By Rob LaBrecque | Licensed REALTOR® in NH & MA | Updated March 2026
⚡ Key Takeaways
- Online estimates like Zillow’s Zestimate can miss actual market value by 5–15% — they’re a starting point, not a pricing tool.
- Tax assessed value, appraised value, and market value are three different numbers — sellers need to understand market value, which is what a motivated buyer will actually pay right now.
- The four factors that drive your home’s value most are: comparable sales, condition and updates, location and school district, and current market conditions.
- In Southern NH, school district proximity (Londonderry, Bedford, Windham) consistently commands a price premium; in Northern MA, Andover and parts of Haverhill create similar advantages.
- When two agents give you different numbers, ask each one to walk through their specific comps — recency and similarity matter most.
Your home’s market value is what a motivated, informed buyer will actually pay for it right now — and that number is often meaningfully different from what Zillow shows, what your town assessed it for, and what an agent may tell you without doing the work. In Southern NH and Northern MA, the gap between a well-supported asking price and a wishful one regularly runs $30,000–$60,000. Here’s how to read the numbers correctly.
Why Can’t You Just Use the Zillow Estimate?
Zillow’s Zestimate, Redfin’s estimate, and similar tools use public records and sales data to generate automated valuations — but they can’t account for your updated kitchen, the addition you built, or the fact that your neighborhood has been selling fast this spring. These tools are useful for orientation — they’ll tell you whether you’re roughly in the $400Ks or the $600Ks — but they can miss the actual market value by 5–15% in either direction, and in lower-turnover areas that gap can be even wider.
What’s the Difference Between Assessed Value, Appraised Value, and Market Value?
These are three different numbers, and confusing them is one of the most common mistakes sellers make. Here’s what each one actually means:
- Tax assessed value: What your town uses to calculate your property tax bill. This is almost never equal to what a buyer will pay — especially if your town’s assessment hasn’t been updated in years.
- Appraised value: A licensed appraiser’s opinion, typically ordered by the buyer’s lender after you’re under contract. It can lag the current market.
- Market value: What a motivated, informed buyer will actually pay right now. This is the number you’re pricing toward — and the only one that matters when you’re listing.
What Actually Drives Your Home’s Value?
Four factors move the needle most, and understanding how each one applies to your specific property is the difference between pricing with confidence and guessing.
- Comparable sales (comps): What similar homes in your neighborhood sold for in the last 60–90 days is the most reliable signal. Not listed — sold.
- Condition and updates: Renovated kitchen and baths, newer roof, updated HVAC — buyers notice and they pay for it. Deferred maintenance works in the opposite direction.
- Location and school district: The baseline you can’t change, but it sets your price ceiling.
- Current market conditions: How much inventory is competing with your home, and how fast are things moving in your specific price range?
How Much Does School District Actually Affect Price?
Location is the single largest determinant of value, and within any given town, school district boundaries often create sharp valuation differences between neighborhoods separated by a single street. In Southern NH, proximity to highly rated districts like Londonderry, Bedford, and Windham consistently commands a premium. In Northern MA, access to top-performing schools in Andover, Groveland, and parts of Haverhill creates similar advantages. Buyers with school-age children — or who plan to have them — factor this heavily into what they’re willing to pay.
What this means for you: if your home is in a strong school district, that’s a built-in advantage your comps should reflect. If your district is less competitive, price accordingly — you’re competing on other factors like condition, updates, and lot size. You can’t change your location, but you can price it correctly.
What Should You Do When Two Agents Give You Different Numbers?
Ask each agent to walk you through the specific sales they used — because different numbers almost always mean different comps, not that one agent is wrong. Look at recency (comps older than 90 days may be stale) and similarity (square footage, condition, lot size). A word of caution: some agents price high to win the listing, with the expectation of recommending reductions later. The number you can defend with data is the one to trust.
Get a Personalized Estimate for Your Home
The best starting point is a real valuation based on your actual property — not a zip-code average. Once you know your number, you can start planning.
See how Rob LaBrecque handles the listing process — from pricing strategy through closing — for sellers in Southern NH and Massachusetts.
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