a buyer comes along, they'll likely want to negotiate you down $10k - $15k, or even more. 

If you priced the home at $260k or $265k to leave yourself room to come down $10k to $15k, you likely wouldn't have near the interest as compared to pricing the home at $249k.  But if you price the home at $249k, you certainly won't be excited about coming down to $239k or lower.

Suggestion #1 -- Use other "for sale" properties as a guideline.  If comparable properties are available for $240k-$249k, you'll need to price your home lower, but if comparable properties are priced between $260k and $270k, you can likely get away with a higher asking price.

Suggestion #2 -- Price your home "just above" the value suggested by recently sold homes.  If that value is $250k, consider a price of $254,500, or something in that general range.

Pricing is always an essential component of marketing a home to sell --- and in a fluctuating market, it becomes even more difficult than usual!