Is Zillow Accurate?

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 Looking to sell your Miami home ? Get a FREE Home Value Report

Today, we'll discuss Zillow, and whether you can trust Zillow's estimates of your home value.

In most cases, Zillow estimates are anywhere from 5% - 15% off. Zillow uses a basic algorithm that examines similar home sales in your neighborhood to come up with a value. However, determining the value of a property isn't that simple.

The best way to find a home's value is to talk to an agent. We will pull comparable sales and physically assess your home. Zillow may give you an idea of what your home is valued at, but Zillow cannot know the true value of your home.

If you have any questions on today's video or about real estate in general, give us a call or send us an email. We'd be happy to help you!

3 Mistakes When Buying New Construction in Miami

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  Looking to sell your Miami home ? Get a FREE Home Value Report

Newly-constructed homes are wonderful investments to make. You can pick and choose what you want, and you can control most of the building process.

However, we see people make the same mistakes when they buy new construction. We will be discussing these three mistakes today. I have Dustin Healey with me today to help talk about these problems and how you can remedy them.

Hiring a real estate agent is crucial when you buy new construction. Home sellers for builders are notorious for tricking buyers into thinking that they're working on their behalf, when they're actually just trying to sell the home for the construction company. Find an agent who will work with your best interests in mind! What's even better is that the builder will pay their commission, so hiring a Realtor will not cost you a dime!

You need to research your builders just like you would research a car before buying it. Make sure the builder is in good standing with your state's construction contractor board. You should verify their licenses and ask if they sub-contract any work. Always know the amount of insurance they carry, as well as the amount of their bond.

Be aware that builders use different purchase contracts than most other real estate transactions. Be sure to read these contracts carefully, and definitely get a lawyer and your Realtor to look over these contracts. Have your Realtor add in addendums to protect you when you buy new construction.

Hopefully knowing about these mistakes now will prevent a disastrous new construction purchase in the future. If you are planning on buying new construction in Coral Gables, please don't hesitate to contact us!

We look forward to speaking with you!

How Can You Stage on a Budget?

Looking to purchase a Miami Home?  Perform a full home search,    

  Looking to sell your Miami home ? Get a FREE Home Value Report

If you are looking to sell your home, your goal is to get the most money possible in the shortest amount of time. One of the best ways to add value and appeal to your home is through home staging. You have a lot of options for how you want to go about it. You could hire a professional staging company, but that comes with a hefty price tag. Most of the time, a few simple fixes is all it takes to transform a living room.

Today we are going to go through some of our most favorite, inexpensive home staging tips for you. We hope these will help you save both time and money when it comes time to sell your home.

A fresh coat of paint is always a good idea. Neutral, warm colors work best for highlighting the natural light in your home. This will make it easier to punch up the room with some colorful accessories and pull everything together.

A common design problem facing many homeowners is that they have no real entry way, as their front door opens up to the living room. To fix this, you can add a table, some lighting, and a rug to "fake a foyer" and make it feel like the living room and entryway are two different spaces.

A patterned rug, some pillows, or bright curtains add a ton of texture and an eclectic layer to the space, which is essential to a well-designed room.

In some cases, a "make-under" is just what you need. In the case of most fireplaces, taking some accessories and clutter away enhances the look and feel of the room greatly.

You could spend well over a few thousand dollars with a staging company, or you could do these fixes yourself for around $500. That's a normal investment considering the value that you add to your home by adding those pieces.

If you have any questions for us about staging your home or anything else real estate related, give us a call or send over a quick email. We are always here to help, and would love to hear from you!