As a counterpoint to yesterday's article about what to do if the market indicates your home is worth MORE than you thought... let's give some thought to how to proceed if the market indicates that your home is worth LESS than you thought!

Let's say you are preparing to sell your home and you are confident that your home is worth $550,000.

But... when we review the comparable sales (similar homes, similar size, similar condition), we see sales prices closer to $500,000.

If you believe your home is worth $550,000 but the data supports $500,000, here are three strategies we might discuss...

1. Price at $550,000.  You can absolutely still test the market at your preferred list price, though it might result in fewer showings, longer time on the market and future price reductions.

2. Price at $500,000.  This follows the lead of recent comparable sales and gives you the strongest chance of quickly securing a buyer for your home.

3. Choose something in between.  We could list your home at $525,000 -- or lean toward your number at $535,000 or $540,000 -- or lean toward the data at $510,000 or $515,000.

I always encourage starting with the data. Recent sales. Current competition. Buyer activity.

But we will also want to talk about your overall financial goals and your timeline before we make a final pricing decision.