paulbalzotti's Q&A

You can find one at Stagedhomes.com. Everyone listed on this site has the Accredited Staging Designation.

Just wanted to make a note that I am typing on my IPAD tonight, so I apologize about a few typos in my response :-)Pasadenan---I respect your point of view and I can see you're a very active contributer on ZIllow. You probably had the best answer to this question, so I don't want to get into attacking each other or trying to defend myself. I just know many people put way too much stock in the Zestimate of their home (or the home they are looking to buy) which is why I made a post in the first place. All the best,

I never called my self a math expert. Once again I don't want to defend statements I didn't make nornimply. As for the 4 disadvantages you listed, if you really think about each of those, any one of them can create a Zestimate that is way off from a realistic value, and all of those 4 issues come up a lot. Specifically, I think the first one you listed pretty much makes my point and says it all. Plus I can think of a handful of other things they don't account for (floor plan, potential street or highway noise, exactly what the view is like) just a name a few additionals that come to mind that can dramatically affect property value. I think it's best for mikevino to take it from here since this doesn't feel very productive for either of us. I think it's clear you don't trust very many Realtors and I don't trust any Zestimates.

I think it was fairly obvious I was not offering to do thousands of CMA's. I understand the Zestimate offers a unique algorythim and I am always interested to find out the random number that comes up. It can be incredibly accurate, but then so many other times not even in the ballpark. That makes it interesting to review. if you think a Zestimate is going be more reliable than finding a local Realtor with local expertise to give the home a market analysis...then I guess we will just need. to agree to disagree. I assumed mikevino was looking for an accurate assessment of a particular property, and I was trying to be helpful. Pasadenan, I am not clear on what you are talking about, in regards to the "false advertisements". It sounds like a jab at Realtors in general, and since you don't know me personally, I won't take it personally. I was just trying to help. If mikevino is not interested in finding out what a particular home is worth, and just wants to sort the difference for some other reason, the excel spreadsheet sounds like a great idea. I think it all depends on what his objective is.

I would not put any time in to analyzing or considering the Zestimate. It is a neat tool and can sometimes be very accurate in some cookie cutter neighborhoods with recent sales available. But it can also sometimes be totally off (much higher or lower) by sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars!The Zestimate can not assess the condition, the views, the floor plan, potential street noise, and a ton of other factors that can affect the home value.If your objective is to find out a realistic market value of a home, your best bet is to comb through the recently sold listings in the area that are comparable. Or better, have a couple of different Realtors give you a market analysis from a buyers approach. Then remember the home is worth always what you, or the highest bidder is willing to pay for it, and no more.If you are very serious about the home, you need to physically go through it, and have the Realtor doing the market analysis physically go through it as well. Looking at pictures and comparables is much better than a Zestimate, but a listing can be much nicer or much worse once you see it for yourself (not just driving by but going through the home).I hope that helps. ZIllow is an incredible website, but unfortunately the zestimate is not worth your time and energy to consider and help analyze anything in my opinion. I find all of the information provided by these sites to be very helpful in many ways. But can also have a negative impact when people make up their minds on properties based on what they read and see on the internet. Also, Realtors are usually happy to provide market analysis for buyers and sellers with no obligation--and so it makes total sense to take advantage of this.Good luck!

If the home is priced aggressively enough, and you are in a great neighborhood, you always have a chance no matter how you go about it.But if you're considering going For Sale By Owner, there is the obvious fact that you will not have anywhere near 100% market exposure. Not being on the MLS-that alone, you will be missing out on a majority of the qualified buyers searching right now. But beyond that, for the buyers that do stumble upon the advertising that is being done, buyers will often discount their offer, fully aware you are not paying Real Estate fees. If your considering a cheap on-line company to get on the MLS, or considering working with an outside of area agent, just getting on the MLS and being priced right will give you a good chance to get your home sold. But a local agent gives you many additional advantages. A local Realtor is able to network with other local agents (who are working with local buyers) much more effectively to promote your home for sale. They also have a better grasp of the local market, so they can give you the best advice on pricing your home to sell fast--and the price you choose to list for is very critical!. There is a ton of other advantages of using a local agent. If someone calls the phone number on the sign, and wants to see the house that day-- an out of town agent can't show it to them most of the time. They also can't answer questions about the neighborhood and community to potential buyers, and many times this information helps sell a prospective buyer on the value of the home.If you have more questions, or plan to interview local agents, please consider giving me a call or email. And good luck!

Definitely bank owned. With auctions and shortsales, you are waiting for a 3rd party approval of the sale. With bank owned, you can come to terms immediately and move forward.

I explain how a shortsale works on my website here. http://www.paulbalzotti.com/What_is_a_shortsale/page_2334434.htmlHope this helps!

I would try to find a Realtor that holds the designation of being a Certified Residential Specialist in your area. In order to become a CRS, a Realtor needs to take a number of advanced Real Estate educational courses, and have significant experience. When referring my clients to agents outside of my area in Whatcom County, I always start by searching for a CRS, since I know they will be getting a seasoned professional.I also agree that you should meet with at least two Realtors and ask a lot of questions.. and find someone you are comfortable with and is knowledgable. Hope that helps, and good luck!

I wanted to add that if you go under "sold property search" on [link removed by moderator] or directly here [link removed by moderator]You can put in the address of the home of interest and find the most recent sales in the area. Hope this helps :-)