All stories

Market

What an architect-designed home is really worth

Comparable sales rarely tell the full story. Here is how we price homes where the design itself carries value.

6 min read

When a house is designed by a known architect, the usual method of pricing by the square foot starts to break down. Two homes on the same street can share a size and a bedroom count and still be worth very different amounts.

Looking beyond comparables

We begin with the recent sales everyone else uses, then look closely at what those numbers leave out: light, orientation, the quality of materials and how the rooms relate to the landscape. We also look at how often homes by the same architect come to market, and what they achieved.

The result is a written valuation that explains our reasoning, not just a figure. Owners should be able to read it and understand exactly why a price makes sense.

Keep reading

More from the journal

Advice for owners and buyers, and notes from the places we work.

Create a free website with Framer, the website builder loved by startups, designers and agencies.