Tracy & Tego Venturi's Q&A

Hi – Wow… what a hassle! I am an Agent at Keller Williams here in Albuquerque and saw your question.  I started to look into this and think it has to do with the KW website vendors database and that it is not automatically updating properties.  I have sent a request to have this removed.  This should take care of it.

We use a few different methods depending on how old the home is.  Relatively newer homes will have inspection tags with dates on electrical panels, plumbing, and mechanical items.  If these things are not available or you don't have access to the home you can call the building department of the city the home is in.

I would recommend talking to a local lender that can really look at your credit situation and see where you stand.  If you need a recommendation for a lender in the Albuquerque area, let me know.

I don't know this for sure but suspect Zillow can not get good data to work with.   I would be happy to work up a market value if you would like, or I have a "Market Snapshot" report I can send you that shows homes currently on the market and recent sales in your neighborhood.

My recommendation to a buyer in this situation would we to have the home inspected by a licenced and insured Structural Engineer/Inspector.  If the Structural Inspector finds that there should be no future problems, get something in writing that certifies this. At that point you can decide if you want to proceed.  If I was representing the buyer I would ask that the seller pay for this inspection.  Not to say they will, but I would ask.

I'm with Vince on this one.  People will pay what they will pay, not what Zillow tells them to. In our area Zillow is higher than market in many cases.

Zillow recently changed how they display properties and their advertisements and I think this may have caused the confusion.  We run advertising on Zillow in the 87111 zip code (and others) to market our listed properties, and are also what Zillow calls a "Premier" Agent for this area.   Premier agents are displayed on properties that do not have a listing broker or homeowner registered with Zillow to allow people to ask questions if they want (this is what's new).  These Agents are not shown as the "Listing" agent just as an Agent, but this is causing confusion.  I talked to someone at Zillow last week and it sounds like they are getting lots of calls/complaints similar to your question.You do need to have some basic information on the ownership of a property to clam it on Zillow.  It's not a perfect system because anyone can get that info from the county records.  But... If someone has a property listed as a "Make Me Move", no one else can claim it until the owner releases it.  I know this for sure because clients of ours have had to do that for us to activate the advertising we do on Zillow.It looks like you have it all fixed with Zillow and are now showing as the contact.  If you have any questions or want to contact me you can call me direct at 505-263-0556.  Regards, Tego Venturi

If the assessor has over valued your home you can protest it and try to have it lowered.  If you would let me know some details on your home and what they have assessed it, I can see if the valuation is in line.  Email me at tego@welcomehomeabq.com or send me to info from the contact for on my website at www.welcomehomeabq.com.

Links, links, links and blogging is the best way to get them.  Set up a Blogger account and go at it.  Make sure to include a link back to your main site in every post.  Another way to get links is to comment on forums and blogs that will give you a link back to your site.  We have been successful on our Albuquerque Real Estate site doing this. Sorry… I had to do it.

Hi – Here are a couple of options.  First, if you visit our website at http://www.welcomehomeabq.com and fill in the "Market Conditions" report request in the upper right corner, you will receive a e-mailed report showing recent home sales and what is currently for sale in your area.  The other option is to contact me directly and I would be happy to give you a free market analsys.  E-mail me at tego@welcomehomeabq.com or call at 505-263-0556. Just let me know how I can help.  Regards – Tego Venturi