I read a recent article in the Fort Collins Coloradoan about the demolition of the Cloverleaf Kennel Club, and although the building has been empty for about 4 years now, the news brought a wave of nostalgia for “going to the dogs” on warm spring nights in Loveland, Colorado.
We enjoyed going to the races at the Cloverleaf Kennel Club, many years ago. The greyhounds were swift and beautiful, the crowd provided for good people watching and in those years Trifecta Mary was a sure bet; she set the track record 3 times in one season and had 52 career wins.
Handicappers could make an educated guess about which dog might win, but going to the races was a rare event for me. Unless Trifecta Mary was running, I had no idea who might win.
Still,I'd study the program, which dog got boxed to the wire?, ran inside or outside?, gained or lost weight? moved up or down in class? I tried to make sense out of it!
(Ah, the good ole’ days at the dog track when life was good, computers were only at the office and interest rates were above 10 percent)
…. FLASH FORWARD TO TODAY, 2011:
The buyer told me he knew the house was way overpriced because he could see the “Internet Evaluation” online, and I cringed. Internet values are data/computations by computers, sometimes without regard to condition, actual location (views), acreage or updated features. Some values are too high, others are too low and there is a huge margin for error.
Here’s a Buyer, trying to figure out which house is the “best bet” on a Site that is comparing the house on 35 acres - to the house on the hill with a view- to the house sitting on an acre with dead trees…
At least the statistics on the racing program were accurate and compared greyhounds to greyhounds - no gazelles or turtles were thrown into the mix!...and, even with all the racing statistics in front of me, how would I know which dog was a good bet? I didn’t know anything about racing. Often I just picked a number, or my husband’s birthday, or a dog because I liked its name.
It’s no wonder that buyers (and sellers) get confused and overwhelmed with all the online real estate statistics. It can be paralyzing- paralysis of analysis- and they certainly can’t just pick a house because they like the name of the street!
Buying a home is a substantial investment -we’re not talking about a meager $6.00 wager, here.
So, if your home buying search has gone to the dogs, stop trying to pick the “winner” on line.
Work with a local Realtor in that market area, that’s your best bet.
Trust a real human being who can show you the real numbers – not a computer!
~~~~~~
More:
Consider Adopting a Retired Greyhound, they make excellent pets and many are in need of good homes.
When you’re looking for a Livermore or Red Feather Lakes, Colorado real estate agent, please call me.
Another article about online evaluations:
http://www.realestatecoloradostyle.com/why-real-estate-is-local
Another article on this subject:
Photo: by AngMoKio/wikimedia used with permission
***************************************************************************************
Mary Douglas, your Mountain Broker-Associate and REALTOR®
United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, CO
www.marydouglas-redfeatherlakes.net
800-531-2195
“A Day in the Mountains will always soothe your city soul”
I specialize in the Red Feather Lakes area, Crystal Lakes and Glacier View Meadows Subdivisions, if you are interested in buying or selling your mountain home, please give me a call, I’m here to help you.
The information contained in Mary’s blog is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and the opinions and views expressed in these articles are solely those of the author.
Comments (18)Subscribe to CommentsComment