In Central Ohio’s luxury lane—Dublin, Powell, Columbus proper—winning a top number is only halftime. The real game is the appraisal. Here’s how I defend value from $800K to $2M across Muirfield and Jerome Village, Evans Farm in Powell, Upper Arlington’s classics, New Albany’s village-adjacent streets, and premium pockets in Westerville, Lewis Center, and Delaware.

1) Build a Micro-Comp Set (Block-by-Block, Not Zip-by-Zip)

County-wide averages get you beat. I map comps by school lines, lot orientation, build pedigree, and traffic patterns. Muirfield cul-de-sac vs. through-street; New Albany walkable vs. car-dependent; Highland Lakes in Westerville vs. nearby non-golf streets—each has a pricing fingerprint. I hand the appraiser a grid that makes the subject the “obvious” answer.

2) Cost-to-Replace Ledger (Upgrades With Receipts, Not Vibes)

Luxury buyers pay for execution. I package cabinet specs, appliance model numbers, window packages, insulation types, trim counts, and hardscape invoices. In Lewis Center and Delaware—where new-builds set buyer expectations—documented replacement cost turns “nice” into “necessary” and narrows subjective adjustments.

3) Appraiser Packet & Walkthrough (Curate the Story)

I don’t flood; I curate. One-page value thesis, comp grid, upgrade ledger, utility averages, and a short list of “hidden” value (sound mitigation, crawl encapsulation, subpanel for EV, landscape privacy plan). For Upper Arlington and New Albany, I highlight intangible premiums: walkability, historic fabric, green-space adjacency.

4) Contract Architecture That Protects the Win

Price is strategy, not luck. We structure clean timelines, instructive escalation language, targeted appraisal-gap coverage, and inspection scopes that won’t claw back your victory. In Powell’s Evans Farm—where buyers cross-shop active new-builds—tight terms plus a credible gap gives appraisers a confidence anchor.

5) If It Comes In Light: Control the Next Move

No panic. We reopen our comp set, correct data errors, submit a concise reconsideration, and—if needed—pivot to a concession mix that preserves net (rate buydown > blunt price cut). I keep a warm backup offer in hand to maintain leverage while we work the file.

CTA:

Selling or buying at the top end in Dublin, Powell, or Columbus and want your number to stick at appraisal? I’ll run this playbook for your address—with local nuance for Evans Farm, Westerville, Upper Arlington, New Albany, Lewis Center, and Delaware.

[Contact Patrick Murphy, REALTOR® — Columbus, Powell & Dublin Expert]