If you've ever wondered what your home is worth, you've probably heard someone say, "Homes around here are selling for about $___ per square foot."
It sounds simple. Unfortunately, that's not how real estate works.
Price per square foot can be a helpful reference, but it's only one small piece of the picture. Two homes with the exact same square footage can sell for dramatically different prices — and in Woodland, they often do.
Why?
Because buyers don't buy square footage. They buy location, layout, condition, and how a home feels.
A 2,000-square-foot home on one street can sell for significantly more than a nearly identical home just a few blocks away. Maybe one backs to a park while the other backs to a busy road. Maybe one has mature trees, an updated kitchen, or sits in a neighborhood buyers consistently compete for. Those differences don't show up in a simple price-per-square-foot calculation, but they absolutely affect value.
I've also seen homes with less square footage sell for more simply because they had a better floor plan. A home that lives well often attracts stronger offers than one that's larger but less functional.
That's why I never price a home using a single formula.
I look at recent comparable sales, how buyers are responding to today's market, what's currently competing with your home, and the small neighborhood details that don't appear in an online estimate. Sometimes the right comparable isn't the closest house on the map — it's the one buyers will actually compare yours to.
Pricing a home is part data, part experience, and part understanding buyer behavior.
The goal isn't to pick the highest number possible.
The goal is to position your home where it attracts the strongest interest, creates competition, and ultimately helps you achieve the best outcome.
That's why every pricing recommendation I make starts with the numbers — but never ends there.