A LOCAL REALTOR WITH KNOWLEDGE OF HIS OR HER MARKETING AREA IS ALWAYS THE BEST PLACE TO BEGIN A SEARCH. IN TODAYS WORLD THERE NO PLACE LIKE THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY LIKE THE INTERNET.

With a local Realtor - many have websites that have forms you can fill out to request a comparative market analysis with no obligation. I do these often for people--during March when owners can appeal their taxes, I received a few requests. It really doesn't take that much time and it is the most accurate information.

Hi Kevin,

I agree with the other Realtors who have commented before me. Although there are many automated sites that claim they can determine value; however, those sites can't account for the details of what a homeowner may have added. Zillow has been off (high and low). I've seen it happen with my own home and others that I have sold.

The other issue is that an experienced agent with a good track record of sales can analyze the stats in addition to just the comparables, so your home will be effectively priced to sell if you choose to sell it.

Sincerely,
Donna Bruno CRS, ABR
Broker/Owner
Century 21 North Star Realty

Best place to find out your home value is working with a full time local real estate professional, who knows the market and inventory.

I know it sounds as though we're all being "self-serving" but the truth is, there's no better way to determine your home's market value than to have one of the people who do this for a living, to come through, tour your home (see it's quality, curb appeal, views, decorating, clutter or lack thereof) and determine it's saleability.

Even those who are willing to give you a "sight unseen" CMA will come closer than any of the online services (ala zillow), but still to get the best, you need to have a Realtor in your home. Most agents/agencies offer a free no-obligation CMA service, and in order to get the best consensus (it's not an exact science) I'd recommend contact at least three local agents to have them supply your CMAs.

Good luck.

Hi Kevin,
I can give you a good ball park number within minutes if you give me the address and info. (ie; #of bedrooms,baths,approx.sq.ft, amount of property), any extra features. If you wanted to be more precise I'd have to take a quick look at the house.
Let me know if I can help you out.
Barbara
bsawin@houlihanlawrence.com

Kevin, If you provide an address and the number of bedroom and baths I can have one for you in no time.

Henry

Everyone is right a REALTOR® is the best place for Market Analysis. I regularly 3-4 times a year send my clients updates on their property, neighborhood, and sales in their area. You can use the information for tax purposes, eliminating PMI, and home owner's insurance not just selling. If you do not have a local agent I recommend HouseValues because they connect you with a local agent who paid for the lead. They are motivated to respond because it cost them not you money. You can find the links to HouseValues on my site.

As others said the best source is a Realtor since all the data is current and accurate as opposed to Zillow and other sites that give incorrect info on values and prices.

I think a good Realtor is the best choice. He/She can give you a value in todays market. He/She can look at the competing properties, not just the sold ones.

Keep in mind that the data online sources have access to is usually at least 4 months old - not good enough for pricing your house if you're selling today.

Look on Realtor.com, find homes that are similar with yours and you can get an idea. But realtor.com doesn't list sold and pending. The MLS has that.

You can j.Just interview a few agents. They have access to the MLS data which is most up to date. They will bring you the most recent comps and give you a market analysis. There is no obligation (besides they'll bug you to list with them.) Most realtors will give you the info even if you have no intention of selling your home. Ya never know, you might find a realtor you like.

When we did our FSBO, we got the comps from realtors we interviewed. Don't feel funny about it - even after we went FSBO realtors kept bringing us comps. Smart realtors do everything they can to get their foot in the door with FSBOs, and it's absolutely worth it for them (they might end up with the listing eventually...)
Good luck!

Ditto. Realtor's can provide the most accurate information -- presuming they are intimately familiar with your area.

A market analysis is a complimentary service of the real estate industry. You can ask several Realtors to provide this service and ask to see the comparables they have used.

I feel that having a real estate agent to prepare a CMA - Current Market Analysis - still the best place to find the most updated value of your house. Sure, you can always check with Zillow.com and similar web sites to find the data, however, theirs may not the most accurate in terms of the recent active house on the market and the sold prices for the past few months. I would strong recommend to have a FREE CMA prepared just for your house to get the most accurate information and dollar value.

A local agent. None of the online choices for valuation can be relied on even 60% of the time. Paid services online are simply selling your information to an agent who may not even be local to your area and therefore provide innacurrate data. Contact a LOCAL real estate professional and allow them the time to prepare an accurate and detailed report for you.