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Buying Property

# Property Valuation Before Selling: Why It Matters

By Kigali Yacu Property Research Team · Published 24 November 2022 ·Updated 24 November 2022 · 4 min read

Getting a valuation before you list isn't a formality — it's the single decision most likely to determine whether your property sells quickly at a fair price or sits unsold for months while comparable, realistically priced properties sell around it.

## Why overpricing costs more than it seems

An inflated asking price doesn't just risk a slower sale — it actively deters the buyers most likely to make a serious offer, since experienced buyers, particularly diaspora buyers comparing multiple listings, recognise when a price is disconnected from comparable sales and simply move on rather than negotiating. By the time a seller finally reduces the price to a realistic level, the property has often accumulated a reputation as "been on the market a while," which itself depresses the final achieved price below what a realistic initial listing would have secured.

## What a proper pre-sale valuation includes

A valuation built specifically for selling purposes should include a realistic price range based on genuinely comparable recent sales, an honest read on how quickly a property at that price is likely to move given current buyer demand in your specific neighbourhood, and — where relevant — guidance on which factors (condition, title status, presentation) might be worth addressing before listing to support a stronger price.

## Valuation and negotiating room

Some sellers deliberately list slightly above their valuation to leave room for negotiation, which is reasonable practice as long as the gap remains small enough not to deter serious buyers from viewing in the first place. A large gap between valuation and asking price rarely produces a better outcome — it just filters out the buyers most likely to actually make a strong offer.

## Timing your valuation relative to listing

Get your valuation as close as practically possible to when you intend to list, since market conditions and comparable sales data can shift over months. A valuation obtained a year before you actually list should generally be refreshed rather than relied on as still accurate.

## What to do if you disagree with your valuation

If a valuation comes back lower than you expected, ask specifically which comparable sales it's based on and whether there are factors about your property the valuer might not have fully accounted for — genuine renovations, a recently resolved title issue, or a feature not reflected in the comparables used. A good valuation provider will walk through this with you rather than simply asserting a number.

## Valuation as the foundation of your whole sale strategy

Everything else in a sale — marketing, negotiation, timeline expectations — works better when built on an accurate starting valuation. See how to sell a property in Rwanda for how valuation fits into the complete selling process, or property valuation in Rwanda for how the valuation itself is calculated. Once you have a realistic number, list your property to move into active marketing.

## Valuation before selling versus valuation for other purposes

A pre-sale valuation is specifically calibrated to support a listing decision, which is subtly different from a valuation obtained for estate planning, financing, or general curiosity — see how much is my property worth if your primary interest is understanding value rather than actively preparing to sell. The underlying comparable-sales method is similar, but a pre-sale valuation typically comes with more specific guidance on positioning and timing.

## The cost of skipping a valuation entirely

Some sellers skip a formal valuation altogether, pricing based on gut feeling, what a neighbour's property reportedly sold for, or simply what they'd like to receive. This approach carries real financial risk in both directions — pricing too high wastes months of unsold marketing time, while pricing too low leaves genuine value on the table that a buyer would likely have paid without objection. A modest investment in a proper valuation protects against both outcomes.

## What sellers commonly get wrong about valuation timing

Some sellers wait until they've already started fielding buyer interest before getting a formal valuation, using early offers as an informal price signal instead. This approach risks anchoring your expectations to whatever the first few enquiries happen to offer, rather than to the property's genuine market value — get your valuation before you list, so you're evaluating offers against an objective baseline rather than the reverse.

## Revaluing if your sale takes longer than expected

If your property hasn't sold within the timeframe your original valuation anticipated, it's worth getting a fresh read on comparable sales rather than assuming the original price remains correct indefinitely. Market conditions and comparable listings shift over months, and a stale valuation can quietly become part of why a listing continues to underperform against fresher, more accurately priced competition that entered the market more recently.

## Getting started

Request a free valuation before you list — there's no obligation to sell with us afterward, and an accurate starting point benefits you regardless of which agency you ultimately work with.

## Frequently Asked Questions

Why not just list at whatever price I want and negotiate down?

Overpricing deters serious buyers from even viewing the property, and a listing that sits unsold for months signals to buyers that something might be wrong, often forcing a larger eventual price cut than starting realistically would have required.

How close to the valuation should my listing price be?

Generally close to the valuation's realistic range, sometimes slightly above to leave negotiating room, but not so far above that serious buyers are immediately deterred from viewing or making an offer.

Does getting a valuation cost money?

An initial estimate based on comparable sales is typically free. A formal written valuation report for a specific purpose, like a legal or financing need, may carry a fee, quoted upfront.

What if my valuation comes back lower than I expected?

It's a more useful starting point than an inflated figure, even if it's disappointing to hear. Pricing based on realistic market value gets you to a genuine sale faster and often closer to true value than an optimistic price that sits unsold and eventually requires a larger reduction.

## Ready to get a valuation before you list?

Request a free, honest estimate with no obligation to sell with us afterward.

Get a Free Valuation
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