How to Price Your Home in a Changing Market

Price your home from what buyers have recently paid for similar homes nearby, and from how quickly those homes sold. Do not price it from what you hope to get or from a neighbour’s asking price. When the market is shifting, the newest sales and the homes you are competing with today matter most.

Start with recent sales, not asking prices

The usual tool is a comparable market analysis, often called a CMA. It looks at recent sales of similar homes nearby, along with active and expired listings, and adjusts for differences such as size, features and condition (STOREYS, June 6, 2025). A CMA is an agent’s estimate. It is not an appraisal, and it is only as good as the comparables chosen and the adjustments made.

Read how fast homes are selling

Two numbers tell you a lot: days on market, and how the final sale price compares with the list price. TRREB publishes both by community. In its Barrie community report for the second quarter of 2026, the Allandale row shows 15 sales, an average sale-to-list price of 96% and an average of 38 days on market.

That is one neighbourhood in one quarter. It is an example of how to read the numbers, not a Barrie-wide figure and not a prediction for your home.

A figure like 96% means homes in that group sold, on average, for less than their asking price. A long list of homes sitting for weeks tells you buyers are being selective. Neighbourhoods differ, so we look at the community your home is in, not the city as a whole.

Remember who you are competing with

Buyers compare your home with what is for sale right now, not with what sold last spring. Before you set a price, look at the active listings in your area that are the same type of home, with a similar size and condition. If several are sitting unsold, that is information.

Agree on a review point before you list

Pricing is a judgment, and the market can move while your home is listed. Before the sign goes up, we suggest agreeing on a date to review showings, feedback and any new competing listings. That way a price change, if one is needed, is a planned decision and not a reaction.

Common questions

Is a CMA the same as an appraisal? No. A CMA is an agent’s pricing estimate based on comparable homes. An appraisal is a more formal valuation. Neither is a promise of what a buyer will pay.

Should I list high and come down later? We would rather show you the sales and the competition and let you decide with the evidence in front of you. We do not make claims about what any price will achieve.

Does the same approach work in Midhurst, Innisfil and Barrie? The method is the same, but the comparables are not. Each community has its own sales and its own pace, which is why we price from local data.

Sarin Team

Sources: STOREYS, “Comparable Market Analysis” (published June 6, 2025); TRREB Community Market Report, Barrie, Q2 2026. Both read October 13, 2026. This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice, and not an appraisal.