Is Zillow Wrong More Often Than Right?

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Today, we want to elaborate on an unfortunate fact: Zillow is wrong more often than they're right. 

When you're thinking about buying a house in San Diego or anywhere in Southern California, you're likely to start the process online. Many people use Zillow's Zestimate feature to determine whether a home is priced correctly, but it's not the most reliable tool. 

In San Diego, Zestimates are wrong 55% of the time! When looking closely at Zillow's numbers, we found Zestimates are only within 5% of a home's true value 42.8% of the time! Additionally, Zestimates in San Diego are off by 20% in value nearly 20% of the time. Would you consider that to be a good estimate?

If you have certain selling goals you want to accomplish, or if you're trying to determine how much you should offer on a home, you are likely using the wrong numbers if you're basing your decisions on a Zillow Zestimate. The best way to accomplish your buying, selling, or investing goals is to work with a real estate professional who knows the market inside and out.

If you have questions about this topic, or if you would like us to put you in contact with an agent you can trust, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to give you a hand! 

What 5 Things Should You Look for in a Home?

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Searching for a new home can be a stressful endeavor, but it doesn't have to be. Today, we're going to talk about the 5 things to look for when viewing a home, so you don't make any costly mistakes when buying this summer.

• Location: Is the house next to a busy street? Is it next to a freeway? What are the schools like? Is traffic congested near your home?
• Size: Are the rooms going to fit all of your furniture? Are they big enough, or are they too big? Make sure there is enough room for all your amenities!
• Windows: These tend to get expensive, so you want to determine whether the windows will need to be upgraded. 
• Situation of house: Is your home close to your neighbors? Is the home west facing or east facing? Does the home get much natural light? 
• Roof: Like the windows, if the roof needs to be repaired, it will be awfully expensive. Make sure it is in good shape!

If you have any questions about the home buying process, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to share some tips and tricks to help ease your buying experience! 

Are You Familiar with These 5 Things to Look for When Buying?

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Today, a very special guest and good friend of mine joins us to discuss real estate tips for buyers. Miguel Saenz is an entrepreneur, investor, house flipper, and expert real estate agent, and he wants to share the top five things to look for when purchasing a home in Southern California.

1. Neighborhood: Take a look at your future neighbors and ensure there is no clutter in the yard. No one appreciates living next to messy neighbors.
2. Curb appeal: Take a look at your house and ensure it looks great from the outside. You're going to be looking at it for quite some time after purchasing it!
3. Functionality: How does the interior look? Can you see yourself living there?
4. Roof: Ensure there is no leakage or damage to the roof. If you don't take a good look at it before buying, it could cost you a whole lot of money down the road.
5. Exterior: Look at the foundation of the home and ensure there is no cracking or sinking. These are other problems that become more expensive the longer you wait to correct them! 

There you have it: 5 tips from an expert in the home buying business. If you have any questions for Miguel, or if you want more information about available mortgage packages, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I would love to hear from you!