you won't believe this...

[Mike50]

http://www.zillow.com/

Every once in a while a website comes along that boogles the mind.

Enter your address and zipcode-this site will tell you in great detail the value of your home/sales history and stuff you didnt even know about.

Oh....and oh yea BTW you can be a snoop and look up your neighbors as well.
You Know you want to..

I posted this in Remodel Section because it will even tell you about room addition history in some cases.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

pretty cool

That is really cool.....


I looked up my own house and was amazed on how close it actually got...

looks like all pictures are taen in the winter time with no foliage on the trees...


Its much more lcear than googles site

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

Zillow is a Seattle based web site, showing housing pricing around the country.

I've even used it to figure ahead of time if a job address will be accessed from the alley or the street.

Man, I must of had way too much time on my hands that day.

 

[Mike50]

I think it's an incredible tool with many applications. You can decide when the perfect time to sell or buy is.

Homes here are sky rocketing so I check it every couple months to see where the trend is going.

 

[PEW]

Had come across them a week ago. They have no coverage where we currently live. However, our old home is another story. Darn near count the blades of grass. Did find they are out of tune with current (last 12 month) pricing based on sales during that period.

Paul

 

[Mike50]

[..]..Had come across them a week ago. Darn near count the blades of grass..[..]
Paul

I hear you PEW.
...a buddy of mine said it bothered him that so much information is available so easily.
OTOH when it's all out there-you could say the playing field is level.

http://www.zillow.com/

 

[Lakee911]

Seen it before. The value of my house has a 50K margin and the value of the girlfriend's parents is about 1/3 the value. Its either dead on or WAY off.

Jason

 

[Lancaster]

As with Mapquest and the like,there are bunches of errors on this webpage.It presents my former house,a split level built in 1963 with shake shingle siding and 3 bedrooms,as a three story built in 1973 with 7 bedrooms made out of stucco.The photograph shows a small mansion with a tennis court no less! And no,these are not improvements made since I sold it.So this is fun to play with,but be careful.

 

[Mike50]

Well, mine was accurate especially looking at the 5-10 year trend graphs they feature. You might want to look at that as well.
For instance: There was a six month period where my home value was "flat". -No growth or decline.

Other people in SoCal were quite different. I suspect that one proprietary
secret is they factor in volume of homes sold in your zip code.
who knows..?

 

[Chassis]

I love that site. The best use for it is if you are selling your house or buying a new one. It shows recent sales, or "comps" as the slimey creatures known as real estate agents call them. Any way I can avoid contacting a realtor I will do so. They are going the way of the United Auto Workers, which is to say, "away".

 

[PEW]

Chassis,

Now, now, calm down. At least you can always tell when they are lying to you!

Paul

 

[Chassis]

Paul, you bet, like whenever their mouths move!

 

[Gouranga]

They are not so bad as long as you keep them in perspective. What you need is a good translator.

Realtor English
"Good morning" "Wheres my commision?"
"I am really eager to sell your home" "I am really eager to get my commision."
"You need to lower the asking price" "I don't want to have to work for my
commision"
"I think it is a fair offer." "I don't want to have to work for my
commision."

As long as you realize they don;t care what you ask them, or tell them beyond how it will get them a higher commision without extra work, you will be just fine. Anyone ever see "A Series of unfortunate events"? I am with that woman who has an irrational fear of realtors.

 

[Mike50]

Here are a a few more based on real events:

"Escrow will close when septic inspection is completed"--Owner got caught trying to screw you by not pumping the septic tank before closing.

"It can get a little chilly here in the winter"--Heating system is unrepairable. It's going to cost you a lot of money for a new system.

"I think this is a good offer"-I want to leave early today.

"This area is growing-lots of families moving here"--The police have shut down most of the Meth labs in this town.

 

[Mike50]

New site..

Zillow.com now has competition:

http://www.realestateabc.com/

 

[Lakee911]

Much better! I like the slider-option. My place was dead on.

 

[Chassis]

Much better! Easier interface and just as accurate, or more so.