What are some good places online and offline where I can get comparable sales from?
Many people are using Zillow.com. However, it is not always accurate. The best deal, of course, is to talk to the Real Estate broker and they could provide you with correct estimates. But, in a nutshell, you could use a zillow first.
Best if you had your own access to the MLS. Second best option is to use a service such as www.myrealtydata.com where you get complete property analysis and comps.
Ths is really a very good site – never heard about it before. Thanks
It was launched recently that is probably why, but they do advertise here in the banner ads. Michael (the owner) is one of the brightest in the business and extremely helpful. The site is great for those serious about the business.
yes
I dont like zillow too much. I do like epprasial.com. Friendly user interface, tells a “range” of value, and for the time i used it, it has only given me comps of similar houses in the area (size, and lot area). Shows the tax record data and such. Apparently it has more data then zillow too. Bad part is the zillow site does show houses that currently are for sale in the area, epprasial only shows sold homes. I am not sure about accuracy though.
I use zillow but I recently found a site that I like much better.
http://www.cyberhomes.com
It’s by Fidelity National Financial and gives more data and seems to be more accurate, for a AVM value that is.
Just wanted to give my opinion on this. Its extremely important to have accurate comps. If you want to start investing, having the most accurate comps will save you alot of money on bad investments. Using a homes current for sale price is not a good indicator(as it can be overpriced), zillow is worse in Texas. I’ve tried several online places, and sometimes they are accurate and sometimes not. So its really a dart throw with some of them.
Although hard, the best bet is to get an appraisal(not always possible$) done if the property is of extreme importance, or real estate agent comps. Using the sold price of homes in that neighborhood within the past month to six months. Depending on market area. I use my personal Realtor for this.
Some people like to look at homes within a 1 mile radius, at least in Houston, that is not the way it works. Things to look for are sq footage, neighborhoods, and school zoning. One side of the street could be zoned to a better school than the other. Basically what I want to know is what price per sq ft? For example, some of these online places tell me a value between 200k on the low side to 240k on the high side, what!!?? There goes my profit, thats a huge spread. Those numbers do me no good.
Those who know, already know this. But for those that are researching comps, I hope this helps.
Pros: If I forgot something, please add on.
I worked in Houston – to look at 1 mile radius there is a laughing matter. Everything is big in Houston)) I would check at least 3-5 miles