Housing Market Info

I am a firm believer in the For Sale By Owner ("FSBO") transaction. Although there are many obstacles to selling a home FSBO, a seller can generally overcome those obstacles with a little bit of research. For example, FSBO sellers often do not fully understand the true value of their home (and thus are unable to identify an optimum sale price). However, there are several web pages that can assist a seller in determining the anticipated market value of the property. HousingTracker provides real time market data for dozens of markets. The Washington Center for Real Estate Research, operated by Wasington State University, has market information for the state of Washington. The King County Department of Assessments maintains an eSales Search database that contains sale information for Seattle and the surrounding area (King County). Finally, web sites such as Home Pages, Redfin, and ShackPrices.com allow a homeowner (or home buyer) to search the neighborhood for a variety of data, including recent sale information. By using these sites, a homeowner is able to gain a better understanding of the true value of the home.