Definition of "Ask price"

Nelson Montanez  real estate agent

Written by

Nelson Montanez elite badge icon

Brass Moon Realty

Ask Price is the initial listed price for a piece of real estate.

It’s important to understand that, in the real estate world, there’s no such thing as a fixed price when buying or selling a property. Fixed price is a concept you can only apply when the product in question has scale, so you might have a fixed price on rental properties of a building, however, when buying or selling a property, the homeowner does not set a price so an interested home buyer can acquire it by merely paying that value.

It is more of a bargaining routine, where the home seller sets a price - the so-called ask price - he/she believes corresponds to the worth of the property. Then, it’s up to the interested home buyer to make his/her own assessment of worth - the so-called offer price - and make an offer to the home seller. If both agree to it - the so-called Fair Market Value - the house is sold.

Although the asking price is thoroughly studied by the homeowner and the professionals surrounding him/her - especially the agents and the Appraiser - the most common scenario is to have the home buyer offering a lower amount of money than the one the home seller set as the property’s asking price. When that happens, the home seller usually makes a counteroffer and both of them go back and forth until they can agree on a fair market value for the property.

There are sometimes when you’re in a Seller’s Market or the house is so unique, that a home buyer might make an offer higher than the ask price in order to secure the house. It’s rare, but it happens.

Real Estate Advice:

Take a look at our Real Estate FAQs. Maybe the answer to those frequently asked questions will help you understand the big picture better.

And check 
The OFFICIAL Real Estate Agent Directory® to find an agent to help you with whatever you can't find on our website (if that's possible!)

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

The meaning of a disclosure statement is a legal document signed by both parties, the lender and the borrower or buyer. This statement outlines the terms and conditions, the potential ...

Effective Age is the counterpart to a property’s Actual Age. While the former refers to the date a property was built, the latter is more of a sensorial depiction of its age; the age ...

Commitment by a lender to a borrower for a given amount of money at specified terms for the financing of a project. The borrower pays a fee for the privilege of either executing the loan or ...

What’s the definition of real estate collateral? Could we say it’s like keeping a hostage? No, that would be relatively insensitive. But the idea is similar. In real estate, ...

A lien is a legal instrument by which one party – usually lenders and creditors - guarantees the obligation of a real estate owner to do something – generally repays the money. ...

Typically, the term rider defines a financial concept, implying a written modification applied to an insurance policy, altering its initial clauses and provisions. The rider can update the ...

Member of a partnership whose liability for partnership debts is limited to the amount invested in the partnership. A limited partner is prohibited from taking active part in the management ...

Mortgage on both the purchased real estate and personal property of a durable type. The entire amount financed is considered one mortgage. In residential real estate, a builder might ...

Short-term leases are leases that run its completion in a faster time than regular ones.In real estate, short term-leases usually refer to temporary housing; that is: rent.The length of a ...

Popular Real Estate Questions