How Much Is My House Worth on Brisbane's South Side? The Honest Answer

"How much is my house worth" is the most searched real estate question in Australia. The problem is that there are four very different numbers people call a "value", and they don't mean the same thing. Get them confused and you either leave money on the table or overprice and sit on the market for months.

Here's what each one actually is.

1. An automated estimate (AVM)

You'll see these on realestate.com.au, Domain and CoreLogic. A computer takes your address, pulls recent nearby sales, looks at bedrooms and bathrooms on record, and spits out a range.

**What it's good for:** a rough sense-check before you even talk to an agent.

**What it can't do:** see inside your home. It doesn't know your kitchen is new, or that your bathroom is 1985 original. It doesn't know your block backs onto parkland or a busy road. On Brisbane's south side I regularly see AVMs sit $100,000 to $300,000 either side of a realistic sale price.

2. A desktop appraisal

An agent (or valuer) sits at their desk, pulls the comparables and writes you a number without visiting. It's more accurate than an AVM because a human is applying local judgement to the sales — but they still haven't seen your home.

**Use it for:** a quick indicative figure when you're not yet ready for someone to visit.

**Don't use it for:** pricing a campaign or making a real decision to sell.

3. An in-person agent appraisal

This is what I do when you book an appraisal. I walk the property, look at the condition, the floor plan, the block, the street, the aspect. Then I pull the recent comparable sales from your suburb — the ones that actually resemble your home — and I give you a range based on both.

This is the number that reflects what a buyer will actually pay, because it accounts for the things a computer and a desktop can't: how your home shows, how it compares to what's currently competing with it, and where genuine buyer depth sits in your price bracket.

It's also free and there's no obligation attached. If you'd rather try me before you meet me, use the instant online appraisal as a starting point.

4. A formal bank or registered valuation

This is done by a licensed valuer for lending purposes. It's not what your buyer will pay — it's what the bank will lend against. Bank valuations are deliberately conservative because the bank is pricing their downside risk. They're typically the lowest of the four numbers.

You'll only need one if you're refinancing, splitting an asset, dealing with an estate, or if the buyer's bank orders one during finance approval. Expect to pay $400–$700, and expect the number to come in below what an agent appraisal would.

What actually moves your number

Land size and position. Floor plan and how the home flows. Condition and presentation. Aspect and outlook. Street and pocket within the suburb. Recent comparable sales — but only the ones that genuinely compare.

Two identical-looking houses on the same street regularly transact $150,000 apart. Usually it's because one had honest advice on presentation and pricing, and the other didn't.

Why inflated appraisals cost you

Some agents quote high to win the listing. It's a well-worn tactic. The problem is what happens next: the home launches overpriced, buyers ignore it, days on market climb, and by the time the price gets adjusted, the market has already labelled it stale.

I'd rather lose a listing than win one on a number I can't defend. If you're comparing appraisals, ask each agent to show you the specific sales they're relying on. If they can't, the number isn't worth much.