How we helped Bob sell his home with our different approach of doing business

"Doug Tucker and his team are top notch, the best Realtors that I’ve worked with. The marketing, the pictures, and the web portal were all so professional and look really great. The way he organizes his team is so efficient and really sets him apart. I would utilize his services again in a heartbeat."

Why a Pre-Inspection Will Help You in the Long Run

There are a variety of opportunities in the New Jersey real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

If you want an easy way to make your home look more attractive to buyers, not to mention save you a lot of time and aggravation down the road, you should consider getting your home pre-inspected before putting it on the market.

A pre-inspection is done by a seller before putting their home on the market for a number of reasons:

• The home inspection process has become more problematic - a lot of deals a long time in the making fall through because of a defect found late in the selling process.
• You can fix the defects before putting your home on the market. This will give you peace of mind during the buyer inspection later. It is also a way to add value to your home.
• A pre-inspected home is a differentiated home. Your home stands out from those of other sellers because it less likely to have any hidden or unknown flaws. You may even be able to attract higher prices.

Really, getting a pre-inspection is a safe bet if you are trying to ease the selling process. By having one done before putting your home on the market, you'll avoid issues that could cause a deal to fall apart after a lot of time has already been invested. The added value this will give to your home will more than pay for the cost of the inspection, so think of it as a good investment.

As always, if you have any questions about New Jersey real estate, we are happy to be your go-to resource. Give us a call or shoot us an email - we look forward to chatting with you soon!

Know Where to Find the Most Accurate and Up-to-Date Real Estate Information!

There are a variety of opportunities in the New Jersey real estate market for both buyers and sellers. If you're a prospective buyer click here for a full home search, or if you're considering placing your home on the market, get a free home value report, right here.

Today we're going to talk whether Trulia and Zillow are trustworthy resources for real estate information. While perhaps these sites are a good place to start, we have experienced some of their inaccuracies first hand. For instance, we recently sold a home that has a market value of $850,000 - but if you look up that same home on Zillow and Trulia, they value it at $727,834 and $735,000 respectively. That's over $100,000 lower than the market value. In another case, we sold a home in one day for $699,000, whereas Zillow and Trulia valued at $501,000 and $557,574. That estimate is close to $200,000 too low! Why is it that these websites are so misleading?

• For one, it's hard for these sites to interpret location value. Trulia and Zillow can't take into account accessibility to shopping or public transportation, among other goods that may affect the value of your home.
• The same goes for lot values. One lot could be perfectly level while another is hanging off a cliff, but Trulia and Zillow wouldn't know the difference.
• Improvement values are not taken into account. Say two colonials have nothing in common but the year they were built - one is completely upgraded while the other is falling apart. There is no way for these online resources to be able to account for the difference in value.
• Another big problem is that, since 95% of homes are listed with brokers - Zillow and Trulia upload their information from the broker sites. This generates a lag - sometimes some of the best properties are already under contract by the time they show up on these sites. Other times, homes that have been off the market for quite some time show up as active listings.

These, among other reasons, are why online home search sites probably aren't your best place to go for information. If you want to get right to the source, you should call your local real estate expert. You need someone who knows the market, can interpret the data, and account for the differences in location, lots, and improvement values. If you are looking to buy or sell a home or simply want more information about market conditions in your area, don't hesitate to give me a call. I would love to give you a hand.