Caleb Yamanaka's Q&A

$493,402.90 for the home if the interest rate is 4.5% $508192.17 for 4.25 interest rate.Hoang,You are right I ran at 4.5% my bad.

INTEREST RATES ARE LOW!  NOW'S THE TIME! BUY BABY BUY!!!!

I'm assuming your point is...Person A - payed $149,609.34 for the home Person B - payed $493,402.90 for the homeor thereabout?

There is public record data here, but it tends to lag average of 3 months.  While in rural areas I will use older comps, I try not to use 3 month old data. As for Hawaii being special, I'm thinking that most public record might be similar to here.  Isn't Texas a non-disclosure state so, that's even harder to find comps?

...Comps are easily looked up yourself.Not in every market.  I do not know one mls system in Hawaii in which the public can currently view comps.  Zillow doesn't provide current "comps" either.In this situation, I tend to agree with using an RE Attorney.  Although as a potential Buyer you can force the Builder to pay the Buyer's Agent.  I've seen more then one Builder (and their Listing Agent) acquiese to allowing a Buyer's Agent after the fact. 

 licensed RE attorney can "negotiate the contract" Good luck with that.  LOL.  RE Attorney's rarely watch the actual market so to actually negotiate a contract... they wouldn't even know where to start.  There is a very very important reason that RE Attorney's turn to RE Broker's to do price valuations and market anyalsis... its because they don't follow the actual market themselves.How is somebody who doesn't monitor the market negotitate the best price for you?

nvchaz,I agree with most of your points only replying to those that I would add something too.Second,Don't smooze me. This is not a social event I am looking forward to and don't invite me to bar-b-ques and to meet your wife or hob-nob over cocktails. I've got my own friends and you got yours and let's leave it at that. What you are missing is that there is a large majority of Buyers/Sellers who want to be included in the comunity, to meet the wife, hob nob, etc.  You see this more in the resort and second home market in which people do not know each other.  But you also see it with relocations.  Fifth and most important,Find me the good deals. You're supposed to be the hot-shot -- so dig a little and find me something nice. You supposedly have the contacts and the resources to suss the good deals -- so bring 'em to me and you will have a client for life. Why should I scour the MLS and call your attention to good deals? Why don't you surprize me with deals I couldn't find on my own? What's a good deal.  IMO there are no good deals listed on local MLS, the good deals are in knowing Seller situations and trending in local markets and then crafting your approach in getting the "good deal".  I always here people tell me I found a "great deal"... lately what is a "great deal" to the public is still retail in my mind.

While many agents are clearly fishing for business here, that was not my point. My point was people's unprofessional behavior lives on and will be around for anyone interested in finding out. Bloggers have a field day with this stuff and I can't understand why so many agents give them so much ammunition. That was my point.  Why post on Zillow at all?  There is no benefit and only the potential for your written words to be used against you in the future...  The reason, I would suspect, most Agents engage in the back and forth that goes on in these thread (not drive-by's which are obviously fishing) is because they want to engage in the discussion and really do not care what the public thinks?  As Nicole pointed out, most Agents who make a career in this business, are not looking for the random Buyer/Seller who is doing "their research" to find representation.  Most of our business comes from referrals and a referral carries much more weight then something you read on a post I forgot about 2 years ago.Nothing I say will make you go "I got to hire that guy", and nothing I say will make 100% of the public think I know a lick about RE.  In short, I do not think professional or unprofessional banter from Agents really does anything for or against them. 

It's as though some agents do not understand that they're in a national venue, that their words will live on forever in netland and be read and judged by potential clients (and bored bloggers) .... It just boggles the mind... Common fallacy, As an Agent posting on this forum I obviously don't care about getting a client from Zillow.  If I did, I would only list my homes, post some pictures and advertise with Zillow.There is not real benefit to post on Zillow for Agents... The only reason I post is the same as anybody else, because I enjoy the discussion.

Is it okay to deal directly with the listing agent? Or am I putting myself at greater risk? Above from the OP.Now you don't have to be a "skilled investor in REO's" to put an offer in, but if the question is about risk, then one can gleen from the question that "less risk" would involve using someone who has experience with the process and the product.