Author: Andres Segovia

Blessings, happiness, and cheer to everyone!

‘Nuff Said.

What you need to know about Prop 10! Vote No this November!

To learn more, go to www.NoProp10.org

www.SegoviaRES.com
Twitter: @SegoviaRES
Instagram: @The_Andres_Segovia

Zillow Service Fees Passed On To Customers

Many real estate industries and agents use Zillow to show properties that are on sale. One of the major reasons why its so popular is because its online and mobile tools are for free. But it’s not free if the homebuyer or home seller is paying for it through a transaction

Real estate professionals are charged a 5-6% selling fee to advertise on Zillow and produce very few leads.  Real estate agents can only charge a commission rate which is paid to the brokerage at the close of escrow. But an agent competing against other agents for your business can only be so aggressive with the commission rates if they have to shoulder so much more advertising costs. While the internet gives an agent access to the world, that access comes at a steep cost that can rival the old fashioned printed ads.

 Not too long ago, Zillow launched an online property managing tool that enhances a landlord-renter relationship. In order to obtain this Zillow Renter Manager service, you must fill an online application that charges a $29 dollar fee. This rental application will allow a seller to get a tenant background check and a comprehensive credit report. This tool can also allow renters to apply to multiple properties at the same time.

 There is value in Zillow’s services, but it is recommend to take some of more pertinent information with a grain of salt.

 Up Next: Zillow Intends to Replace Real Estate Agents

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

 

 

Zillow. Its the go-to website for people interested in buying or selling a house to do their research. And why wouldn’t they use it? Its the most popular site for such data.

But is it accurate?

Ask any agent and most will tell you Zillow is not. It’s a strong statement loaded with truth.

But how?

Zestimates are inaccurate.

If you’re a seller wondering how much your property is going for, you’ll most likely consult with Zillow before trying to contact a real estate professional.

We tend to forget that a property’s worth is determined by how much a buyer is willing to pay and not by how much Zillow markets it for. For example, let’s say Zillow says your house is worth $800,000, but if many months pass and your property hasn’t sold, that’s probably because your property is marked too high.

Here’s the thing, Zillow bases their information on comparable sales. Zestimates stand for property value estimates. Zillow’s CEO, Spencer Rascoff, admitted that these Zestimates have a “median error rate” of about 8%. This is a high error rate! Let’s say a house was $500,000. Its disparity would be about $40,000, which is a lot of money for an error rate.

Stay tuned for Why Agents Don’t Trust Zillow and Neither Should You! -Part 2.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

 

 

Due Out End of August 2018!

Click Here for My First Book Release!

In celebration of the imminent release of my second book There And Back Again: Not A Hobbit’s Tale, I’m giving away a few tech-related goodies to a lucky few!

You’ll have multiple ways to participate for a chance to win one of the following goodies:

• 1^st Place: Google Home Mini & an autographed copy of There And Back Again: Not A Hobbit’s Tale
• 2^nd Place: JBL Reflect Aware C Active Noise Cancelling Headphones
• 3^rd Place: Google Chrome Cast

In addition to each of these prizes, each winner will receive a free copy of my 1^st book Finding Love: But Not Really!

So, the rules for this contest are simple. Follow me on one or more of the following socials:

1. Instagram: @The_Andres_Segovia
2. Twitter: @SegoviaRES

“Hey, where’s my free book?! https://bit.ly/2uAbe4q #TheNewsReelGiveaway”

For Twitter, follow me and tweet the message above!

For Instagram, follow me, like the Instagram giveaway post, and leave a comment with the message above!

And that’s it!

For more chances to win, check out the original post where the giveaway is being hosted on my main site www.TheNewsReel.Info

Share the joy and spread the word!

Entries must be submitted by August 18, 2018. Winner to be announced August 25^th on The NewsReel blog! Certain restrictions apply. Employees and immediate family members are ineligible. U.S. Residents only, please! Must be 18 years of age and older to participate. Rules and conditions subject to change without notice!

 

The struggle in buying a home in California is real especially now because buying homes in California has become very competitive due to inventory shortages. Since the competition has grown it’s easier to sell. Properties are selling like hot cakes. However, this shouldn’t intimidate you into buying a house in this beautiful state and here is why.

The president of Local Market Monitor, Ingo Winzer, stated, “… at Local Market Monitor we’re forecasting that prices in all California markets will rise over the next three years.” This means the costs of properties are only going to go higher. There is a continuous fluctuation that has been analyzed where prices rise and drop each year which concludes this fluctuation will increase each year. So, if you have enough money to buy a property in California, now is the time to do it!

Sure, California is expensive, but it also depends in the areas you’re looking. For example, if you’re looking towards the LA and Bay area then yes, it is going to be expensive. The LA and Bay area have already gone above the 15 percent threshold for over-pricing when compared to an average home price along with the income price (Winzer, 2018). These aren’t the only cities that have sky rocketed. There’s 5 out of 15 cities in California where home prices are sky rocketing; there’s Glendale, Irvine, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Fremont. In San Jose, the median list prices increased 23 percent,. That’s about a $184,000 dollar increase (Elkins, 2018). However, there are places that are affordable such as Palmdale, Lancaster, & San Bernardino. These may not be the most attractive places to look at but as mentioned earlier, the market is hot. Available land has become expensive and competitive since there’s not much land or properties to buy.

We have seen many cons when it comes to buying in California such as high costs, scarcity, and complexity. However, there are many pros when buying in California as well. When you buy land in California you have complete control over what you put in. Also, a new renovated home won’t convey health hazards such as mold or asbestos. The resale value in California is good too. New homes usually hold a greater value, make a better impression, and usually come with a warranty (Grijalva, 2017). However, for an older home this can vary depending on the cost of maintenance and remodeling. And lastly, there’s the emotional satisfaction of buying or building your own home in the sunny state of California.

Therefore, to answer the given questions, should I sell in California? Yes, because it will be successful due to the scarcity of available properties. Should I buy in California? The answer is also yes, because now is the time to buy. There’s more competition meaning people are willing to pay more. So if you don’t act fast, the price of the house you hope drops might go higher and you might lose your opportunity to get it.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Work is important but so is your health. Many people find it difficult to balance work while keeping a healthy lifestyle, but it’s not as hard as it seems. There are three things that sync together to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle: your nutritional health, physical health, and mental health. Keeping a healthy lifestyle makes you feel good, which can influence the way you work or the way you feel.

Nutritional Health. When it comes to your diet it’s always important to know what you’re consuming. There are many alternatives when it comes to choosing food. It’s not always easy though, it’s hard letting go of those fatty delicious snacks such as the spicy, tasty Hot Cheetos but it’s not impossible. Choose healthier alterations such as fruits or healthy nutrition bars. Try to make a schedule for your meals. For some people meal prepping works. For others, nutritional apps, such as My Fitness Pal, work as well; find out what works for you. Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day and lay off those sugary substances such as soda and energy drinks. Plus, you don’t need those anyways, drink coffee like any normal, sophisticated person just make sure to choose the right kind sweetener. Also, when you’ve done such a good job in eating healthy it’s okay to have a cheat day; however, don’t make this cheat day continuously because it defeats the purpose of maintaining a healthy diet.

Physical Health. Sometimes tasks at work consume most of your time, and by the time you’re off, you’re too tired to do anything else. However, it’s good to do some physical activity to release some stress and help strengthen your body.  According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services “Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day; only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week.” To change these statistics, here are a few tips to stay physically active as you manage work: try to park farther away so you can have a longer walk when walking to your job. You can always go on a walk during your lunch break or when you’re finally off work. It’s hard to get stuff done as you’re working, so it’s best to do your physical activity before or after work. Join a gym and seek advice from the fitness experts, go for a jog at a park, find an activity you enjoy and do it more often, whether it’s riding your bike or playing tennis with a friend. Simple things like that can help you be stronger, more active, and less stressed. So, when you go home after being physically active, you can eat a good healthy home-cooked meal, relax, get some sleep and be up and ready the next day.

Mental Health. To be physically strong you need to be mentally strong. If you enter work and think “Oh, its Monday, everyone hates Mondays. I need to deal with my boss and coworkers. I just want to go home and eat and sleep and not deal with anyone” you are already coming in to work with a negative perspective which can ruin your whole day. The same thing goes for being healthy and managing work, “Oh it’s a Monday and I have a lot of work to do, I don’t have time to exercise because by the time I’m off I’m too tired.”  No, it shouldn’t be like that it should be more like, “It’s a Monday. Let’s see how much I can get done before my workout, so I can look good when I go to the beach on Friday.” This is a better attitude. What I’m basically trying to say is that if you put your mind to something you can do it. You just have to be mentally in it to win it. And I get it. It’s hard sometimes which is why you need to mentally encourage yourself and challenge yourself. Ways you can encourage yourself is by treating yourself for something you’ve accomplished. For example, if you ran a mile every day for two weeks, treat yourself by buying yourself new jogging shoes. Simple things like that encourage you to keep on going.

Therefore, don’t let work get in the way from helping you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Follow these tips and they’ll help you have a better nutritional, physical, and mental health which all sync into creating a healthier lifestyle for you.