Zelda Kohn's Q&A

I want to delete the account because I accidentally created 2 of them and,  there is no aparent way of merging or deleting them. I do not need to have 2. Please delete this one.

looks like, in my client's review, Zillow assigned the value of the home I sold in Newton to be "25k" when in fact it was over $1.2 mil. I'm not sure exact price matters, that much in the review, however a magnitude does, otherwise the comment does not look credible! I don't think anybody would believe my negotiation skills are that good (when one can hardly sell a garage in Newton MA for that amount, let alone a house :).

i created 1 account as a buyer (a long time ago) and another as an agent. now i find my listings are not being added to my account, and i'm guessing, because of the email address i use. i cannot add my other email address because it is already in use by that other account. can i join the two accounts or delete the 'non-agent' one to clear the issue?

I find big inconsistencies in Zestimates among similar properties and wonder why? For example, take a look at all 2 bd/2.5 ba units at 171 Swanton Street and tell me why is that unit 68 has the lowest Zestimate there?

The most effective FSBO strategy? ...get lucky! Having a lot of tools is not enough. Does having a calculator make you good at math? Does buying a musical instrument assures you could play music?. Do surgical instruments make you a surgeon? I suggest, if real estate is not what you do for a living, hire a professional agent! There is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to making a sale of a home, especially in today's market conditions. Get real and hire an experienced agent, who knows how to attract prospective buyers, qualify them to make sure they are able to purchase a home, invite offers, negotiate, assist buyers in working through a process (inspection, contract, mortgage,...) and through many possible bumps on the road to Closing... so don't get fooled by seemingly easy process, it isn't!

If you don't want to waste your time and sell it fast, forget about flat fee brokers, forget about trying to sell it by yourself. Talk to couple of local agents and do not rush to list your home with anybody until it is ready for the show. Remember, you only get 1 chance at the 1st impression! You maybe be able to find an agent familiar with staging, if not find a professional stager. Not only it'll help you sell your home faster, it'll get you a better selling price. Good luck!

Having a good agent representing your interests it's like having a friend on your side, an extra hand in negotiating and extra protection against possible real estate issues you are not experienced with. Unless you purchase real estate all the time I'd get an agent, at least on consultative basis.If the house is completely built, you should ask for a home warranty on all systems, appliances and duct work, etc... If the builder is not willing to do it, I'm sure you can find an agent who will give you a 1 year home warranty.

Typically, when people ask that question they really want to know the current market value of their home for selling purposes, so I'll respond to that. If you have other reasons behind the question, please clarify.You can type your address in Zillow and see its 'Zestimate' as long as you understand that this is an estimated value calculated by the software, which gives you an averaged approximated price based on what sells in your neighborhood at a time of estimate. To figure out your condo's value closer to what it can sell for you'd need to talk to a licensed RE Agent. Let an agent do a Comparative Market Analysis, see the property's current condition and adjust accordingly to reflect the real market value. Contact me, if you are getting ready to put your home on the market. I'd be happy to assist.

If you have an active broker license you can list the property for sale as usual, just mention in the listing that owner is a broker. If you still have friends in the business or recommended agents who might be receptive to the idea of teaming up with you to sell your house, than could be a good win-win approach for you'll have somebody with the current market knowledge, tools and advertising budget to give the house maximum exposure and help you sell it for half the commission. Good luck!

when it comes to flooring i try to have them professionally sealed before i move in. it is hard to do it right w/o proper tools and process. you can use almost any water based poli coating to create as little or as much gloss as you like by applying 1, 2, 3 or more coats of it. oil based coatings are not "green" and are shinier and bring out deeper reacher wood color. water-based coating will stay closer to original wood representation w/o making the color deeper and will add only a slight gloss to it.