Selling your home: how to set the right asking price

The asking price is the most important decision in a sale, and the most emotional one. If you price too high, viewings dry up after two weeks and you will have to lower the price later, with the stigma of a property that has "been on the market for ages". If you price too low, you leave money on the table. Here is how to get it right.

Step 1: know the market in figures

Start with data, not with what the neighbour got in 2022. Three sources:

The median price per m² for your municipality and property type in our property barometer, based on current listings.
Our free valuation tool, which searches for comparable properties in your neighbourhood and adjusts for surface area, EPC label and condition.
The actual prices paid in recent years, which your notary can request (Statbel publishes them per municipality, the notary barometer per quarter).

The difference between asking prices and selling prices is the negotiation margin: on average a few per cent, more for properties with a poor label or a long time on the market.

Step 2: adjust for your own home

A median is a starting point. Adjust for:

The EPC label. In 2026, this is the biggest price factor after location. An E or F label means the buyer inherits the renovation obligation and will factor that into their offer. The renovation simulation on our property pages shows how buyers calculate this.
The plot and orientation. A south-facing garden of 400 m² is worth a premium of 10% or more in an urban municipality.
Recent works. A new roof, new windows or a heat pump with invoices count; a renovated kitchen that is ten years old barely does.
Defects. Damp, an old electrical installation without a compliance certificate, asbestos in the certificate: buyers deduct double the cost of repair.

Step 3: choose a pricing strategy

There are three schools of thought:

Pricing correctly (at or just below market value): the most viewers in the first two weeks, often multiple offers, sale within the month. Works in any market.
Pricing high with a negotiation margin (5 to 10% above value): feels safe, but filters out buyers who search by price, and those who lower the price after six weeks often sell for less than correct pricing would have yielded.
Pricing low to trigger a bidding war: only works for sought-after properties in a tight market, and requires that you can cope with a first offer that sticks at the asking price.

Pay attention to psychological thresholds and search filters: 299,000 euros appears in a search for "up to 300,000", 305,000 euros does not. On ikzoek.immo, buyers search using price limits in steps of 50,000 euros, so price just below such a threshold.

Step 4: the first two weeks

A new listing gets the most attention in the first fourteen days: everyone with a saved search receives it in their inbox. After that, it slips down the list. Make sure everything is ready before day one:

Photos taken in daylight, tidy, every room, the garden, the facade and a floor plan. A professional photographer costs 150 to 300 euros and pays for itself in viewings. Avoid wide-angle distortion that disappoints visitors.
All certificates: EPC, electrical inspection, soil certificate, asbestos certificate, urban planning extract, post-intervention file. A buyer who can read everything straight away makes an offer more quickly.
An honest description with the surface areas according to the EPC, the year of construction, the works carried out with their dates, the charges (property tax, co-ownership fees) and the strengths of the neighbourhood.
A fixed viewing day in the first week, with twenty-minute time slots. Several visitors on the same day reinforce the sense of demand.

Step 5: read the signals

Lots of viewings but no offer after two weeks: the price is too high for what buyers see, or there is a defect that puts them off. Ask visitors why they are not interested. Few viewings: the price falls outside the filters or the photos are not convincing. Adjust within four weeks: one clear price adjustment works better than three small ones.

With or without an estate agent?

In Flanders, an estate agent typically costs 3% plus VAT of the selling price and takes over the viewings, the negotiation and the administration. Selling it yourself saves that amount, but takes time and nerves. In our article selling with or without an estate agent, we compare both options. On ikzoek.immo, private sellers can list a property themselves, with the same visibility as a listing from an estate agent.

The asking price is not a wish, but a prediction of what an informed buyer will pay. The better you substantiate that prediction, the shorter the sale and the higher the proceeds.