Nothing is more disturbing to me as a Tallahassee, FL Realtor, now 10 years in the business, than for customers who bring information to the negotiating table hot off the press from Zillow. The public in general just does not trust their Realtors, that is obvious and a very calculated and successful result of really good SEO and marketing by non-Realtor, third party vendors. Imagine, Zestimates, records of what Zillow says are comparable properties, etc. being used against my professional and intimate knowledge of the market conditions and actual physical inspection of the properties being used in their plethera of printouts, charts, and comparisons!
Corporate Zillow resides in Seattle Washington. I live in Tallahassee, Florida, who in the heck at Zillow knows anything about Tallahassee, Florida? Truthfully, I know a lot of the folks at Zillow corporate. I can’t name one who has set foot in Leon County, Florida. Everything about this is disturbing, not because I feel I am better qualified to give more accurate information – because I know I am, but moreso because Zillow has done a better job of convincing the customer that they are the real estate source of information. Don’t be fooled to think that just because Realtors use Zillow to advertise their properties, is ANY endorsement whatsoever of their Zestimate algorithm on pricing. Who knows a community, property values or market statistics better than a local Realtor? “Real Estate Is Local.” remember that statement? It is true.
So, as hard as it is to admit, it’s my own darn fault. It’s also the fault of every Realtor and Broker out there who is not communicating with their customers, not projecting and supplying consumers with accurate data, and not doing enough marketing of their business experience and expertise. Also, here’s the deal. If you want accurate sales data, up to date comparable sales information when you are buying a Tallahassee, FL home or selling your property in Tallahassee, Florida, you come see me, Debbie Kirkland. However, please, don’t bring me a Zestimate or printouts from Zillow.
I have a real estate resource website where you can not only learn about the community, schools, read a Tallahassee, FL real estate and local information blog on things to do in Tallahassee, FL, but search listings that are up to date on the MLS, (Multiple listing Service) , not a week late, or worse off market for six months. You can save your favorite Tallahassee, FL properties here, just like on Zillow, the only difference is, you have a REALTOR to call immediately with questions about that property, not just some Realtor or real estate licensee in a rotation! Most likely, I’ve been in these homes, shown them, or can get you information that nobody at Zillow can provide to you. If you want a fancy graph of comparable properties, I can do that too. Realtor’s Property Resource, RPR, Is a tool that we use in Tallahassee, Florida and many Realtors use now across the Country. RPR produces the fanciest graphs, walking scores, school information, census data and more than you can ask for – about 80 pages if that’s what you really want! ONLY NAR, National Association of Realtors, members can use RPR, and it’s the most valuable tool Realtors have to date! But it’s MORE than that, it’s about accurate sales data, leinholder information, comparable property information, etc. You can also depend on me to give you all that nitty gritty that you keep asking for, like… “is a property in distress, just how ugly is it, and just how far can I push a lender on a short sale to get the lowest price?”
There is no comparison to what a local Realtor can provide as a service to you as a buyer or a seller and what misinformation and hands off information that you will receive from an online clearing house. In Tallahassee, FL, I am that Realtor. I’m going to answer my phone, I’m going to get you that help you need and it’s going to be professional and educated, and it’s surely going to be real. Your best resources for real estate information is a Realtor,.. not just any Realtor… a Realtor, a post for another blog.