Zillow Advice RSS: Question-Discussion-Guide,All Real Estate Advice Topics,Chapel Hill- NC

cannot find this house on the map

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:03:00 GMT

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is this house in the chapel hill school district?Thanks

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:59:00 GMT

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How can I remove photos of my home?I bought the house almost 3 months ago!

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:31:00 GMT

It seems like there is no option to remove pictures of interior of the home.
As an owner of this home, I want to remove those pictures as soon as possible for security reason and for our privacy.

1 reply

Chatham passes liquor by the drink. What happens now?

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:14:00 GMT

Chatham County has passed liquor by the drink. So now what happens? Pretty much nothing, at least in the short term. It is true that some establishments in the county will start to serve mixed drinks. This will put those restaurants on an even keel with restaurants in neighboring counties. But I don't think we will see any major increases in patronage or in new establishments being opened.

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Use Microsoft Photosynth To Create Your Own Virtual Tours.

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:10:00 GMT

A few months ago I stumbled upon this new technology out of the Microsoft Live Labs called Photosynth. Now I have had photo stitching software technology before to do my own virtual tours. Anyone remember the now defunct PixMaker from PixAround?

But Microsoft is on to something here. I mean the tehcnology is too easy to use and it creates some very interesting results from just a few photos. Check out one of my properties I just shot at this link:
http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=31d2bd71-5459-41d8-ac2f-f9c4b4882718&m=false&i=0:0:2&c=-2.86807:0.487276:-0.149891&z=634.793111364547&d=2.25103601356661:-2.43026286225491:-2.52410909914677&p=0:0

Basically all I did was go out and walk a big circle around the house shooting a photo every few feet. But instead of just shooting in a perfect line, I just threw the photos together, sometimes walking up and taking a closer photo of the rock work or the wrap around porches. The system figured out how to place the photo in my "synth" so that it flowed in with the other photos. The resulting 3-D effect once you have gone completely around the house in the tour is really stunning.

To understand how to take photos for Photosynth, go here:

http://photosynth.net/howtosynth.aspx

Like I said, I am truly amazed at how this technology works. And Microsoft is making it free. In fact you get 20GB of space to use for your "synths". The technology works equally well shooting inside of the property. You just stand in a corner and shoot while sweeping the camera from one of the oposite corners to the next. Then you can stand in the middle of the wall and do the same for additional perspectives.

So give it try. You have nothing to loose except more exposure for your listings.

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Buying or Selling Undeveloped Land in Chatham County, Part 1.

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:07:00 GMT

Part 1: The Perk Test

In this installment I'm going to spend some time on the process for buying or selling undeveloped land in Chatham County. This process is for undeveloped land and not improved lots that you typically find in a developed subdivision. With the case of improved lots, the developer or builder has done most of the work for you. But it is always a good idea to check with the County planning department or better yet, your Realtor to make sure all the requirements to build on the lot have been met. You may also find the process is very similar in other Counties.

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Add instant messaging to your real-estate websites with Windows Live Messenger.

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:04:00 GMT

Have you and/or your agents go to http://download.live.com/messenger to download Windows Live Messenger. Then go to Windows LIve at http://login.live.com and get an ID you plan to share with anyone that takes floor duty. Only one person should be logged in at a time with that ID, the agent on duty, though you can have more than one actually signed.

Now once you sign in on the web to your ID, your will see on the left the ability to create Web HTML that will allow you embed a Windows Live Messenger window on a webpage. You copy that code. Then log in to your website setup and add a page. You can call the page whatever you want but I find something like "Instant Chat" a good idea. Then in the blank paragraph area of that page select any "HTML" check box so the input converts from plain text to html input and you "paste" the code you copied earlier into that section.

Now go to your "Menu" tool and add a menu item that links to the page you just created. You can add the menu item wherever in your menu you see fit. I placed mine in the "Contact Us" menu area.

Now have your agent on duty login to the ID you created earlier, the ID you share with your agents to use when they are on floor duty, and now when anyone clicks on your "Instant Chat" menu item they will see a Windows Live Messenger windows on your website with the ID you chose listed at the top and an indicator of "Online" or "Offline" depending on whether or not the agent on duty is signed in. If signed in, the web visitor can now initiate a chat session with the agent on duty. There is also a mobile version of Windows Live Messenger so agents can even monitor and chat with website visitors from their mobile phones. How cool is that!

We have been using this since it went into beta about 2 years ago and we actually get a few chat request per week off our website to inquire about properties.

Enjoy!

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Chatham County Sales Still Slightly Lower, But Improvement Seen

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:02:00 GMT

Chatham County's home sales were off in August by 12% year of year from last August. In 2008, Chatham had 54 home transactions according to the Triangle MLS system. For 2009 that number was down slightly by 6 to 48 home transactions, indicating a slowing of the drop in year over year home sales. The news is still tough for area Realtors, though all are seeing increased activity and pending contracts.

Looking at the numbers in more detail, we see that the average home sold square footage dropped by 154 sq. ft. indicating a continuing trend to smaller homes as well. The average sales price in Chatham for August 2009 was $348,274, down $58,064 from $406,338 for last August.

The average days on the market was up slightly from 122 days last August to 154 days for August 2009 for homes that sold. Homes were selling for 4% less as a percentage of asking price, from 96% in 2008 to 92% this year.

There were pockets of better than average performance and pockets or worse than average performance. For the most part, homes priced correctly were selling in all price ranges. Homes in what would be termed "First Time Home Buyer" market were the most active on the market, followed by land, and finally by luxury homes.

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Can't Sell Your House And Considering Renting It Instead?

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:00:00 GMT

With today's market, many people are thinking about alternatives to selling their existing house, especially if they are trying to move do to a job or other relocation need. Before you go looking for that new house before the rental agreement ink has dried, you need to check with your mortgage company to make sure that will work.

Due to changes and new rules, many mortgage companies will not let you count rental income as income. At least not without some requirements. So what you end up with is an income to debt ratio that is way off. The problem occurs because you have an existing house whose mortgage is showing on your debt sheet. Then you go to try and include your lease income on your income sheet and the bank says not so fast.

It is best to check with your mortgage company to see how they need you to work with them. In many cases they will require a few months of rent to be held in your account or escrow, but in some cases they may just say they cannot approve you for a new loan while you still own your existing home, leased or not.

Again it is best to check first and ask around with different mortgage companies as requirements may differ from company to company.

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How to buy a house in Pittsboro and Chatham County, Part 1

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:46:00 GMT

Buying a house in Pittsboro or other parts of Chatham County is not unlike buying a house in any other part of the Triangle or the Country for that matter, with one exception. Chatham has in the past been one of the fastest growing Counties in the region, the Country even. So depending on your idea of the "perfect" home, one thing usually stands out when considering where to buy…location, location, location. And even though growth and development has slowed in Chatham, that trend is not likely to continue.

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My house is showing up twice.

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:55:00 GMT

How do I fix that?

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Zillow bug, help! Public records have correct zip but Zillow does not and comps are from wrong area!

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:50:00 GMT

Why does Zillow have a different zip for my address when all the public records have the correct one? Your FAQ says Zillow gets the information from public records -- obviously this is not quite true! My address at 201 Newberry Lane, Chapel Hill, NC should be in 27516. ALL the land records AND the parcel data have the correct zip! Where the heck did you get 27514 from? This is affecting my zestimate because the comps are getting pulled from the wrong place!

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Zillow has the wrong zip code for my house; Zillow's zip does NOT match the correct parcel data!

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:01:00 GMT

I need to know where Zillow got this incorrect zip code from so I can fix it. They clearly did not get it from the actual land parcel records because the address there has the correct zip of 27516. Please inform me where I need to get this fixed. If this is a Zillow error, please fix this.

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How do I get you to put my house on the right side of the road?

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:29:00 GMT

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The homes numbers on Simerville Road, Chapel Hill, NC are reversed from reality. How to correct?

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:29:00 GMT

If I use the location editor I can move the location of the house with my street address to my location but it has description of the wrong house. It would be best if Zillow would assign correct street numbers.

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Buying or Selling Undeveloped Land in Chatham County.

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:47:00 GMT

When buying or selling undeveloped land in the Chatham County area of Chapel Hill, it is important to understand the rules and what you can and cannot do.

Aside from a knowledgeable and local Realtor, a good place to start is the Chatham County planning department. There you can determine how the property is currently zoned and if that zoning meets your requirements. For the most part, we are talking about single family residential zoning which most of Chatham is already zoned for.

The next important question is whether or not you have a buildable lot. This is determined by first, finding out if the property perks. Perking is the process of testing the soils on the property for the installation of a conventional septic system. There is no County sewage system. The County Environmental Health Department is responsible for performing soil test to determine if the property is suitable for a septic system and what type of system may be used, preferably a conventional one. The County fees vary depending on the number of bedrooms you want approval for. The fees, along with a $10 flood determination fee are paid up front and there is no guarantee you will receive approval for a septic system installation.

Once you have paid your fees, had the County soil engineer out to test the soil, and received your improvement permit (perk test), you are ready to move on to the next steps of obtaining a well permit and your construction permits.

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garage?

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:14:00 GMT

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wHAT IS THE YEARLY TAX ON THE SECOND FLOOR UNITS? THANKS.

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:47:00 GMT

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I built a new home but it's not on Zillow. Will I see it when I refinance construction to permanent?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:33:00 GMT

Soon, my Fidelity online will have a new Full View which will include real estate values in calculating total worth. From the previews I've seen, it appears that Zestimate might be used to determine real estate values for the tool. My new home does not appear yet on Zillow so I want to make sure it gets up on Zillow as soon as possible. I will be converting the construction loan to permanent financing soon via a refinancing, probably with Easy Orange from ING. Will this transaction be picked up by Zillow? If so, does Zillow account for the fact that the mortgage will be 75% or less of the appraised value? Does Zillow get the appraised value somehow from these transactions? I'm wondering how accurate my Zestimate will be in this situation.

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Interested in investment property in a GREAT college town?

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:36:00 GMT

Investors interested in buying great investment properties within walking distance of campus are buying properties around the country. [content removed by moderator for being self-promotional]

2 replies