You may have heard a Realtor say it - Zillow is not a trustworthy site for accurate home values. Often times they don't just say it, they shout it! They ball up their fists and stomp their feet with big eyes and smoke-blowing ears. It is one of the most frustrating parts of being a Realtor today - the Zestimate. We watch clients believe they have information that is accurate when in actuality they only have enough information to be dangerous. Once and for all, we'd like to explain why Zillow and other websites estimates of your home's value are rarely, if ever, correct. (And why they were never meant to be in the first place.)

First, how do Zillow and other sites calculate a "Zestimate," or estimated home market value?

What is a Zestimate?

An

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188 Riverwalk Blvd, St. Johns, FL 32259

Terrific home in Rivertown!

This beautiful, former model home on an amazing lot in Rivertown is ready for you! Located a stone's throw from all of Rivertown's incredible amenities, you will be blown away by this home! Including a gourmet kitchen and three (count them, three!) covered porches! A breakfast nook along with an open floorplan means no one is separated by walls and partitions in the main living space. 
The master bedroom is located downstairs and has a spa-like bathroom you won't want to leave! And the master closet? If you love organization, you will love this closest! So much storage and organizational cabinetry that nothing will get lost and no one will feel cramped. There are two…

Realtors and Title Companies want to Save Buyers from Losing their Life Savings with Safeguards

“I had the seller,” Jen Kespohl, Round Table Realty agent recalls. “The buyer and his agent had everything ready. This was a smooth transaction until the title company informed us the money had not yet been wired to close. The buyer looked so confused. ‘I wired the money yesterday,’ he said. It took about 5 minutes before the buyer’s agent realized her client sent the money to the wrong account. The money was gone. The wire numbers were fake. It was all of his savings.”

 

It’s happening all over the country. Scammers from other states, even other countries, are intercepting emails from Realtors and Title Companies addressed to unsuspecting buyers.

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Every brokerage has the right to define their own culture and values. Some prefer to help as many buyers and sellers as possible, while others take a more boutique approach to focus on clients with specific needs. There is no right or wrong, and it’s one of the reasons why choosing the right Realtor could literally be the difference between an incredible transaction or a terrible experience.

All brokerages also have the right to hold binder deposits for their agents’ clients. They do not have to, but doing so has some major benefits. Recently, Round Table Realty broker Howard Flaschen shared a story about holding a binder that literally changed the lives of two RTR clients.

What is a binder?

A Real Estate binder or escrow binder is any

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Thinking About Selling Your Home?

Whether you’ve sold homes in the past or this is your first home sale, you know that it’s probably not going to be a breeze! Selling can be a pretty overwhelming step! Occasionally, the sale of a home happens quickly and with very little preparation. But usually, there are many things that need to happen before you even list it.
Selling your home starts months before you actually list it. You have to fix major issues (or be ready to take a hit on your sale price), spruce the place up, and make sure your curb appeal is on point. Then get that sign in the front yard, ensure it’s marketed correctly, and be ready for people to walk around your most personal spaces trying to decide if they can see themselves there!
What

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In the family tree of real estate, the Brokerage is the top branch. As you move down the tree you find the brokers, the other real estate agents, and the support staff. Finally, the clients they serve are all standing beneath waiting to catch a piece of fruit.

Realtors must hang their license from a branch on a Brokerage’s tree, but the Realtor gets to choose the tree that feels best to them. They can choose a tree and later decide to choose another tree.

A majority of the incredible agents that join Round Table Realty come from other brokerages. Very rarely does a recent graduate of real estate school join us because we typically require a certain amount of experience so that our clients get to work with the best of the best. But when they come

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It's not easy to accurately price your home for sale.

Too high and it won't get offers. Too low and you leave money on the table. Having a Realtor who can expertly price your home for you can often get you far more than you would have if you tried to price and sell it yourself! At Round Table Realty, our goal is to price your home fairly, sell it quickly, and keep the transaction smooth. But the trouble starts when clients don't entirely understand the method of pricing a home, and this usually happens when an agent does not explain the process clearly, step-by-step.

The first step to pricing a home properly is to do a competitive market analysis. Your listing agent should have done this prior to even signing with you. Taking into consideration…

There are currently more than a million Realtors in the United States. That’s the same number of people living in Jacksonville and the beaches! It’s a huge number, and it leaves clients wondering how on Earth to choose one.

Most people know now that they can’t safely complete a transaction without a real estate professional because of the sheer number of tedious, legal hoops there are to jump through. But they don’t have any clue how to audit a Realtor, and so often they end up choosing a friend or family member so that they will “get the commission” (which might be the worst thing they could do!).

How does Round Table Realty choose agents?

Here at Round Table Realty, we’re obviously very picky. Our method for choosing our own agents always

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Buying or selling a home is one of the longest, most detailed transaction processes anyone will experience in a lifetime. And yet, one of the most common questions people ask is, “Do I really need a real estate agent?” 

Why you need a real estate agent

1. You can’t automate real estate.

   Many grocery stores have self-serve check-out lines. Most gas stations have credit card machines built into the pumps. Some restaurants even allow you to punch your own order into the computer. But a real estate transaction is far more complicated than buying milk and bread. Automating the process of buying and selling property leaves far too much room for mistakes like missing legal deadlines or failing to obtain the appropriate inspections, to name just

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Keith and Howard knew when they started Round Table Realty that they would never give their agents volume based awards. This decision was born directly from their own experiences. “We watched brokerages and companies awarding the same agents every month, and it was usually because they had the most experience, wanted to work that much, or landed a great community. Those of us who were green, or those who only worked part-time, just grew resentful and irritated with seeing those same names again and again,” Howard said.     

"Selling the most doesn’t mean you’re the best to us. At least not in the way we want to be the best." The way Keith and Howard set out to be the best was to earn a reputation of being a heart-first, relationship-based brokerage.

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