Useful Househunting tools (Los Angeles, Irvine: for sale, 2013, home search)

[USCTrojanCPA]

As a realtor working with several buyers, I always recommend that they use a redfin search to compliment my MLS automatic e-mail update. From my knowledge, Redfin is about 95% accurate...the biggest issue they have is they show a sale as being regular versus being a short sale because the realtor coded into MLS wrong but it is obvious in the agent-to-agent comments that it's a short sale (Redfin will not show you this information).

[Charles]

Originally Posted by USCTrojanCPA

the biggest issue they have is they show a sale as being regular versus being a short sale because the realtor coded into MLS wrong but it is obvious in the agent-to-agent comments that it's a short sale (Redfin will not show you this information).

If you display recent sales on the map (the blue icons) and export (download) to excel, there is a field (Column AF) entitled "Is Short Sale" populated with either True or False. So, the "Is Short Sale" data are inaccurate? Significantly, like more than 20% off? Or maybe less than 5% off?

For example, I just downloaded the data from this search:

Real Estate Search | Redfin

and I got 42 out of 72 False, and 28 out of 72 True.

[USCTrojanCPA]

Originally Posted by Charles

If you display recent sales on the map (the blue icons) and export (download) to excel, there is a field (Column AF) entitled "Is Short Sale" populated with either True or False. So, the "Is Short Sale" data are inaccurate? Significantly, like more than 20% off? Or maybe less than 5% off?

For example, I just downloaded the data from this search:

Real Estate Search | Redfin

and I got 42 out of 72 False, and 28 out of 72 True.

In terms of Short Sale, the error rate is much higher than 5%...more like 25-30% from what I saw. Redfin also makes the mistake of showing that the sale is a Short Sale but it is coded as "In Foreclosure" which means the loan is in default but is not a short sale before the sales price exceeds the outstanding loan amounts. MLS is the be-all and need-all source, but Redfin is a good tool for buyers to use as they don't have access to MLS.

[Charles]

Orange County Tax Assessor website. Find the property taxes for any parcel in Orange County:

County Of Orange - Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office

[woodrough]

Redfin has a really cool new "instant updates" feature now, which will send you a message immediately based on specified criteria. So you can know right away when a new house goes on the market in the area you're interested in, or if the price goes down on a house you like.

With respect to the accuracy of the data discussed earlier here, I've found it to be very good, but I have also noticed that there is some variance between markets. I assume either some MLSes send them better feeds, or at least their integration of some MLSes is better than others. But in our recent house search (we used an agent, but used Redfin for searching and alerts), we didn't encounter any short sales that weren't marked as such, or vice versa.

[HarleyGuyOC]

What good are ALL THE SEARCH ENGINES IN THE ENTIRE WORLD when the real estate market is being COMPLETELY MANIPULATED?

The fact is that 85%-90% of all foreclosed & distressed properties -particularly in CA- are being hidden and kept off the books by banks because they fear (quite correctly) that releasing them all together onto the open market would flood & drive down the price of real estate in general.

Of course they purposely ignore the fact that SAVERS with actual cash would then jump in and start buying once homes became affordable again thereby helping to establish realistic price floors for homes in line with actual earnings. Also, the economy would quickly turn around again as scores of these new buyers started shopping for furniture and the other indispensible accoutrements of homeownership. But the powers that be (aka Goldman Sachs and your meat puppet president) don't want that.

What they want is more FHA-sponsored deadbeat Bozo's out there fighting amongst themselves like angry mutts for the privilege of overbidding on already overpriced homes using mortgage loans that are backed by U.S. taxpayer money when these dregs inevitably default 3 months after 'buying'.

That's precisely why the BEST 'house hunting tool' of all these days might just be a valid U.S. passport and a one-way ticket out of this craphole country!

[Fontucky]

After you!

[HarleyGuyOC]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

After you!

Oh, no doubt!

I honestly do NOT see myself living in the U.S. more than another 5 years or so tops. This country is done! ...go ahead and stick a fork in it. Most Americans are pitifully unaware of just how rampant fraud and corruption has become here. They have no idea of the massive transfer of wealth from savers to speculators that is currently under way, mainly because most Americans don't have two freaking dimes to rub together. Torture has been legalized, our president claims the right to order the assassination of U.S. citizens wherever they may be, we are being forced to buy health insurance or be fined, we are wiretapped without a court order, habeus corpus is gone forever, we're strip-searched when we travel, we're beaten to within an inch of our lives by our own police for the slightest of transgressions, the real estate market is completely rigged, the unemployment levels are staggering, education is a joke (we're the only country in the world to offer a college Certificate in Comics and Graphic Novels), censorship is exploding, the dollar is about to lose its status as international reserve currency of choice, corporations have been granted the same rights as individuals (but NOT the same obligations!), AND we had a mental retard as president ..TWICE!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by HarleyGuyOC

Oh, no doubt!

I honestly do NOT see myself living in the U.S. more than another 5 years or so tops.

Where do you plan to go?

[HarleyGuyOC]

Originally Posted by Charles

Where do you plan to go?

Not sure yet. I have dual Italian/U.S. citizenship and my wife's from Spain. So as long as there's a EU we have access to basically anywhere within that region. Obviously we'd prefer a country that speaks either English, Italian or Spanish. Mein Deustch really sukkenz.

South and Central America are mostly crapholes in my experience.
Canada is one giant great big frigid YAAAAAAAAWN.
Africa? ...HAHAHAHA! I've already been to Brooklyn, thank you very much.
Middle East: Now why in dangnation would we want to go THERE?

I'm leaving the Polar Regions off the list for now too.

Notice how I said, "for now" tho.