Southern California Real Estate Video Blog with Scott Himelstein

Always Consult a Professional for an Accurate Home Value

There are many great San Fernando Valley 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 FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at 818-720-9922 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

The Zillow Estimator is a Dangerous Tool
A lot of my clients have been asking about the Zillow home value estimator: the Zestimate. Before I begin speaking about its disadvantages, consider the different types of values that are placed on homes.

There is the assessed value, which is the value that the County of Los Angeles places on your home. Usually this value is much below the actual market value. There is also the appraisal value, which is designated by an appraiser and is more analytic and comparative than an assessor's value.

Then there is the market value, which is really determined by the buyer and the seller in the real estate market. This is the true value of your home as determined by market conditions.

The Zillow Estimator is a popular resource for home sellers because it is convenient, but it is quite often not very accurate. If you read the fine print, Zillow actually says its estimates are only 9-12% accurate in Los Angeles County. If you have a home worth $500K and the value is off by 10%, then you have a very large discrepancy.

The problem with this estimator is that they just take the median average and they do not take into account the condition and location of your home, which are huge factors.

The Zestimate can give you a good estimate, but it is nothing compared to the value that a professional real estate agent would be able to place on your home. You should always refer to a trained Realtor for an accurate home price.

Feel free to reach out to me if you need help pricing your home in Porter Ranch. I would be more than happy to assist you in the process.

How we helped Johnny sell his home quickly and efficiently

Scott was very knowledgeable in the business. He was quick to answer any questions and he helped me out a lot. He’s friendly, good to work with, and I’d highly recommend him.

-Johnny Lee

3 Easy Mistakes to Avoid When You're Selling a Home

3 Common Seller Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

In order to educate all of my clients in Porter Ranch, I would like to go over 3 common mistakes that sellers make, and I will also be talking about how they can be avoided.

Overpricing Your Property: In a market like we have here in Porter Ranch this can happen quite often because things are selling quite quickly. Even being $5,000-10,000 dollars off can significantly reduce the amount of showings that you get.

In fact, the National Association of Realtors says that 80% of marketing comes from pricing. Also, a majority of the showings you get will happen in the first 2 weeks, so it's very important to come on the market with an attractive listing price.

Inability to show the Property: People not being able to show their properties is a common mistake, and one that is very easy to avoid. The more showings you get on your property, the more potential buyers you will be attracting to your home. If possible, you should set aside time for realtors to show your Porter Ranch home during normal business offers. The more difficult it is for an agent to show your home, then the more difficult it will be for them to sell it. It takes a bit of sacrifice to make your home available for showing at all these times, but if you want to sell quickly and for top dollar, then this is what you must do.
De-Clutter: You would think this is a given, but a lot of home sellers forget about this necessary step. This means getting rid of personal items whether it's refrigerator magnets, family photos, or artwork. You want to neutralize your home and have buyers be able to come in and imagine themselves occupying your living space. You don't want to distract buyers with unnecessary items that will lure their attention away from the home and into your personal life. Allow the buyers to envision themselves living in your home.

Hopefully this information has been helpful to you as we enter into a busy spring and summer here in Porter Ranch. If you're selling your home, contact me for more tips and suggestions on what you can do to attract buyers and generate interest.

As always, contact me for any and all of your real estate needs in Porter Ranch. I would love to arrange a time where I could speak with you and discuss your wants and needs. You can contact me via phone or email.