Real estate agents will tell you the key to getting top dollar for your home is pricing it correctly. Price it too high and it will languish on the market. Price it too low and you could leave thousands of dollars on the table.

Here are three tips to help you determine your homes market value.

Get A Professional Appraisal: A licensed, certified residential appraiser is how mortgage lenders determine a homes value. A professional appraisal will cost you $300-$350. However some of that money can be recovered. If you sell your home, the buyer might be interested in purchasing the appraisal from you and having it assigned to their lender. Be aware there is both art and science in doing an appraisal. That means not every appraiser will give your home the same value. If you do not know an appraiser, we can recommend one in your area.

Get A Market Analysis: Most real estate agencies will perform a market analysis free of charge. This is not an appraisal, but the agents best estimate of your homes value. Be aware: some agents believe that whoever brings in the highest market value will get the listing. Thus there is some financial incentive to inflate your homes value.

The Internet: There are several web sites that let you research home values.

Case Shiller Weiss Inc: offers a system used by banks across the country. For $25 they will give you an objective estimate of the value of your home.

Home Value Check: For $14.95 you can get a valuation of your home that includes: the current market value of your property, 30 comparable sales, property tax information and more.