Websites like Zillow give a reasonable, statistical overview of recent sales in your neighborhood. But they simply can’t take into account all the factors that go into determining the value of a property. Your home may look exactly like the one next door – same size, neighborhood, style, age, even floorplan. But if your neighbor has old, stained carpet and beat up kitchen cabinets and you have new hardwoods and a remodeled kitchen they still don’t compare. The internet is a wonderful source of a lot of information, but your situation is also unique to you.

Even county records can be wrong. I am selling a home that the county says has four bedrooms and oil heat, when in fact it has three bedrooms and gas heat. Private contracts may not be recorded with the county. There are myriad facts that impact a real estate transaction that require diligent research.

So if you are thinking of selling a home or buying one – get in touch with a real estate professional and a reputable mortgage consultant. Share with them what your resources are and what you want to achieve.

Either professional should be willing to sit down with you and take the time to listen to you, get all the relevant information, and explain in detail what your options are. If you feel undue pressure – move on. Find competent trustworthy advocates. They are out there.

I have heard buyers complain that realtors showed them properties out of their comfort zone with regard to price because they were qualified for more. If this happens – ask them point blank, “Why are you showing me properties that are more expensive than I want?”

It may be education for you. You may have unreasonable expectations regarding what you can get within your stated price range. I have often had folks give me a list of “absolutes” that was unachievable. This didn’t mean they couldn’t proceed, only that they needed to be armed with the facts regarding what their options were.

Don’t bring a paper mache bat to the ballgame! Gather all the information you can so you can make plans that will work best for you!

The real estate market has undergone (and continues to undergo) great change. Interest rates, lending criteria, home prices – all are very different than even six months ago. The market always ultimately rests on buyer confidence, which has defintely been shaken. I feel rumblings of change for the better – we shall see how things evolve.

However, some things have real consistency in this sea of change. We have become so focused on economic conditions of housing that the intangibles have dissappeared from the discussion.

How do you feel about your bedroom? I happen to just love mine. It is modest in size and simple in appointments and I feel a great sense of peace and sanctuary there – even though the quiet can occasionally be abruptly interrupted by my three-year-old grandson. “Gramma! Can I watch Backyard Friends?!”

The kitchen has to be cleaned up ten times a day between meals and snacks, but I delight in the moments where the whole family is around the island eating and talking about our day. I can truly say that my feeling about the homes I have owned is much stronger than those I have not.

So, my five cents’ worth this week is the gentle suggestion to remember some of the intangible benefits of having your own home – and having the ability to create your own sanctuary from some of the change in the outside world.

And if you do not own a home, but want to do so, remember that expert professionals are waiting to give you current, accurate information about how you can achieve that dream.

I welcome your comments and suggestions. If there is a topic you would like my five cents’ worth on – feel free to ask. I’m always willing to contribute to the discussion . .

The real estate market is sort of gripped in a game of Freeze Tag, except a lot of people haven’t heard the “unfreeze”.

Frozen with media-fueled fear, people who want to – and actually could – make a real estate move are “waiting to see”. Will interest rates continue to drop? (Most industry folks think not by much.) Will values continue to decline? (You can’t see the “bottom” until you are looking back at it.)

Think about this. It’s math. Say you have a home that would have sold three years ago for $300K and you want a home that would have sold back then for $400K If values are down 15% that makes your home worth $255K, but it makes the $400K home worth $340K. So you “lose” $45K on your sale, but “save” $60K, on your purchase, right? Net gain of $15K. Hmm . . . And if you wait for values to come back up to where they were so you won’t “lose” money, you will almost certainly have to pay more for the home you purchase. And what will your money cost? That is a huge factor in the equation. How long will you continue to live in a house that’s too small or too large, or drive that long commute, or wait to get into that school district or neighborhood you really like?

My local market in Portland, Oregon has projected population growth in the near future of a million or so people. We have a solid urban growth boundary, and all those people will need to live somewhere. This makes my personal confidence in reasonable appreciation over the long term pretty high.

So my five cent’s worth this week is that if you really would like to make some kind of real estate move, talk to someone (like me) who can help you asses your current situation and strategize the best way to accomplish what you want. How many times have you heard the old story about that house or piece of property someone could have had for an incredible price ten years ago if they had only known what a great deal it was? Hindsight is, of course, 20/20.

People do lose money in real estate – many are right now. We’ve come out of a “feeding frenzy”, both by big lenders and consumers. We now have in place a much needed restructuring of lending criteria. Money is available to qualified buyers and transactions are happening every day.

You may take a look at your over-all picture and decide you should wait. But don’t disregard the intangibles – where you live affects your quality of life – the things you do in your neighborhood, and the time you spend with your family and friends. Don’t miss what might be a great opportunity because you are “frozen” with fear.

Catch me live online this Thursday, April 30th at noon, Pacific Time. I will be talking – you guessed it – real estate. Listen at: www.blogtalkradio.com/livingmore

I really want to talk about advice and how we receive, interpret, and act on it.

I saw a mailer from a realtor who had a Q & A. The question was from a first-time homebuyer wanting to know what mistakes to avoid. The first portion of the answer was very good. He advised the people to carefully assess their financial situation and stay within a budget they could comfortably afford. Great. I would add to find a reputable realtor who can refer you to a reputable lender who can explain the tax and equity advantages of home ownership. Go to www.ginniemae.gov and look at the “Rent vs. Buy” calculator to get a picture of just how home ownership fits in your own picture.

The next bit of advice is where I got off the bandwagon. He advised them to find a home they could live comfortably in for 10 years, in good condition, on a quiet street, in a good neighborhood with good schools.

All of those things are good general real estate advice, but may not fit the first-time buyer’s particular needs or budget! I would say instead to do a lot of internet research and see what kind of house you can afford in what neighborhoods. Think about your particular situation and what matters to your lifestyle today, and decide if you are ready to buy under those circumstances. If you have enough money to get it all – that’s fantastic. But if you don’t, I think it would be a shame to give up the idea of owing your own home if that’s what you want.

My first house had dark brown wallpaper in the living room, cedar siding in the kitchen, orange formica countertops, and OLD brown carpet covering fir floors that were painted black and red on the second floor – and I loved it! Over the years I made it mine and now it’s on the market and I have made is appealing to a more general audience. Buying that first home changed my life – financially certainly – but in more subtle ways, too. I became a realtor because owning that home changed my perception of myself and my place in the world.

So my five cents worth is that if you want to buy a home, buy the best one you can right now. What seems like (and is) a huge amount of money may not get you everthing you want, but it is the stepping stone.

Do lots of internet research about what kinds of properties are avialable in what areas, and give thought to your own priorities as well as the conventional amenities. And I recommend you get real, face-to-face advice from someone you trust, who knows your particulars and can help you come as close as possible to achieving your dream.

If you think that could be me – perfect! Reply here with any questions or call me. Stella 503-497-5048.