David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

I did a quick comparison today at 12:20 pm as to the total number of single family homes for sale in Venice FL, on both the MLS and on Zillow.  Here are the screen shots of the results: MLS shows 379 active single family homes for sale with a Venice FL address. Zillow's website shows 876 "houses" for sale in Venice FL. This is a wildly inaccurate number from Zillow, and the discrepancy is far too large to account for FSBO listings that aren't included in the MLS.  Zillow is notorious for leaving old and sold listings on its site, in a single minded focus on "having the most listings" in their failing attempt to compete with Realtor.com. The "most listings" doesn't translate to an accurate website with properties you can actually buy. #Localisbetter . Zillow is in business to sell advertising, not sell real estate.  Learn more about Zillow's inaccurate data and why they do this on my website .

Zillow, and now competitor Movoto, are lisitng "coming soon" or "pre-foreclosure" or "off market" properties on their websites. This is a deceptive marketing ploy to lure you to register in the hopes of beating the market. You will be contacted by an agent who is paying Zillow or Movoto for your contact information. You can't buy a coming soon, pre-foreclosure, or off market property on Zillow, Movoto, etc. Zillow won't tell you: You can't purchase a pre-foreclosure or "off market" property until it's listed for sale with a Realtor.  The banks have no reason to withhold a property for sale from the public market to set the price; FSBO and "pocket listings" that are not widely advertised on the public market cannot be used by a mortgage appraiser for comparable sale prices.  These usually sell at lower prices than properties offered for sale to the public on the MLS. When searching for homes for sale, Zil...

I don't think we are in a strong real estate market in Venice or Sarasota.  I think we are in a difficult market with historically low levels of available homes for sale. Most home sellers are taking a firm stance when negotiating price, but there may still be options for you as a buyer, to find motivated sellers and negotiate a good deal. Visit my website   to find Venice real estate that has been on the market over 90 days with at least one price reduction.  While there's no guarantee the owners of these properties are motivated, they may be more likely to want to negotiate versus more recently listed properties. Please contact me for more information or to schedule a property showing.

You'll see one or both of these services advertised by most Realtors, on a postcard mailing or on their websites.  While they may give you a quick value, the estimate could be off by tens of thousands of dollars. For example, the location of your home or condo within the subdivision or complex can greatly affect values.  The same goes for an updated property versus other recent sales.  There are a huge number of variables that go into the value of your home that a computer program can't account for. I have developed my exclusive "triangulation method" for the most accurate home value estimates. Need a quick value now, or a second opinion?  Please tell me about your property on my website . When you're ready to sell your Venice FL real estate, take a look at my services and experience and contact me for a consultation.