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
Contract to act on the behalf of a principal in selling real estate. The principal agrees to pay a commission to the broker when a buyer is produced who is ready, willing, and able to meet ...
The coefficient of dispersion is how municipalities can determine differences between the assessed values of properties in an area or neighborhood. It gives a broader look at the state of ...
Ownership rights to the minerals or other precious resources, such as petroleum, in one's property. A property owner having the mineral rights to the property can do one of three things ...
An official indicating intensity of land use in a zoned urban area. ...
Government owned lands, for conservation purposes or for specific uses such as dams and hydropower. Public lands are owned by federal, state, and local governments. Many public lands are ...
A rental contact in which the tenant's rental is tied to a change in the price level, such as the Gross National Price Deflator. ...
When a mortgage loan is provided to a borrower, the lender establishes a fund called a tax and insurance escrow to accumulate the debtor's monthly payments for property taxes and insurance ...
Bond collaterized by real assets. Two kinds of mortgage bond are senior mortgages and junior mortgages. A mortgage bond may have a closed-end provision that prevents the firm from issuing ...
Tax deduction permitted upon the transfer of property from one spouse to another. The deduction is allowed under the federal gift tax for lifetime transfers or under the federal estate tax ...

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