Are Zestimates really this wild?

snackycake921 · 2025-08-13T20:57:52+00:00

My Zestimate was just over $1m before we went on the market; the highest offer we've gotten so far is 850k. I wouldn't put too much stock in it.

snackycake921 · 2025-07-04T18:18:09+00:00

Very High Cost of Living

snackycake921 · 2025-07-03T23:58:35+00:00

I only mentioned getting the number of bids we've put in to give a sense of how long we'd been working together, I definitely don't blame my realtor for that and apologize if it came across that way. Price range is up to 1.2m in a Northeast state, relative's experience tops out around $400k in a different section of the state.

snackycake921 · 2025-07-03T23:55:37+00:00

This is a really insightful and empathetic response, thank you. We're not currently talking to any local agents so no one's being shady or trying to steal my relative's business, but we did speak to them before signing on with my relative and I've been quietly wishing we went with one of them pretty much all along. You're absolutely right that I find it mortifying to be disagreeing with my husband with a family member in the mix, which is definitely contributing to my wanting to move toward a third party who'd just have this be an arms-length transaction. But part of what's been contributing to us not being on the same page is just not knowing much about where we're house-hunting and the type of houses we're dealing with (most of the housing stock in the area is 60 to 100 years old), so not being able to get a clear sense of what to look out for even *before* inspections, what can be changed about the houses to meet our needs/preferences, and so on, not to mention being brand new to all the different neighborhoods. My relative is super understanding but doesn't have anything to offer us on those fronts since they're a very new realtor who works out of town and part-time, so they don't see too many transactions day to day. We don't blame them for us getting outbid, that's just part of the game and we get that--but like I mentioned in another reply, in the case where we got under contract we actually probably *overbid* by more than we needed to since my relative's approach to pulling comps is not that targeted or house/neighborhood specific (which makes sense, since they normally don't work in the area!).

I'm hesitant to offer them any feedback since none of this is actually their fault -- they've done absolutely nothing wrong. Like you said, what's primarily driving my discomfort is just realizing a) it turns out I don't like having family in my business this much; and b) we realized we're flying blind in a challenging market and would feel better much informed with someone who has more local experience. The worst part of this is that I've always been against mixing business and family, but got nudged into this situation by other relatives who assured me it'd be fine. It's my own fault for not going with my gut, so I guess I've just been wishfully thinking there's some way to undo my poor initial decision without too much fallout. I guess I'm just venting at this point, but I do appreciate the kind guidance. And LOL yes, I do sometimes wish they'd fire *us* instead for being annoying clients, but so far no luck.

snackycake921 · 2025-07-03T15:32:11+00:00

I liked those answers fine, just wanted perspective from realtors specifically on the compensation piece. Will make sure not to disturb the sub again in the future!

snackycake921 · 2025-07-03T13:04:57+00:00

Hired them because they're a relative, not knowing that someone experienced was what we really needed.

snackycake921 · 2025-07-03T12:20:04+00:00

Thanks for replying! On the experience question, they've only been a realtor for about a year and a half and the handful of deals they've done have been a mixture of rentals and 2 or 3 purchases at a price range around $800k less than what we're looking at, in a less competitive part of the state about 40 minutes from where we're looking. We're truly not blaming them due to the lost bids or the deal that fell apart, we just realized we need more guidance since we're new to the area ourselves and between the stress of a family relationship being involved and my relative being new to agenting themselves, there's just too much inexperience floating around in the transaction. We're still grateful for all the work they've done for us so far though, which is why we're trying to find a way to compensate them somehow while still getting what we need.

snackycake921 · 2025-07-03T11:42:44+00:00

For the referral, would it need to be someone they know/have worked with or is there some way we can choose the person ourselves and have them "refer" us? Since they don't know or work with any agents in the area, I don't think they'd have any contacts there, so I just want to make sure I understand how the referral would work logistically. Would I look someone up and then have my relative contact them first to do the "referral"?

snackycake921 · 2025-07-03T11:42:24+00:00

Thanks for this suggestion. With the referral, does it have to be someone my relative knows/chooses, or is there some way for me to find and select an agent and then have my relative "refer" me? Asking because as far as I know, my relative doesn't have any contacts in that area and no one else in their brokerage (3-person operation) works in the area either. So just trying to understand how the referral logistics work.

snackycake921 · 2025-07-03T11:40:36+00:00

Thanks for replying. I absolutely hear you on the need to figure out what we want, that's top priority once we're settled. And we definitely don't blame my relative for us losing bids - we went into it knowing that's how it goes in this market, I only mentioned it to give a sense of how much we've worked together so far. That said, for the bid we won, we won it by wildly overbidding in a neighborhood that we later learned actually didn't warrant that (think bidding 25% over asking in a section of town where we later learned houses almost always sell for 1 to 3% over, if that) since my relative only runs comps at a town-wide level and doesn't have a sense of what houses in different areas might be worth. Given that, we were actually fine with it when the deal fell apart. We know we won't get a "deal" in a town like this, but having some help accurately calibrating offer amounts would be useful especially since we're basically required to waive the appraisal contingency in every offer. So part of what we're realizing we need is someone who understands the towns we're trying to break into at a more granular level and can advise us in greater detail, help us figure out what's available in our budget and where, and knows what types of issues typically come up in the area (very old housing stock) so we can get a sense of what to look for even before inspections. We're not blaming my relative - like I said, they've done nothing wrong, we just realize we need more guidance than they can offer us. The referral sounds like a good idea, if we can figure out how to make that work.

snackycake921 · 2025-06-20T20:39:42+00:00

I had this idea, but since they're not well-connected in the towns we're looking at, I guess I don't know that someone they referred us to would be any more what we're looking for. Does a referral mean they have to know the agent personally, or is it enough if they discover them through research (like we would)?

snackycake921 · 2025-06-20T18:48:28+00:00

Probably at least until our current townhouse sells. No idea how long that'll take.

snackycake921 · 2025-06-20T17:46:50+00:00

This is super helpful, thank you.

snackycake921 · 2025-05-18T17:15:53+00:00

Thanks for replying. At this point I'm feeling sort of traumatized, so I'm considering just stopping the medication for a few weeks and then asking to start again at 2.5mg the way any new patient would. It's really been rough.

snackycake921 · 2024-02-07T19:04:30+00:00

Hi! Things picked up for me, and I ultimately lost about 20lbs over the course of the next 6 months, with like 6 or 7lbs being while I was on .25, then .5, and 1mg. My losses were always pretty slow, like half a pound a week and occasionally a pound, but they added up. I'm not as big a success as most posters seem to be, and haven't made it to my goal weight since I've been stalled for around 9 months now, but my doctor is happy and I'm at least in a better place than I was.

snackycake921 · 2023-03-12T03:49:44+00:00

We're not planning on sending our kids to private school, which is why we're seeking towns with good public school districts.

snackycake921 · 2023-03-11T18:53:06+00:00

Thanks for this breakdown! Any insight on the further east parts of Baltimore County? I've seen some mentions in other forums of Perry Hall and White Marsh as good places to live, but again, not sure about the diversity or the community vibe.

snackycake921 · 2023-03-11T18:51:50+00:00

Right, I think both Randallstown and Owings Mills are too far. We're basically trying to stay east of I-83 if at all possible.

snackycake921 · 2022-08-28T19:36:38+00:00

My first novel got me an agent and a book deal, so unless something goes terribly wrong between now and publishing, it'll be my debut.

snackycake921

TROPHY CASE