Dear Anchor 411,

I would be more than happy to estimate the value of your home if you send me a bit more information to mindy@welcomehomesantacruz.com or call me at (831) 297-2255.

Take Care,

Mindy Greenberg

What is ist worth? We can get quite detailed here but in the end it boils down to this: Whatever a willing buyer and seller can agree on without neither being under duress. That's how it used to be.

But today duress is part of normalcy. Therefore similar sold short sales and REO sales are in the mix you would compare your house to.

Rule of thumb: It;s worth more today than tomorrow unless Boulder Creek has already seen the bottom. A Realtor would be able to give you the best data.

Anchor
You might want to give these points some thought:

The value of a home varies depending upon the reason:
1. Fair Market Value - what it would be worth on the current market, with "normal selling conditions". Ideally the professional should be able to look inside your property (not just an on line "guestimate"
2. Replacement cost - for insurance purposes. What would it cost to rebuild your home?
3. Collateral - if you were to use the home as collateral for a loan, what would it be worth. Usually conservative because the lenders do not want to overexpose themselves. Usually understates the value if the market is going up.
4. Appraised value - by the tax assessor. Usually done upon transfer or every three years, the values lag behind market values, so if the market is doing up or down, it's probably never really accurate.

If you ask a Realtor for help they will usually be able to provide an estimate of Fair Market Value for a lot less than an appraiser. You might want to offer them a referral to someone who is thinking of buying or selling as a reciprocal favor.

Hi Anchor,
If your home is the same as when you purchased it (in 2001?), then it appears you have a one bedroom one bath home of about 700 square feet, on about a 7500 square foot creekside lot. If you have made improvements, understanding those would help us estimate it's current value. Without seeing your home or improvements, all I can offer is a wide price range estimate of between $180,000-$260,000.

The best way for you to get a clear answer to your question is to have a REALTOR help you. Most of us offer a free service to homeowners - called a comparative market analysis - that will give you an idea of what today's buyers would be willing to pay for your home. Feel free to contact me if you would like to this service without any obligation.

M.C. Dwyer
REALTOR at Century 21 Showcase REALTORS, Boulder Creek

Anchor,

You really haven't provided enough information for Trulians to provide you with good information. After checking the sale prices for recently sold homes there seems to be a wide range for 3/2 units. This range is between the mid $300,000's and upper $500's. Keep in mind we do not have any idea of the square footage of your home, the number of bedrooms, size garage, etc. AND no idea of the acreage involved with your parcel.

Contacting a local real estate professional should provide you with the quality of information you need.

Good luck

The Eckler Team
Michael Saunders & Company