The Zillow iBuyer program failure is a complicated and nuanced issue. What was the Zillow iBuyer Program? The Zillow iBuyer program was a program where Zillow would buy a home directly from a homeowner/seller to allow the homeowner not to have showings, get the home ready to show, etc. Zillow then would own the house [...]
Zillow Zestimates are still incorrect in Baltimore and beyond. Recently, the founder of Zillow bought a home. He paid $1 Million ABOVE the Zestimate for the home he bought. This was reported in a real estate industry newsletter called Inman, who got the information from an article on the Variety website. From the November 11, [...]
Zillow Zestimates may be inaccurate again and again in Baltimore. Zillow Zestimates. Buyers often look to them, thinking they are a good representation of a home's value. In reality, often (not always, but often,) Zillow Zestimates can be off. Especially in Baltimore County. This happens across the country. The Los Angeles Times published an article regarding this [...]
Why Isn't My House Selling? Let's say your house is on the market, and showings have dropped off. Do you know that could happen at any time of the year? It says you may need to change something. If you are still getting views online, but not getting reciprocal showings, that usually says buyers have [...]
Towson Zillow Zestimates continue to be incorrect and problematic in the public's understanding of the value of a home. I listed a Towson home that will be coming to the market in March. We have completed our paperwork, and are readying for the Baltimore real estate market. One thing we discussed was their rather low [...]
A Class Action workers compensation case by Schibell & Mennie has been filed against Wells Fargo due to reductions in HELOCs all over the country. In May of 2009, I wrote about Towson Zillow Zestimates affecting a client's HELOC loan, and how his line of credit had been reduced right in the middle of construction [...]
I was honored to be asked by the esteemed Real Estate Wonk, Jamie Smith-Hopkins, to be her first guest post for her Baltimore Sun blog. Jamie's posts are always insightful, chock full of information, plus great statistics and details interpreting the data. Should this post be well received, I may be doing more in the [...]
Computerized appraisals have been an issue for awhile, but recently, they have become a problem for a much larger group of people. Appraisals done by people in general are both objective and subjective, which means that often if you had two professional appraisers come to your house, you would likely get two different price opinions, [...]
This Month in Real Estate May 2010 is here! April 30, 2010 marked the end of the Homebuyer Tax Credit. Though there was an small uptick in sales from qualified homebuyers, this does not truly mean the end of the spring market for sellers who are currently on the market or getting ready to go [...]
If you are getting ready to sell your home, or your home is already on the market, here are some tips to quickly stage your home to make it more appealing to a buyer. Most of the tips are courtesy of Barb Schwarz of Stagedhomes.com , and realtor.org, the National Association of REALTORS(R) website, some [...]