I had to go buy a new car for my wife recently, I was amazed at all of the information that was available to me. 
From Cars.com, Edmunds and a great site from the EPA that actually compares cars side by side for mileage based on your actual usage. But the 1 site that was indespencable was Kelleys Blue Book. I was able to find out not only dealer cost on the vehicle but the factory incentives and what people actually were paying for the vehicle. I thought to myself that we realtors are kind of like the Blue Book for houses.
So if you wouldn't go buy a car without the Blue Book, why would you even think to buy a house without it either? As realtors we have information that nobody else has. This is not just what is listed in the MLS but it is the information that we gain everyday by being active in our market. Not only do we know what the house next door sold for but why it sold for that price.
The internet has changed everything as I was able to find which dealer had the exact car I was looking for with leaving my couch, you can do the same with houses. For the most part you can eliminate most houses with the click of your finger but what you can't do is find out how much that house is really worth. While the Blue Book will tell you how much to add for A/C,How much does granite counters add? or hardwood floors? That's where we come in, as a experienced buyers agent it is my job to advise you and help you decifer the home blue book.
As a buyer you might want to think about the following things before you start looking at houses
1. The listing agent works for the seller, not you.
2. Our services are FREE to you, FREE, FREE
3. A good buyers agent is worth their weight in Gold (215lbs x 800 per ounce)$172,000
4. We even give you a gift at the closing
So if you are thinking about buying a house, be smart. Get representation. There are a lot of pages in the Blue Book for house and unlike cars their rarely are 2 alike.
2008- The Russell Home Team- 913-681-1383 www.MikeRussellHomes.com
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