The hazards of online home searches

There are many great San Carlos area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a list of Featured Properties so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (650) 595-5500 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. 

I seem to get a lot of questions from clients about the data produced by Zillow, Trulia and other home search engines alike. While these sites can be a huge asset to your search, it's important to take their information with a grain of salt. These websites use algorithms that have specific variables such as square footage, number of bathrooms and number of bedrooms. So it’s important to have a realtor look at your home to ensure these numbers are completely correct. The last thing you want is incorrect information to negatively affect the buying or selling process.

Also keep in mind that these search engines do not know where the market is headed. Is the market neutral, on the rise, or is it in decline? This can significantly impact the value of your home. In fact, in one case Zillow reported a home being worth $1.5 million but it ended up selling for $2.9 million; Zillow was almost 50% off.

So call a realtor, Find out what's happening in the market and how it affects your home price. And always be sure to call me if you’re interested in buying or selling a home. Thank you for joining me today, I hope to hear from you soon!