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Thursday, February 23, 2017

Help Us Give Back to Our Community

The annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser is March 4th & 5th supporting the Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. Here’s what you need to know about the event.

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I want to switch things up a bit today and talk about something other than real estate. I want to take a few moments to talk about an organization that is near and dear to my heart. I have the honor of serving on the Board of Directors for the Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters nonprofit organization. I’m so excited to be able to serve such an incredible organization.


As many of you know, my wife is a teacher and our family is passionate about affecting the lives of children in our community in a positive way. The mission of this organization is to help at-risk children by pairing them with professionally matched and supported mentors and role models.


Recent studies show that one of the most significant indicators of a child’s success in life is whether they have a positive role model to look up to. This organization gives them exactly that.

Our hallmark annual fundraiser, Bowl for Kids' Sake, is right around the corner. It will be on March 4th & 5th, and our office has put together two bowling teams to support the event. We don’t expect to win any awards for our bowling prowess but would love to claim the honor of worst bowlers with the most generous friends and family at the event. If you would consider making a donation of any size to help support the wonderful work RBBBS is doing we would be honored. Please click here to donate! All the money stays locally in our community to help support kids in need. We only have a week to make this happen so I need your help ASAP!
We’d love for you to join us at the fundraiser.

To learn more click here to see coverage of last year's event by Nova Now and Cox Communications.


If you’re looking for something fun to do on the 4th or 5th of March you can also create your own team and start fundraising! Click here to register! It’s going to be a fun time and we would love to see you there.


If you have any question for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love your support and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

What do I Need to Know About Zillow Home Value Numbers?

Can you really depend on Zillow to figure out what a home is worth in the current market? I would say no, and there are a few reasons why.

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I get a lot of questions about Zillow and the estimates the site comes up with for a home’s value. Can you really trust that number?
When Zillow determines home value, they use an algorithm that pulls tax record information, square footage, and some major attributes of your house before it spits out a number.

The problem is that no one from Zillow is going into your house. Zillow has no idea if a house was recently renovated or if the home is in a state of disrepair.

Zillow can get close to estimating your market value. The Wall Street Journal found that on average, Zillow’s estimates are 7.8% off the actual sales price. That may not seem like a lot, but a 7.8% mistake on a $400,000 house means missing out on over $30,000. If you rely solely on automated estimates like those found on Zillow, you could either price your home way too high or sell yourself short; neither is a viable option.

In a Wall Street Journal article, Zillow executives explained that their estimates are meant to be a starting point so that people can get an idea of what homes are selling for in a certain area or neighborhood. However, if you are buying or selling a home, you have to have accurate information that’s tailored to your specific property to make sure you’re making a good decision.
Pricing your home correctly is absolutely crucial.
Get in touch with a real estate professional. He or she can give you an analysis specifically based on your home. A real estate agent will be able to take all of the upgrades and attributes of your home into account in order to come up with an accurate market price.

It is important to know the true value of a home. As a buyer, you don’t want to overpay for a home because you weren’t able to get a proper analysis. As a seller, if you price your home correctly from the very start, you are more likely to net a higher sales price. If you overprice your home and have to go through a number of price reductions, your home will sit on the market. The longer a home is on the market the less leverage a seller has in a negotiation and it’s likely you will end up selling your home for less money.
Pricing your home correctly is absolutely crucial. Remember, while Zillow is often off by 7% to 8%, that can mean a difference of $20,000 to $50,000 on your home sale. That kind of margin of error is simply too big to rely on when pricing your home.

If you have any other questions about pricing or the home selling process, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!