Out of town sales personnel frequently call a local appraiser to ask for a free comp check. They always position the request as an opportunity, because if they go ahead with the loan, they will order an appraisal as a reward for helping them out.
They “just” want a rough idea of what homes are going for. There is a concern about the value, and (of course) they don’t want to waste their time if the value is not there.
Or, there is a concern about value, and they want to get “bids” from several different appraisers to make sure they get the highest possible appraisal value.
Here is a list of several internet services that provide a rough idea.
- RealEstateABC – or try this URL. Better than Zillow – Review by Tech Crunch
- Zillow – Was new in February 2006. June 2006 – now old and outdated.
- Yahoo – powered by zillow, review by Tech Crunch
- Domina free comp checks
- Home Gain free comp check
- Home Pages, requires sign up
- HouseValues.com, operated by HouseValues, Inc (symbol=SOLD)
- Redfin – does not yet cover Denver. Review by Tech Crunch
- Trulia – does not yet cover Denver. Review by Tech Crunch
- Motovo – not sure what to make of this one
- Skippy – New York Times
- netRonline – public records, recommended by Skip Ease
Home Pages and HouseValues.com are owned and operated by House Values Inc – these sites offer you the opportunity to sign up for high quality leads – big money will be rolling your way almost immediately.
Chuck Hoover is Senior VP at Internet Brands – owner of Real Estate ABC.
Redfin is a service that has not made it to Denver yet – but they have some radical changes planned for the industry. Real estate agents don’t like them.
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