Tuesday, June 3, 2014

These Six Words May Be Preventing You From Finding Your Next Austin Home: “But I Saw It On Zillow”…

These Six Words May Be Preventing You From Finding Your Next Austin Home: “But I Saw It On Zillow”…

As a professional, full time real estate broker with more than a decade of experience in two states, I can tell you that few statements irk me more than those that start with these 6 words: “But I Saw It On Zillow.” Why? Because they are almost always followed up with a statement that cannot be verified anywhere except on Zillow.  It’s almost like an alternate reality for real estate.

For example, when a buyer who is actively searching for her next Austin home with one of our agents calls and asks about a foreclosure on 2.5 acres right outside the city limits that she just saw for just $305,000 and wonders why we didn’t send it to her when we sent her properties to tour this weekend. I drop what I’m doing, concerned that perhaps we did miss this needle-in-a-haystack perfect home. But no, a quick check of Zillow and a through cross check with the Multiple Listing Service and county tax records shows that the home is not bank owned. It’s not on the market. It hasn’t been on the market for at least a decade. In fact, it’s had the same owner for over a decade.
So why would this home be displayed on Zillow as a foreclosure? Well, if a property owner misses even one mortgage payment, the bank reports that to the credit bureaus. Zillow purchases data like this and in the company’s infinite wisdom, it lists that house on its website as a pre-foreclosure. But that doesn’t mean the homeowner hasn’t already caught up on the missing payment, and it certainly doesn’t mean the homeowner is considering selling. And it REALLY doesn’t mean that the bank is able to negotiate a deal with a buyer who is ready to buy now.

Because buyers are scrambling to find good deals in today’s market with limited inventory, these longshots on Zillow seem attractive. I do understand that. But I have seen this enough times to know that shopping on Zillow can create a huge distraction from the REAL market, the REAL prices, and the homes that are available today – you know, the market that I as a professional real estate broker am working in to find my client her next Austin home.

Keep Austin Weird Homes
Theresa Bastian and Rodney Campbell run an Austin, TX real estate brokerage established with the intention of doing good business with good people.  As Austin real estate market experts, Theresa and Rodney can help you buy, sell, lease or invest in real estate in and around Austin, TX.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU TODAY?


 - By Theresa Bastian 

Starting Your Austin Home Search Online – Dos and Don’ts

Starting Your Austin Home Search Online – Dos and Don’ts

At Keep Austin Weird Homes, we work with a lot of home buyers. Heck, our owners even bought a home of their own recently. We know how much fun it is to look at homes online – you get to see the photos and prices without having to talk to a pesky Realtor who is going to talk your ear off or add you to their mailing list so they can spam you for the next couple of years. We get it!  Starting your Austin home search online makes sense.

Let’s take a moment to consider a popular website where you can start your Austin home search: Zillow.

Pros: This company has done a great job of making searching for properties easy. You can see lots of pictures, the list prices, even a ‘Zestimate’ of what the home should be valued at.

Cons: The data on Zillow isn’t necessarily up to date or accurate. There is no consequence for Zillow if they publish inaccurate data – no professional board of standards or anything like that. This is one reason the Austin Board of Realtors recently opted to stop syndication listing data to the website. Yes, that’s right. If you live in Austin, the Board of Realtors no longer automatically sends listings to Zillow, making it even less of a complete source for the most up to date information.

But what about when it’s time to get out of “shopping” mode and into “buying” mode?

Let’s say you’ve been looking at homes online for a while, and you see one that really interests you. You need to bear in mind that the Realtors listed on the side of Zillow’s website are simply displayed there because they are paying for ad space. Not because they know anything about the property, and not because they are good Realtors that Zillow has vetted. Nope, the only vetting Zillow does is making sure their credit card goes through each month for payment of their ad bill. To be sure you are talking to a professional, we advise you to interview agents BEFORE you fall in love with a property. That way you already have an established relationship with someone who will have your interest at heart, and with whom you feel comfortable. Not just an agent who had a few extra bucks to spend on advertising and room in their schedule for new clients this season.

Consider our “Ten Questions To Ask Your Realtor” and give us a call. We don’t buy business on Zillow-we earn it by building relationships with people whose goals we care about.

Keep Austin Weird Homes
Theresa Bastian and Rodney Campbell run an Austin, TX real estate brokerage established with the intention of doing good business with good people.  As Austin real estate market experts, Theresa and Rodney can help you buy, sell, lease or invest in real estate in and around Austin, TX.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU TODAY?


 - By Theresa Bastian 

Keep Austin Weird Homes Offers Austin Property Management Services

Keep Austin Weird Homes Offers Austin Property Management Services

Keep Austin Weird Homes, an Austin real estate brokerage, now offers Property Management Services.



Due to popular demand from satisfied clients who have purchased investment properties using our services, Keep Austin Weird Homes recently launched our property management division.






Here are some of the property management services we offer to landlords:
·          Tenant credit and background checks
·          Leasing
·          Make readies
·          Periodic property visits and evaluations
·          Utility transfers
·          Rent collection
·          Move-in and move-out condition checks
·          Property maintenance and repairs
·          Separate profit and loss statement for each property


Whether you are a landlord or a tenant, Keep Austin Weird Homes is here to help!  If you would like to discuss our Austin Property Management Services, please call Theresa at 512-593-2289.  If you are interested in getting some professional assistance in securing a home to rent in our tight rental market, contact our leasing specialist, Lauren Tindal, at 206-778-5924.  We know how hard it is to find a good place in Austin, especially on a budget, and we are prepared to go the extra mile for our clients.

Keep Austin Weird Homes
Theresa Bastian and Rodney Campbell run an Austin, TX real estate brokerage established with the intention of doing good business with good people.  As Austin real estate market experts, Theresa and Rodney can help you buy, sell, lease or invest in real estate in and around Austin, TX.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU TODAY?

 - By Theresa Bastian