The data tell the story: A real estate agent can sell your house faster and for a higher price than you would get by selling it on your own. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors, properties sold by an agent sold for $41,000 more. Owner-sold properties sold for $174,900 in 2012 while agent-sold properties averaged $215,000. People Continue Reading
September — the end of the California Home-buying season?
Here is what we hear from our fellow California Realtors: A slowdown in sign calls and listing appointments Multiple offers have declined. Some price reductions Market competition has eased. However, here in Pasadena, the news is different: We do not yet see a slowdown in calls to our office or listing appointments; Most prices are remaining firm, but because of our high Continue Reading
What are Zillow Home Estimates?
The first thing to understand is what Zillow is not. Zillow is not in real estate. It is not a public service like a library. Zillow is a business website, established to lure eyeballs who want to gaze at homes and, in turn, to sell advertising to real estate professionals. Understanding Zillow's Zestimate Zillow acquires data by amalgamating all the information on housing it can find. Continue Reading
Are Real Estate Agents going to be obsolete?
A recent report predicts that real estate agents will have less and less involvement year after year. The prediction is that in a decade or two, the job of the real estate agent will only be to open the door to showings. A new report is titled “Fast Forward 2030: The Future of Work and the Workplace” and was prepared by realty consulting firm CBRE and China-based Genesis, a property developer, Continue Reading
Pasadena Homes for Sale and Sold — April 2014.
Last month our opening sentence regarding the Pasadena real estate market was: “Wow! The real estate market looks great in our community based on the numbers from March and our experience in our day-to-day activities.” Since then we’ve heard from the National Association of Realtors and Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve Board, both expressing concern that the national market is flat. They Continue Reading