How to price your home
Setting the price yourself is the part most private sellers worry about. It is learnable. You are triangulating a few independent signals, not guessing.
Start with what the evidence says
No single number is “the price”. Gather three or four independent readings and look for where they cluster.
Your capital value (CV / RV) is the council's rating valuation. It's a useful anchor, but it is often years out of date and it is not a market price. Treat it as a rough reference, not a target. It's on your rates notice, and you type it into your listing.
Recent comparable sales are the strongest signal. What did similar homes in the same suburb, with similar land and floor area and in similar condition, actually sell for in the last three to six months? Sold prices matter far more than asking prices. Homes.co.nz, OneRoof and Property Value all publish recent sales and estimate ranges; use several and discard the outliers.
A free appraisal from one or two local agents gives you a market read at no cost and no obligation. Agents price for a living, so it's worth hearing. Just remember that an appraisal is a sales pitch as much as a valuation, so weigh it against your other evidence.
A registered valuation (typically $850 to $1,000) is the most rigorous option: an independent, professional assessment you can show buyers and their banks. Worth it for unusual properties, or when you want a number you can stand behind.
Then decide how firm to be
Price a touch high and you risk a stale listing that buyers learn to skip; price at or just below the cluster and you invite competition. If two or three genuine buyers are interested, the market will find the price, not your asking figure.
Choosing a sale method
The sale method is simply how you invite buyers to make their offer. In a private sale you can use any of these:
By negotiation. No fixed price is advertised; buyers make offers and you negotiate directly. The calmest, most flexible route and the default here. Good when comparable evidence is thin or the property is hard to pin down.
Asking price. You name a firm figure. The clearest option for buyers and the easiest to market, but it caps your upside, so lean on solid comparable sales before you commit to a number.
Deadline sale. You invite offers by a set date without advertising a price. It creates urgency and a natural deadline without the cost and formality of an auction.
Tender. Confidential written offers by a deadline; buyers can't see each other's bids. Useful for standout or unusual properties where you want each buyer to put forward their genuine best.
Enquiries over. You publish a minimum expectation (e.g. “enquiries over $850,000”) and take offers above it. A middle ground between a firm price and pure negotiation.
Independent resources
Settled.govt.nz on setting a price and methods of sale are the government's independent, jargon-free guides, and a good sense-check on anything above.
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This guide is general information, not a property appraisal and not legal, financial, tax or valuation advice. We are not a licensed real estate agency and we do not appraise property or set prices. Costs quoted are indicative and change. For a figure you can rely on, engage a registered valuer.