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

The assessment sales ratio is a way of measuring the accuracy of a property’s assessed value when compared to the property’s selling price. This measurement gives the ...

Contractual provision allowing an individual or business to renege on a commitment in certain cases without being penalized. ...

A married partner. Property may be jointly held by spouses. ...

High quality, premium wood to be used in construction such as for home building. ...

If escrow is the legal “moment” where assets are held by a third party (an escrow agent) hired by both the buyer and the seller of goods like real estate and insurance until the ...

Sale that is finalized only in the case of a particular occurrence or eventuality. ...

Revocation comes from the verb "to revoke", which means to take back the validity of something. The definition of revocation is detrimental to contract law. It gives the person making the ...

Governmental body having the responsibility for planning the future development of a jurisdictional area. A planning commission is responsible for developing and managing a zoning ordinance ...

Present worth of the property which is different than the price paid for it or its book value (cost less accumulated depreciation). The current value may be determined through appraisal. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions