The method I use to set a selling range, what each piece of evidence tells you, and why the right list price isn't always the home's value.
Matthew Gizzie, REALTOR®, Keller Williams Realty Centres, Newmarket. I live in Uxbridge and work with sellers in Newmarket, Aurora and across York Region, and in Simcoe County communities including Bradford and Barrie.
Photography from one of my listings.
A home's price comes from four kinds of evidence weighed together: recent comparable sales, the homes buyers can choose instead today, this month's market conditions, and the home itself. Value is what that evidence supports. List price is a strategy for where to start.
Most pricing mistakes come from treating them as one number.
The range a well-informed buyer is likely to pay, based on what similar homes actually sold for, adjusted for how your home differs. It's a range because no two homes are identical.
A decision about how to reach the right buyers this month. Buyers search in price bands and compare your home with what's listed beside it, so the starting price decides who sees it.
No single source gets the final say. Each one answers a different question.
Recent MLS® sales of similar homes nearby, chosen by hand, not by postal code.
The similar homes listed right now. Buyers compare yours with these, not last spring's sales.
Inventory, days on market and sale-to-list ratios show who is setting terms in your town this month.
The details that move a home up or down its range, and that online estimators miss.
Type, size, layout, lot, basement and updates. Missing details that would change the range get flagged, not assumed.
Recent sales a buyer for your home would also have considered, chosen by hand.
A finished basement, an older kitchen or a ravine lot each move the comparison. Every adjustment is written down.
Place your home among the listings buyers are touring right now.
Conditions decide how far the evidence can be pushed this month.
Only then choose a list price, kept separate from the value range, with the reasoning.
A home worth about $990,000 listed at $1,050,000 doesn't just ask for more. It disappears from the searches of the buyers most likely to buy it, and lands beside homes that offer more for the money.
That's why I set the list price after the value range, with an eye on where the right buyers are searching.
Here's how to read them. Pick your town for this month's figures.
Sales this month divided by new listings this month. It compares two flows; it isn't the share of listings that sold. CREA treats roughly 45% to 65% as balanced.
How long current listings would last at this month's pace of sales. The fewer months, the less choice buyers have and the more room sellers have.
A town-wide reference only. Your range depends on type, street, size and updates.
When it rises, list prices are often running ahead of buyers.
Shows whether homes sell over or under asking, and how much room to negotiate is realistic.
Features aren't priced by their receipt. A pool, a deck or a new kitchen is worth what buyers in your price band will pay for it, which is rarely what it cost.
Automated values can miss condition, renovation quality, the lot and the basement, and can lag recent sales.
Asking prices are what sellers hoped for. Sold prices are what buyers paid. Only the second is evidence.
Buyers pay for what an update does to the home today, not its cost. A new kitchen and a new furnace are valued very differently.
Showings slow, days on market build, and a later reduction often lands below where a well-set first price would have sold.
2026 assessments still use January 1, 2016 values. They share out taxes; they don't track the market. MPAC explains.
Sales from several months ago can be out of step if inventory has since built up or dried up.
My written Market Position Report applies every step above to your home.
Free, no obligation. Most reports arrive within one business day once I have what I need. A visit isn't required, but I recommend one for the most accurate range.
Keller Williams Realty Centres, Newmarket. I prepare every Market Position Report myself and show the evidence behind each number, so you can judge the range rather than take it on faith.
"He listened to my needs; provided a comprehensive market evaluation; was available to answer any questions I had and delivered on his promises."
Saunda P. · Seller · Google reviewA comparative market analysis weighs four kinds of evidence: recent sales of similar nearby homes, the homes listed for sale right now, current market conditions such as inventory and days on market, and the home's own condition, updates, lot and basement. No single source decides the number.
No. Value is what the evidence supports a buyer paying. List price is a strategy for where to start so the right buyers see the home in this month's market. They are related but not always the same number.
Online estimates are a useful first look. They are built from sales and property records, so they can miss condition, renovation quality, the lot, basement setup and the homes competing with yours today.
For the 2026 tax year, Ontario assessments are still based on January 1, 2016 values because the province-wide reassessment was postponed. The assessment shares out property taxes. It is not designed to track today's market value.
Buyers compare it with the cheaper homes listed beside it, showings slow, and the listing builds days on market. A later price reduction often lands the home below where a well-set first price would have sold it.
Most Market Position Reports are delivered within one business day once I have the information I need. Rural, unusual or low-comparable homes can take longer, and I say so up front.
A written range with the comparables behind it, the competition you'd face, and a pricing strategy for this month's market.
Prefer to talk? Call or text (289) 338-1433 · Matthew@meetmatthew.ca
Updated October 21, 2026. Sources: MPAC assessment cycle; CREA balanced-market range for sales-to-new-listings; MLS® statistics via HabiStat in my town market reports. Photos are from one of my listings and illustrate the topics; they are not comparables for your home.
General information only, not legal, tax or appraisal advice. A Market Position Report is a comparative market analysis prepared by a registered real estate salesperson, not a formal appraisal. Lenders, courts, lawyers and estate trustees may require an appraisal. Matthew Gizzie, REALTOR®, Keller Williams Realty Centres, Brokerage. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract.
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