Former appraiser Lance McHan says county averages mask diverging markets in Stockton, Lodi and Manteca, and outlines three pricing steps for fall sellers.
STOCKTON, CA, UNITED STATES, September 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Lance McHan, Associate Broker with The McHan Team at Cornerstone Real Estate Group and a former licensed California appraiser, today released a three step pricing guide for homeowners planning to sell a house in Stockton, Lodi, or Manteca this fall. McHan said San Joaquin County has moved into a balanced market, where pricing and preparation now decide the outcome of a sale.
Local Markets Moving in Different Directions
In a balanced market, buyers and sellers hold roughly equal leverage. Well priced homes continue to sell, while overpriced homes sit. According to recent market reports reviewed by McHan, the county overall is up roughly 1 percent year over year, but conditions differ sharply by city. Over the same period, Manteca median prices fell about 8.5 percent and average days on market rose from 42 to 69. Lodi values are down roughly 3 percent, with typical homes between $500,000 and $520,000, while Stockton has held steadier.
“A countywide number is an average of markets that are moving in different directions,” McHan said. “A seller in Manteca who prices off a county headline can start several percent too high, and when buyers have choices, that home gets skipped. Appraisers are trained to price from the closest comparable sales, and that is the discipline sellers need right now.”
Three Steps for Fall Sellers
McHan recommends three steps before a home goes on the market:
1. Price to the neighborhood, not the county. Base the list price on closed sales in the immediate area over the past 90 days, adjusted for size and condition, as an appraiser would.
2. Prepare before listing. New listings draw their strongest buyer attention in the first two weeks, McHan said, so repairs, cleaning, staging, and professional photography should be finished before the home goes live.
3. Avoid chasing the market down. A series of small price reductions signals weakness and leaves the seller trailing a softening market. An accurate price at launch avoids that cycle.
“Pricing is a discipline, not a guess,” McHan said. “When a court appoints a neutral expert, the value opinion has to hold up with both sides examining it. I hold every listing price to that same standard, because a number that can be defended to a judge can be defended to a buyer.”
On timing, McHan said fall buyers tend to be serious and fewer competing listings can help a well prepared home stand out, though waiting for spring does not guarantee a higher price.
Choosing a Listing Agent
McHan advises sellers to look for three verifiable qualifications: formal valuation training, recent local sales volume, and pricing opinions that have been tested by third parties. He said a listing agent in Stockton, Lodi, or Manteca should be able to show the closed sales behind a recommended price, not only the price itself.
McHan has worked in real estate valuation and sales for 26 years. He was a licensed California appraiser from 2000 to 2008 and has held a California broker license since 2021. Courts have appointed him as a neutral real estate expert and as a receiver in matters where property value was contested. According to its public Zillow profile, The McHan Team has closed more than 60 transactions in the past 12 months and 353 sales in total.
About Lance McHan
Lance McHan is an Associate Broker (DRE# 01987449) with The McHan Team at Cornerstone Real Estate Group, with offices at 611 Lincoln Center in Stockton and 224 W Pine St in Lodi. A former licensed California appraiser and a Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert (CDRE), he represents home sellers and buyers in Stockton, Lodi, Manteca, Tracy, Lathrop, Ripon, Escalon, Lockeford, Woodbridge, Linden, Mountain House, Galt, and throughout San Joaquin County and the Central Valley.
Lance McHan, Associate Broker
The McHan Team at Cornerstone Real Estate Group
+1 209-279-2235
lance@lancemchan.com
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