Few homes in Des Moines compare to yours.
So the price has to be reasoned, not guessed.

How the price is built when few homes compare.

At this price, small percentages are large numbers. On a $1.2 million home, every 1% of price is $12,000, so each step of the reasoning is written down where you can check it.

1. The closest sales, adjusted in the open. Recent sales in the metro that are closest in size, lot, age, and finish, often going back 12 to 24 months when there are few. Each adjustment is listed with its dollar amount and the reason for it.
2. What didn't sell. Expired and withdrawn listings near your price show where buyers said no. They are as useful as the sales.
3. Three scenarios. A price aimed at an offer in the first 30 to 45 days, a market price, and a reach price, with the extra time the reach price likely adds.
4. The net at each. After the commission you agree to, abstract and title costs, the transfer tax, and the property tax credit to the buyer. Iowa taxes are paid in arrears, so that credit is often several thousand dollars at this price.
5. What waiting costs. Your tax statement, insurance, utilities, and upkeep, as a monthly number, so the reach price and the time it adds can be weighed against each other.

A written condition sheet before the first showing.

Buyers at this price bring thorough inspectors. The sheet puts what you already know in front of them before they offer, so it is part of the price instead of a negotiation after it.

• Ages and dates. Roof, furnace and air, water heater, windows, and any additions or major remodels, with permits where they exist.
• Known issues, stated plainly. Past water, repairs, and anything still open, each marked as fixed, disclosed, or priced in.
• The documents. Warranties, contractor invoices, surveys, and HOA or covenant papers, attached in the MLS so buyers' agents have them on day one.

Privacy and showings.

• By appointment only. No open house unless you want one.
• Proof of funds or a lender letter before private tours. Your time and your home are not for casual browsing.
• Photos you approve. No safes, security panels, documents, or personal items in the listing photos.
• Cameras disclosed. If the house has cameras, buyers' agents are told in the showing instructions before they arrive.

Insurance flags on larger and older homes.

A buyer's lender needs the home insured before closing. Older roofs, older electrical panels, and homes with a high cost to rebuild can take longer to insure. I flag what I see at the first walkthrough so it doesn't surface for the first time during the buyer's financing. The coverage questions themselves go to three licensed insurance producers, never to me.

Taxes and the rest of your plan.

Capital gains, a trust or company that holds the title, or timing this sale with a purchase are questions for your CPA and attorney. I give them the numbers they ask for (purchase price, improvements with dates, the estimated net) and keep the sale timeline in step with their plan.