There are a number of statistics, usually tied to sales data, available for free on the internet. Houses for sale, at one time, were the property of the Multiple Listing Services. I’ll do another post about them and how they collect the sales data.
The most notable provider of Real Estate information, online, to the public, is redfin. They are a Seattle based company. Zillow is another Seattle based company that records sales data. Between the two a person can get a good glimpse of the market place. Many people first shop online for a home to purchase. The last per cent age quoted was 87% of people in the market for a home start the search on the internet.
The search for homes on the internet is so available that virtually every Real Estate site you look at has a search function. The new thing is the forums that go along with the properties you search for. In those forums, or blogs, you can find even more information about schools, communities, crime rates, even critiques of homes you may have seen.
I’ve already listed a couple of Real Estate blogs that I follow and on those sites you can find a number of links to other blogs. On this site I have a few links about Seattle. You can, in an afternoon, find a house, and all of the local information. It’s amazing what’s available on line.
About David Losh
In 1984 I got my Real Estate license and worked in a small company called Advance Properties. The owner was extremely interested in Real Estate, building, and land development. Most of his work was concentrated North of Seattle. Since the 1970s I had worked for Real Estate agents in Seattle as a contractor, mostly preparing properties for rent, and sale.
After a few years my skill level increased considerably concerning land use, building code, and development practices. Escrow, and lending offices were housed at the Advance Properties building so it was easy to get involved in all aspects of Real Estate. It was very much a family owned, and operated business.
Over the years my Real Estate license has been at a variety of Real Estate companies, and offices. Nothing compares to those early years, or that sense of family. Real Estate has gotten to be corporate owned.
My hope with this blog is to share with you some of the things I've learned. If you have Real Estate needs, or want contractor help, I refer freely to what best suits you. If you should choose to work with me you'll find a great resource.
My Real Estate license is at Skyline Properties in Northgate. Skyline is a locally owned company that is a desk fee office. There is a wide variety of diverse agents. It helps me with some of the other projects that I have, and mentoring that I do, to be able to work with people from other cultures.
Here in Seattle we are close to Vancouver BC and are the gateway to China. Boeing has a great trade relationship with China, as does Microsoft have with all of Asia. We are a culturally diverse community, and it helps me to be invlolved.
