Definition of "Fair market value"

The definition of Fair Market Value in the real estate business is the highest amount that could be received on the sale of a property when there are a willing buyer and a willing seller. But that seems kind of vague, right?

Let’s give Fair Market Value some context:

Truth is whenever a home seller says “I want to sell my house!”, both the home seller and the real estate agent wants to sell the property for the highest price they can, right? However, the home buyer, obviously, wants to buy the house for the lowest price he/she can. So, an “arm wrestling match” regarding the value of the property begins. At the end of that negotiation, when the home seller and the home buyer agree on a price, we have the Fair Market Value of that estate.

Things you should be on the lookout to define a precise Fair Market Value of a property:

- How is the market right now? Do a Comparative Market Analysis.

- Is the house in good conditions? Have a professional Appraisal of the property done.

- How much would it cost to build a new one just like yours? Try the Replacement Cost Approach.

RealEstateAgent.com ADVICE:

Now that you’ve done your homework regarding Fair Market Value the choice is yours: you can either access our Real Estate Agent Directory and search our amazing database for that trustworthy real estate agent that will help you make your house sell, or you can keep searching for other terms on our Real Estate Glossary box below. Good luck!

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

unfinished access space below the first floor having less height than a full story. An individual must crawl through the crawl hole to gain access. Any interior passage of limited ...

Another residence in addition to the main residence where a person or family resides. An example is a second home out of the city used on weekends and during vacations. Interest and real ...

Designation given to members of the American Society of Real Estate Counselors (ASREC). A prerequisite for membership is professional experience and ethical conduct. ...

Figure or value which is the starting point in computing gain or loss, depreciation, depletion, and amortization. ...

Appraisal by summation is an Alias for Replacement Cost A.K.A. Cost Approach, which is one of the approaches an Appraiser can go through in order to assign a Market Value to a ...

The direction in which a community is growing. Directional growth is measured over time, and its path strongly influences current and future market values of those properties clearly in ...

(1) Sudden and dramatic increase in activity or prices. (2) Rapid economic prosperity. ...

The right to possess, exclusively occupy, enjoy, control, and dispose of real estate. Ownership rights to realty are granted by the ownership of a title to real property. ...

The deposit given by a buyer of property is delivered to the escrow agent, who retains it for the seller. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions