We can be pretty certain that a lot of home buyers and sellers don't see eye to eye on values, or else the average sale price wouldn't be 11 percent lower than the asking price. But where do real estate agents stand in the debate?

Well, 85 percent polled in Maryland say sellers think their homes are worth more than they -- the agents -- believe it is, according to a new survey by real estate site HomeGain.

Most of that difference is pretty big.

Half the Maryland agents surveyed say their average clients think their homes are worth 10 to 20 percent more. Eleven percent say average clients think their homes are worth in excess of 20 percent more.

The Maryland agents say their average buyers are actually less critical. Sixty-seven percent of their buyers think homes are overpriced, with a big chunk of the opinion that prices are no more than 9 percent too high.

Perhaps that's because the agents report that they're talking sellers down from their price expectations -- somewhat. About half say the average difference between the ultimate asking price and what sellers wanted to ask is no more than 10 percent.

(The Maryland agents were polled as part of a national survey of 1,400 Realtors. About three dozen were from our state.)

The push-and-pull on price is probably a perennial one, but it's been especially potent in the post-bubble days.

Buyers, how close does a home's asking price need to be to your opinion of its worth to make you willing to negotiate?

Sellers, what are you doing to ensure that your asking price will interest buyers?