I would compare each listing to the right recent sales bucket before deciding how serious to get.
If you are unsure how to tell whether a home in Fife, WA is priced fairly, I would make the comparison process much stricter. The answer is to judge each property against recent sold homes of the same type and similar size instead of relying on a townwide impression.
Across the most recent three months, Fife, WA posted 10 closed homes with a typical sold price of $500,000. The range was $199,000 to $620,000, and the typical price per square foot was $325, which gives you a solid benchmark only after you narrow to similar homes.
That is important because recent closings included attached homes and detached homes, with living areas from 876 to 2,239 square feet and home years ranging from 1951 to 2010. I would not let one broad average override those differences when you are deciding whether a listing really earns its price.
Compare by property type first. Keep your own value notes after every tour. If a home in Fife, WA seems expensive, make the seller's case for them on paper, and if you cannot do it, I would not stretch.
