Ask Price
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!)
Popular Real Estate Terms
Provision at the end of a document, such as a will, wherein the witnesses sign that the instrument has been executed before them. This may be useful involving transfers of real estate. ...
An idiomatic expression indicating the desire of an individual to understand new surroundings and all of its nuances including its quality and character. The derivation of the expression ...
Also called biannual; twice a year. An example is when lease payments are due January 1 and July 1. ...
Generation X, also known as Gen X , is the generational extract of Americans that are sandwiched between the Baby Boomer Generation and the Millennial generation (also called ...
In a mortgage, a provision that allows part of the security to be released from any further lien obligations upon the borrower's making a given payment. For example, a person may get a ...
Method of eliminating the spaces between the solid fragments in fresh cement or mortar during the mixing process. This is done by a combination of constantly mixing, turning, centrifuging, ...
Same as term soil porosity: Extent to which soil has cavities or pores, thereby allowing water to pass through. ...
Also called triple net lease. The lessee pays not only a fixed rental charge but also expenses on the tented property, including maintenance. ...
Multiple Listing is the kind of Listing that is registered by a broker or a real estate agent at the Multiple Listing System (MLS). If a house is directly sold by an owner – the ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.