Zillow Advice RSS: Question-Discussion-Guide,Home Buying,

Which Has Better Resale Value? home with min. 3br/2ba or min. 4br/2ba?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:14:00 GMT

5 replies

Can the $8000 tax credit for first time home buyers in the state of WA be used for the down payment?

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:42:00 GMT

Can the $8000 tax credit for first time home buyers in the state of WA be used in addition to the 3% down? And can it be used on a foreclosure purchase?

2 replies

Contigency for Bank Owned property?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:10:00 GMT

We're interested in purchasing a bank owned property, but we haven't put our current house on the market yet. Is it possible to make a full offer with contingency? We can also afford 2 mortgages but we can't meet the 20% down payment for the 2nd mortgage without getting the equity from our current house. Any advice? We hate to let this house passes us by.

7 replies

Why are only HUD approved agents allowed to make offers on HUD homes?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:20:00 GMT

I have been working with the same realtor for 4 months and don't want to use another one, I trust my guy. He has been around since the '80s and helped my parents buy all their properties. This doesn't seem right. Am I missing something?

3 replies

Recently bought a house in Palm Desert

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:58:00 GMT

Property Taxes were set at 142000 above the selling price.
They said since it was a bank owned they can set a fair market value price ?
Never heard of this, isn't the selling price the market value?
What happened to prop 13 ?

0 replies

how do i find out which bank owns the house

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:53:00 GMT

2 replies

Which compay for pre purchase termite inspection

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:24:00 GMT

Hi Zillow experts! I recently got an offer accepted for a two story home in Ontario CA. My agent and I have found some termite damage on the outside of the home near some of the door hinges and window frames. To make sure the structural beams of the house are termite free we are getting a termite inspection done. I want to get everyone's advice on what company they think is the best for a VERY thorough termite inspection. The more answers the better. Thanks.

0 replies

what is the name of the mall along post street or avenue

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:12:00 GMT

2 replies

Auction date looming with existing offer

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:19:00 GMT

I made an offer on a home 3 weeks ago and have come to find out that it is up for auction at the county court house in 4 days. Is it typical for the auction to get postponed if there is an existing offer for the property???

1 reply

how do I get a list of upcoming open houses

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:31:00 GMT

1 reply

i am trying to sell a house in vega baja puerto rico. how is the property value in that area?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:15:00 GMT

2 family home
2 floors
cement walls
needs work,

0 replies

$8,000 tax credit for home buyers extended and expended

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:06:00 GMT

The $8,000 was extended to April 30, 2009 and now includes current homeowners who can claim $6,500 if they used sold home as a principal residence consecutively for 5 of the previous 8 years on closing day.

The extended tax credit applies only to principal residences below $800,000.

[Deleted for self promotion]

224 replies

You Can't Trust Appraisals Anymore

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:04:00 GMT

Comparable sales data has been sabotaged.

"Sabotaged?" you ask. Yes. Not by hackers or terrorists or some foreign power, but by the banking and lending industry. They didn't set out to do it. There was no vast conspiracy bent on destabilizing the real estate market No, this was a conspiracy of greed, short-sightedness, and irresponsibility.

The lending industry abandoned prudent and proven lending guidelines and loan products in favor of those that would bring greater profit and loan volume in the short term. All of the ‘exotic' new products and lenient new guidelines had two things in common:
•    They [content removed by moderator], enabling larger loan amounts and the purchase of more expensive homes.
•    They accomplished this ‘income leveraging' in ways that were inherently unstable and unsustainable.

But how does income leveraging add up to the ‘sabotage' of market value data?   Well, market value is determined by the amount people were recently willing and able to pay for nearby, similar homes (comparable sales data). But what people were able to pay was determined, in turn, by how much of a mortgage they could qualify for. So the stability of market values depends on the soundness of the mortgages underlying comparable sales.

If there has been too much income leveraging – too many toxic loans made in an area, then market values will be unstable. You won't be able to trust appraisals to help decide whether a house is a good buy or not. So, what do you do?

One approach would be to use the median income of the neighborhood to estimate the maximum value that could be sustained with non-toxic, sustainable loans. There is a free, online tool that does just that.

You can [content removed by moderator], or maximum stable value for any neighborhood at [content removed by moderator]

11 replies

What are the laws re:above ground , in basement, oil tank removal in NJ?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:14:00 GMT

How can I find out if oil tank remediation has been done?

4 replies

Can you please explain how I can find out out the "value" of a particular home and its sale history?

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:41:00 GMT

5 replies

Can anyone give me buying advice on a Preforeclosure Sheriff sale in North Carolina?

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:54:00 GMT

2 replies

House status?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:15:00 GMT

Online it is listed as foreclosure (Lis Penden), nobody is living in the house and there is no Realtor sign, and the last time the house was listed for sale thru a Realtor was 2007. What are the chances that I could buy this house or does it sound like the house is already in the process of being purchased? If there is a possiblity of buying the what is the process that should be preparing myself for?
Thank you.

0 replies

Why doesn't my condo for sale come up in the search when I enter all the search data for it?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:03:00 GMT

Santa Barbara, Condo, 3 bd, 2 ba, for sale by agent, for sale by owner, search does not come up with 51-B N. San Marcos Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93111 ~ WHY?

1 reply

where is the Indian community?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:15:00 GMT

1 reply

would like to know what this house and property are worth. 12596 60th st south,afton mn

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:19:00 GMT

built in 1980. 1 1/2 bath 3 br 2400 sqf 1200 sqf unfinished basement. new roof.

1 reply