To Zillow or not to Zillow ......

For anyone who has bought or sold a home in the past several years, you probably noticed that things have changed since the internet came into being. There is a LOT of information out there. Being an information junkie myself, I love being able to look up property information from so many different sources right from my computer but there are problems. The same issues come up as with any other category like healthcare or how to make the best ribs - you need to know what information to trust and you also need to know how to not waste your entire life, looking for more information!! It's overload and sometimes things aren't as they seem to be.

Sometimes as a Realtor, it feels like it's me vs. the internet! That's a huge mismatch .... I'm much better than the internet!! I have a standard line about using the net for new clients looking to buy or rent a home. Go ahead and search as much as you want, just beware of false information and scams, and be ready for a lot of useless information. Zillow is the leader in online real estate without a doubt - it's great for some things but not for others. It's easy to use and has tons of listings and tons of information on those listings.

The problem is that there are many listings on there that are out-of-date. I've had clients jumping up and down because they found a house for sale on Zillow that I didn't send them, just to find out it was sold 3 months ago. Another issue is that even though it's great for some people to have all of the auction properties, pre-forclosures, and pre-pre-foreclosures on there, the vast majority of buyers either couldn't purchase these or should not want anything to do with these and they just take up space.

Here's a new one: Zillow is now listing for sale by owner properties which is great. I have a first time homebuyer client and he's anxious because he really needs a house in the next few months, is FHA, and is qualified for the low end in the area he wants. So he's looking through Zillow. He finds some properties and sends them to me (trained well) One of the houses comes up, looks decent but says it's a cash sale only so I tell him it won't work. I'm curious though so I look on the mls. The house is listed as a foreclosure on the mls for $15,000 less!!!

So this is a wholesaler who advertises properties on Zillow looking for a buyer who will pay him more than what he can buy it for through the bank. Genious but not cool for my buyer or anyone elses.

Beware.

My advice, call me, call a Realtor. We're free for buyers or very close to it. FREE. I'm not saying don't use the net but let us help you and frankly, let us do at least most of the work. We'll work to find you the best home for free since the commissions are paid by the sellers. It's the greatest thing ever. Call me at 954-980-7120 or email me at adamehlmann@gmail.com.