Why I don’t put a number on a screen
Every instant valuation tool works the same way: it takes an address, matches it against whatever sales data it holds, and returns a number in three seconds. It’s a good hook, and it’s a poor answer.
An automated model doesn’t know you replaced the roof two years ago, or that your backyard backs onto a park, or that your street is quieter than the one behind it. It doesn’t know the comparable sale it just used had a finished basement and yours doesn’t. Those are exactly the things that move the number, and they’re exactly the things a model can’t see.
So I do it by hand. It takes longer than three seconds, and you get a range you can actually plan around, with the comparable sales attached so you can see where it came from.
The two numbers people confuse this with
Your MPAC assessment isn’t your market value. MPAC assesses property in Ontario against a legislated valuation date rather than today’s market, and it draws the distinction itself: a sale price is “the final dollar amount negotiated and agreed upon between a buyer and a seller”, while assessed value “is determined through sales analysis” (MPAC, homeowners hub). They’re two different questions with two different answers.
A benchmark price isn’t your house either. CREA builds its index by using more than 15 years of MLS data to “define a ‘typical’ home based on the features of homes that have been bought and sold”, and those benchmark homes are what it tracks month to month (CREA, MLS Home Price Index). A typical home is a statistical composite rather than a house anyone lives in. It’s the right tool for tracking a market and the wrong tool for pricing your listing.
What the market you’re selling into looks like
In July 2026 the MLS Home Price Index composite benchmark for the Niagara Association of REALTORS® board was $572,200, down 5.5 per cent year over year. There were 609 sales against 3,354 active listings, which is 5.5 months of inventory, and the average sale price was $662,239 (CREA, board statistics, July 2026).
Those are regional figures for the whole board. No official source publishes a benchmark price for St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland or anywhere else in Niagara on its own, which is another reason a real valuation beats a headline number for you.
What five and a half months of inventory means for you as a seller: buyers have choices, so the price you set in week one does most of the work. I went through the timing in how long it takes to sell a house in Niagara Region. The things that quietly cost sellers money are in 7 mistakes home sellers make in Niagara.
Ask for your valuation
Tell me the address and roughly when you’re thinking about it. I’ll come back with a range, the comparable sales behind it, and an honest opinion on timing. If I think you should wait, I’ll say so.
If you’d rather just talk, call me on 289-690-7393, or use the contact page. Let’s talk homes over lattes.
If you’re selling and buying in the same move, the selling page and the buying page cover each half. For the order to do them in, read should you buy or sell first.
Questions I get about home valuations
- How much is my home worth in Niagara?
It depends on your street, your condition and what’s actually sold nearby in the last few months. The honest way to answer it is a comparative market analysis against real comparable sales. That’s what I do here, free and with no obligation attached.
- Is this an instant online valuation?
No, and deliberately not. An automated estimate doesn’t know you redid the kitchen, or that your backyard backs onto a park, or that your street is quieter than the one behind it. I do the analysis myself and send it to you with the comparable sales attached.
- Do I have to list with you if I ask for a valuation?
No. A lot of homeowners just want to know where they stand, and that’s completely fine. There’s no pressure and no obligation attached to asking, and I’ll tell you if now is a bad time to sell.
- Is my MPAC assessment what my house is worth?
No. MPAC values property in Ontario against a legislated valuation date rather than today’s market. It also distinguishes between a sale price negotiated between a buyer and a seller and an assessed value determined through sales analysis, so they’re answering different questions.
- What is a benchmark price, and is that my home’s value?
A benchmark price tracks a typical property for a whole area. CREA defines a typical home from the features of homes that have actually sold and tracks that composite month to month. So a benchmark home is a statistical construct rather than a real house, and it’s useful for a trend rather than for your house.
- What do you need from me to do it?
Your address, roughly when you’re thinking of selling, and anything you’ve done to the house that a listing wouldn’t show. That’s it. If I need more I’ll ask.