Most of the sites that "value" homes on line are inaccurate because they usually just take area averages without consideration of location of a particular property, condition, etc. I would rely on them for your information. Go back to your realtor, or find another one. Is this agent a buyer representative or is this agent working for the seller? If the agent is not working for you, his/her job is to try to get the most they can for the house. If they are working for you, their job is to advise you on the best price you can offer. Good luck.

Ralph Windschuh
Century 21 Princeton Properties
631-467-0009
rwindschuh@c21princetonproperties.com

Dear Shahreen:

Web sites can only give you very rough ideas. Comparable sale prices can vary greatly and you do not know the condition of the homes when they were sold as compared to the one you will be buying. Your best bet is to look at as many homes as possible, look at any and every home available in your price range and while do that you will gain a valuable education as to where property values are at. You will also gain the ability to spot a good deal.

Do not worry so much about if you are overpaying because the value of a home varies based on a buyers motivation and opinion. As they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Besides, when you do contract to buy a house, assuming you will be getting a mortgage, the bank will send in an appraiser to physically inspect the house, do comparable sale research and formulate a professional opinion as to the homes value. If the appraiser thinks the house is not worth what you are paying you will be denied the mortgage and get your down payment back. Hence you are always protected.

An appraisers opinion of value is way more accurate than any web site could ever be.

If you still feel the need to research comparable home sales anyway, the best sites to do so are as you stated http://www.PropertyShark.com, http://www.Trulia.com and another is http://www.Zillow.com.

Sincerely,
Mitchell S. Feldman
Associate Broker/ Director of Sales
Madison Estates & Properties, Inc.
Office: (718) 645-1665
Email: MitchellSFeldman@aol.com

Shahreen, try streeteasy.com and, in some cases, cyberhomes.com.

Have fun shopping!