“Since then, we’ve become RPR’s biggest fans. It has helped grow our business because it has given us more credibility.” A recent article talks about the benefits of using the Realtor® edition of online home valuations. This growing trend is frightening for home owners as more and more agents rely on computers to price real instead; instead of using their time, skill, and research to calculate home values the right way. When it comes to determining the price of most people’s single, largest, lifetime investment, shorts cuts are NOT a good idea. Money matters, and getting a suggested listing price based on a computer and not a licensed professional’s skill, is the new trend and it is very bad for consumers.

“That first phone call is critical, I’ll immediately pull up RPR on my tablet and start researching the seller’s home while asking questions at the same time. I quizz the seller to confirm the home’s basic facts such as number of bedrooms, baths, square footage, etc.”

Stop the presses! This is a licensed real estate professional, responsible for pricing people’s homes and financial futures, that proudly announces to the world that she accepts whatever information she can find online, or better yet, that the seller provides her. Just WOW! The square footage totals agents rely on are one of the most important items when it comes to pricing a home. Tax records are notoriously inaccurate, and how are the owners supposed to know what size their house is? Most know what is in tax records. The “Official Record” for square footage is a myth started by an agent that didn’t want to be responsible for measuring a house. I actually don’t think agents should measure houses. They can’t be experts at everything. However, finding the correct square footage is a vital part of pricing the house and providing that data has always been part of the real estate agent’s duties. Ask 100 home owners where their agent gets their square footage total and they will tell you – that’s part of the agent’s job.

Agents say square footage is not that important and so they can use tax records to get close enough. On the one hand, they say square footage is not that big of a deal. But, then you look at every CMA they create and there you have it – a price-per-square-foot formula used to price the home. You just can’t have it both ways. It’s either important or it’s not. The fact is – if you change the square footage total used in the price-per-square-foot formula, you change the listing price. Often, by tens of thousands and much more. It absolutely changes home values and this is not just a number, it’s real money from real home buyers and sellers.

If Realtors® want to use RPR, more power to them. The graphs are wonderful. But, if you (or your computer) is going to use a price-per-square-foot formula – then have each listing measured BEFORE you give the owners a suggested listing price. If you don’t, you’re cheating consumers every day. Not an opinion, a fact of the real estate business. Size does matter!