lol John, you are way too funny!

Yes, you could list my home if you could get what Zillow says it's worth ;-) I'd even pay you a 10% commission!

Regarding your comment: ...
>>>>And you can NOT fool us Paula,
how could a 30 something have 30 years experience !!!!!!!
It just seems like 30 years selling dirt. >>>

Does that mean you don't think I look 30? if so, thanks ;-) in May I will be 51 yrs old so your comment makes me feel good!

I started selling real estate in 1979, I was 21, but looked 15 and interest rates were 21%. Nobody wanted to deal with a young kid, so I had to figure out a way to get around that problem. I finally did...got a mtg brokers license, an HP10B (techno-gadget of the time) and would walk buyers thru houses while punching buttons on my HP with dp and monthly pmt amounts to see if they'd be interested in buying the house for that pmt.

Of course this was way back before MLS, (we had books that came out every 2 wks) no internet, and mortgage brokers only worked mon-fri 9-5. (smoothe move since buyers looked on nights and weekends!)

No cell phones, or faxes, you kept a beeper and a pocket full of quarters and knew where every pay phone in your market area was, lol!

Wow- I've seen it all, the s&L bailout, 21% mtg rates, recessions, etc. If I can make it through that- I can make it thru anything!

The agents of today don't know how lucky they are to have the tools we never had back when. The most important thing I would tell buyers and sellers today with the advent of the internet is that you can find lot's of information, but how a professional would interpret that information is another ballgame.

I would not play the stock market without a knowledgeable broker.
I would not do surgery on myself or a loved one
I would not do my own taxes

WHY is it that people decide to go it on their own when buying or selling one of the most expensive assets in their life? Playing around with $300 to $500,000 is not my idea of a good thing to do.

Maybe we make it look too easy, but that is the hallmark of a great agent. If it looks too easy, and it happens real fast, then we've earned our dime.

Paula can I list your home???

I would do real good job, get it on Zillow and Trulia web sites.

I think Paula has tongue in cheek!!!!

And you can NOT fool us Paula,
how could a 30 something have 30 years experience !!!!!!!
It just seems like 30 years selling dirt.

John

And it should be noted Tax valuations are one year behind in a 25% declining market.

Sorry to disagree with all of you, but I'm thinking of selling my own home, and as an agent with 30 yrs experience I know what it is worth, but just had to check out a few sites to see what they said.

I've voting with Zillow ;-) If I can only get HALF of what they say my house is worth, I'm out of here!

There you go, now, get an appraisal or a Realtor, because last I heard, mtg companies weren't using internet based valuations to approve mortgages. The mere fact that they decided to do this shows there lack of knowledge and professionalism. How on EARTH can an internet site look up your tax valuation, and not knowing any more than that - give you a price?
What about if you are in an area where the zoning is going to change? School district changes, a land fill going in down the block in 4 months?

I hope I made my point. Only a human who knows the market and what is going on in the area for the next few months or years, can give you a price. Even then, that is subject to change by lunch due to the economy and various other factors.

Best wishes - call a Realtor ;-)

John is on the mark........thumbs up, John!

1. appraisal,
2. realtor
3. all others

Michael, what we are saying is:

1. We do not think these sites on the INTERNET do a good job. Zilliow says it is with in 10% of the selling price 40% of the time( as I remember, see link below) I would not put any faith in something that loose.
Could cost you a ton.
2. A knowledgeable Realtor will get you a lot closer to final real value-
3. A knowledgeable Appraiser should be even better - but more expensive.

I know not why you look for value, but I suggest you call up a couple of Realtors and get some ideas. How to find a good one . . . drive around the area you have interest and when you see the same Realtors name more than twice you have a starting point.

John

http://www.zillow.com/howto/DataCoverageZestimateAccuracy.htm

.

Michael -

Please take numbers from these two sites with a grain of salt......well maybe several grains. In my experience they will use sales that are not comparable. I don't know what their algorithmn for choosing sales to use but you need to look at all the sales used and see if they are even in the same general area. Often I have found sales from other geographic areas used and found that sales in the immediate neighborhood were not even used.

General rule of thumb, carefully analyze data before you make use of it.

Wow, Cyberhomes is even more inaccurate then Zillow. I just bought a condo in November and I paid $85k. Zillow said it estimates it at $96k but Cyberhomes just said it estimates its worth at $227k. WOW! I've put in a few upgrades but...dang!

Neither.

It all has to do with using the data without seeing the homes, knowing the neighborhoods and knowing what makes one home stand out against others.

Just because two homes have 2,000 square feet does not make them equal. Any of these sites can only give you a very rough estimate. Until the sattelite photos can look through the houses and actually see what they look like and be able to know that one builder builds low budget homes, one builds moderate budget homes and one builds luxury homes these sites can never be accurate.

At the same time the Realtors CMA, or the appraisers appraisal is only as good as their knowledge and understanding of the market, neighborhoods and homes. When I don't know a certain area well and do a quick market analysis I may come to a very different value after going out and looking at all the homes I have as comps, driving the neighborhoods, calling the agents who have sold the homes and have done my due dilligence.

Without the homework you only have a guess.

Sincerely,

Jeff Launiere, P.A.
Keller Williams Realty
Real Estate Consultant
ALHS - Accredited Luxury Home Specialist
CPS - Certified Competitive Pricing Specialist
TRC - Transnational Referral Certified
e-PRO - Certified Internet Expert
Offices in Tampa, Apollo Beach, Brandon & Plant City, FL
813-469-3163 (Direct)
800-622-0886 (Fax)
Info@SweetHomeTampa.com
http://www.SweetHomeTampa.com
http://www.HomesOfTampaFL.com
http://www.SweetHomeTampaBlog.com

Micheal, I personally think all these sites that list home values are not as accurate as they should be.
All of them base the value of you home on sales in the area sometimes if there is not a recent sale in your area they use a sale from outside of your area.
Plus they have never seen your home. Every home is different and therefore really the best way is to work with a knowledgeable Realtor who can view your home and do a market analysis.
Also you can always order an Appriasal too. Although they are outdated in this market very quickly.
If you are not working with an agent and would like to talk more, please give me a call at (850) 225-9899 or visit my website at http://www.realestatebyamin.com.
I was the Top Agent in the area last year and would love to help you,

Sincerely,

Amin Delawalla.