This feature has been written by David Hallas, co-owner of David Hallas Keller Williams.

When I value a home in Teddington, I am often the third or fourth agent through the door. And by the time I sit down with the owner, they have usually got three different numbers and no idea which one to believe.

That is not their fault. It is ours. Here is what happens:

One agent tells you £950,000 to win the instruction. Another tells you £875,000 because they would rather sell it quickly. The third gives you something in the middle and hopes for the best.

Three agents, three prices, and the only person who loses is you, because if the number's too high, your house sits on Rightmove going stale, and if it's too low, you have given away money you didn't need to.

Forget asking prices. Look at what actually sold.

This is the single most useful thing I can tell you. Asking prices are what people hope for. Sold prices are what the market paid. In Teddington at the moment, the median sold price is around £685,000, and it is down slightly on this time last year.

Homes are taking roughly 12 weeks to sell, which is not bad, but it is slower than most sellers expect.

The gap between those two numbers varies enormously by road and by property type. If you are basing your expectations on what the house three doors down is advertised at, you are looking at the wrong figure.

Why the online estimates cannot do this job

I know it is tempting. You type your postcode into a website and get a number within seconds.

But those tools do not know that your kitchen was replaced in 2023, or that your garden backs onto the railway line, or that your neighbour's extension means yours now has less light.

They work off averages for your postcode, and Teddington has some very wide averages. A Victorian terrace on one side of the High Street and a 1930s semi 300 metres away can sit £200,000 apart.

Use them as a rough starting point. Do not use them to make decisions.

What actually moves the number

The honest answer is that most home improvements do not pay for themselves.

A new bathroom might cost £12,000 and add £8,000. What does reliably pay is anything that adds space or removes a problem: a loft conversion, a side return, a proper kitchen extension, or sorting out something buyers will otherwise use to knock you down, like a tired roof or a damp patch.

Then there is the cheaper stuff. Kerb appeal, a tidy front garden, a house that smells of nothing in particular, and photographs that actually show the rooms properly. I have seen a £400 spend on decluttering and decent photography change the price of a home achieved by more than £20,000. That is the best return in this business.

Three questions to ask anyone who values your home

1. Show me the three most comparable sales and tell me what they actually sold for, and when.
2. What is the evidence for that figure?
3. If it has not sold in eight weeks, what would you change?

If an agent cannot answer those three without hedging, you have learned something useful.

What I do

I will give you the number I genuinely believe your home will sell for, not the number I think you want to hear. If that is less than you'd hoped, I will tell you why, and I will show you the evidence. If the honest answer is that you would be better off waiting until spring, I will say that too.

That is not a sales technique. It is just that I am going to see you in the High Street afterwards, and I would rather have that conversation once, now, than have it four months down the line when your house still has not sold.

And if you are thinking about it before Christmas, I am currently selling at 0.7% + VAT for anyone who registers their interest before the end of December. Terms apply, just get in touch to lock in the rate.

Call or message me on 07550 016 100, or email [email protected]. There is no obligation, and no pressure to list with me afterwards.

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