I'm a Broker associate in W Sonoma County and Kate Wagner has my permission to use any of my listing photographs in a manner that is consistent with fair use. It won't do her much good unless she wants to contrast a barn with a McMansion...
I forgot to give a "Shout Out" to McMansion Hell". It's a wonderful site I have shared with many agents and clients. "Lovely Listing.Com" was also a lot of fun while it lasted and the archives are worth a visit.
I detest Zillow. FD, I'm a Real Estate Broker with a background in Appraisal. Those featured agents you see on Zillow? That's how Zillow makes money, they get the listings for no cost and charge agents a hefty fee to become featured ( I know one agent who was paying $700 a month, she's dropping it). I work mostly in W Sonoma County which has an incredibly diverse housing stock, "Zestimates" are frequently off by as much as 30%, sometimes more. In the last 5 years I have seen a total of one "Zestimate" that I agreed with, one. Many buyers and sellers give these "Zestimates" the same credibility as an appraisal done by a qualified professional. Take a look at their admitted error range... And Zillow is now getting into Brokerage with their "Instant Offers". If you look at that program carefully it is really a ploy to drive business to Zillow's "Premiere Agents", which will allow zillow to charge more for the privilege of becoming one of the anointed. Zillow is skirting the edges of being an appraisal firm and skirting the edge of being a brokerage. The Real Estate Biz sorta grew like topsy and it has plenty of problems that are structural, but Zillow's business model makes things worse.
Zillow uses an AVM (Automated Valuation Machine) to estimate values and in a recent subdivision with lots of transactions it's pretty close to the mark. In an area where the housing stock is diverse or their are few transactions it varies from piss poor to laughable. I'm a Real Estate Broker in Sonoma County with a background in Appraisal. "Zestimates" for country properties are useless at best, for city properties they are occasionally pretty close. I'd like to see Zillow prominently publish their error range along with the "Zestmate"...in the past Zillow often provided a "Value Range" that made it clear how rigorous their methodology is... "$751,000 to $1,395,000" is one I recall. And yes, it can make a big difference to a seller, I looked at a place in Sierra County that Zillow priced at $186K, two local Realtors and an Appraiser put it at $295k...
Zillow
I'm a Broker associate in W Sonoma County and Kate Wagner has my permission to use any of my listing photographs in a manner that is consistent with fair use. It won't do her much good unless she wants to contrast a barn with a McMansion...
McMansion Hell
I forgot to give a "Shout Out" to McMansion Hell".
It's a wonderful site I have shared with many agents and clients.
"Lovely Listing.Com" was also a lot of fun while it lasted and the archives are worth a visit.
Zillow
I detest Zillow.
FD, I'm a Real Estate Broker with a background in Appraisal. Those featured agents you see on Zillow?
That's how Zillow makes money, they get the listings for no cost and charge agents a hefty fee to become featured ( I know one agent who was paying $700 a month, she's dropping it).
I work mostly in W Sonoma County which has an incredibly diverse housing stock, "Zestimates" are frequently off by as much as 30%, sometimes more.
In the last 5 years I have seen a total of one "Zestimate" that I agreed with, one.
Many buyers and sellers give these "Zestimates" the same credibility as an appraisal done by a qualified professional.
Take a look at their admitted error range...
And Zillow is now getting into Brokerage with their "Instant Offers".
If you look at that program carefully it is really a ploy to drive business to Zillow's "Premiere Agents", which will allow zillow to charge more for the privilege of becoming one of the anointed.
Zillow is skirting the edges of being an appraisal firm and skirting the edge of being a brokerage.
The Real Estate Biz sorta grew like topsy and it has plenty of problems that are structural, but Zillow's business model makes things worse.
Cloudflare
Blackbird Tech, Schrodinger's Law Firm?
Re: Zillow = bad
Zillow uses an AVM (Automated Valuation Machine) to estimate values and in a recent subdivision with lots of transactions it's pretty close to the mark.
In an area where the housing stock is diverse or their are few transactions it varies from piss poor to laughable. I'm a Real Estate Broker in Sonoma County with a background in Appraisal.
"Zestimates" for country properties are useless at best, for city properties they are occasionally pretty close.
I'd like to see Zillow prominently publish their error range along with the "Zestmate"...in the past Zillow often provided a "Value Range" that made it clear how rigorous their methodology is... "$751,000 to $1,395,000" is one I recall.
And yes, it can make a big difference to a seller, I looked at a place in Sierra County that Zillow priced at $186K, two local Realtors and an Appraiser put it at $295k...
Comey's metadata
And they told me it was irrational to be terrified by clowns?
Right to repair
If you think a John Deere tractor is "lowly" you are probably a "Breatharian".
DNC Cybersecurity
I don't understand why Bryan Pagliano and Rajiv Fernando weren't appointed.
Apple's backdoor
When it comes to the white house the choice is not always between malice and stupidity
Napolitano
We had to destroy the University to save it.
Re: Discounting the overpriced
Does taping over the webcam on my PC count as a "Privacy Gain"?
Re: Re: DEA?
Both ATF and DEA exist as places to put cops who are too corrupt or incompetent to find jobs elsewhere.
(untitled comment)
That group in the middle is very well aware of who has all their emails and phone records and it ain't the shadow.
Instead of raising my hand
I raised one finger, I'm a minimalist.