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Automated Value Or Real Life Experience To Sell Your Woodbridge VA Home?

By
Real Estate Agent with Integrity Real Estate Group

Let’s face it we love to peek at websites that provide us with nice pictures of homes and some of those sites provide home owners with an “automated” property value.  I don’t have to name the big one you know who it is.

However those systems have never set foot inside a home.  They don’t know whether it has a kitchen from 1980 or one from 2008. They have no idea whether it has Polybutylene pipe or a drainage ditch in the backyard. All they have is an algorithm that runs behind the scenes looking at tax records and sold data to come up with a guess at what a Woodbridge VA home is worth.

In some cases the automated value is above market value but for a homeowner who relies on the automated value they could also being losing thousands of dollars.  Here is a snapshot from two properties CJ Realty Group sold in the Belmont Bay neighborhood in Woodbridge VA in 2013 in 2013.

In both cases the owners would have lost a significant amount of money had they listed their properties at the automated value.

Woodbridge VA Home Sold by CJ Realty Group

 

Belmont Bay Condo Sold by CJ Realty Group

 

As you think about selling your home in the Woodbridge VA area this year remember the automated valuation systems are fun to play with but they are NOT the way to make a pricing decision.

If you would like a market report for YOUR home give Cindy Jones and CJ Realty Group a call at 703-346-2213 to schedule an appointment.   Let us show you how we can help you make a move in 2014. 

Posted by

                                   Real People*Real Lives*Real Estate

If you are interested in learning more about the Northern Virginia Real Estate market including Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William Counties give Cindy Jones and Integrity Real Estate Group a call at 703-346-2213.

Military Relocation Specialist serving military families relocating to and from the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir, Quantico MCB and all of the Military District of Washington installations. 

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Check out www.varealestatetalk.com and www.cjrealtygroup.com for more information.

Integrity Real Estate Group
 
Real People*Real Life*Real Estate

Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia



 

 

Comments(11)

Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Cindy You are so right on with this post ..How can you tell someone what their home is worth without seeing the inside ..I cannot and will not

Jan 25, 2014 06:06 AM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

Hannah it might be possible for us to give a ball park number to a prospective seller if their home was in one of the established neighborhoods.  However until we see what may has or hasn't been done then it's only a guess.

Jan 25, 2014 06:52 AM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

Cindy, so true. I have spent more time over the years straightening out sellers that thought their homes were worth what the internet said. Nothing can surpass the use of a good agent.

Jan 25, 2014 09:40 PM
Dagny Eason
Dagny's Real Estate - Wilton, CT
Fairfield County CT, CDPE Homes For Sale and Condo

Cindy - You are so right about the true market value and how it is misrepresented  on Zillow and Trulia...

Jan 26, 2014 01:10 AM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

Debbie knowing the local market and be able to make adjustments for it is what's important for a seller.

Jan 26, 2014 03:19 AM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

Dagny it is rarely the same price from an automated process than from an agent who knows the market.

Jan 26, 2014 03:19 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Automated process is deceiving and a waste of time for someone serious about finding a home or pricing theirs to sell.  This is where an experienced professional becomes so valuable!

Jan 26, 2014 10:17 PM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

Sharon it might be fun to look at an automated value but no one should depend on it to make a pricing decision for their home.

Jan 27, 2014 05:13 AM
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Cindy, I remember freaking out after a listing appointment - when I got home, I checked the Zestimate and it was about $40K over what I had suggested as the selling price.  I'd seen lots of low ones, but never one that was this far over.  The sellers had seen it, too - and they went with my number.

Jan 28, 2014 11:30 PM
Brad MacKenzie
Brad MacKenzie - Duxbury, MA
Turning Houses into Homes on the South Shore

I don't worry about Zillow anymore. Their erroneous estimates are helpful to me. It's pretty easy to show people that I have better numbers than a computer. When I'm done, I've become credible. So thank you Zillow.

Feb 02, 2014 04:59 AM
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Hey Cindy!  I included this post in today's Last Weeks Favorites.

Feb 02, 2014 07:45 AM