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Zillow iBuyer Program Failure

December 9th, 2021

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 Still Incorrect

January 11th, 2021

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

July 25th, 2016

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 [...]

Zillow to Buy Trulia

July 29th, 2014

Zillow is in an agreement to buy Trulia. Zillow is paying $3.5 Billion dollars to buy Trulia. As of right now, both brands will continue to exist, both websites, and their respective apps will remain in working order. The move will reduce costs to both brands, but will both continue to sell advertising to agents. There may [...]

Towson Zillow Zestimates Incorrect and Problematic

January 26th, 2013

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 [...]

Wells Fargo HELOC Class Action Lawsuit

March 20th, 2012

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 [...]

Baltimore Zillow Zestimates Still Off

February 7th, 2012

Baltimore Zillow Zestimates are still often off from true value, despite the change in algorithms last year. "Desktop Valuations" are a quick way to look at the potential value of a home, but they do not take many factors into consideration, and some of the things they DO use to determine a value should not be used! [...]

A New Low for Incorrect Zillow Zestimates

August 31st, 2011

Last night, Zillow posted a tweet, inviting you to look at this glorious mansion on the market for $35,000,000. Please note, that is $35 MILLION. The amusing part to me, is when I clicked on it, directly under the asking price is the Zillow Zestimate: $396,500. Yes, you read that right, Three hundred ninety-six THOUSAND, [...]

24% of Baltimore Mortgages are Underwater

February 16th, 2011

A recently released report shows that 24% of mortgages in Baltimore are underwater. A mortgage that is underwater means that the value of the house is less than what is owed to the mortgage company by the homeowners. The national average of homes underwater is 27%, so Baltimore homeowners are faring a little better than [...]

Computerized Appraisal Problems

January 5th, 2011

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, [...]

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