How We Make Homebuying Easier

The Silicon Valley real estate market is extremely competitive. Here’s how we can help you get an edge.

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Why does working with the Vanka Group make a difference when buying a home in Silicon Valley? There are three main reasons.

The first thing is our needs analysis. It’s the first thing we do with our buying clients. It’s so important because every client is different. Some buyers want a certain home in a certain area no matter the price, and some have a budget they have to stick to. Because of that, this meeting is essential in setting your expectations for the process as a whole.

55% of homebuyers are paying with cash.

Secondly, we understand the market. In Silicon Valley, 55% of homes purchased last year were cash transactions. If you’re going to be competing with cash offers and you’re using financing, a pre-approval is essential in getting all your ducks in a row. We have some amazing lender partners we can refer you to.

Finally, the last step is to identify the neighborhoods that are good fits for you. We can strategize with you and help narrow down the best options, whether you want to be near good schools, the highway, or both.

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Should You Be Worried About a Market Correction?

Investing in real estate is a smart move, especially here in California. Here’s why.

Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home Search
Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation

The question of “Are we headed toward a market correction?” is one of the most common inquiries I’ve been getting lately. So today I am going to talk about the three things you should be focusing on if we are indeed headed toward a correction.

First, make your investments with a five to seven year outlook. With a long-term plan, you’ll be just fine.

Secondly, California real estate has historically appreciated for over 7% if you hold the asset for at least five years.

Real estate is a recipe for building wealth.

Finally, the power of compounding. Real estate is one of the only asset classes that you can invest in with as little as 10% down. You can buy a million dollar asset for $100,000 in cash value and when you combine that with the fact that homes appreciate so rapidly around here, you have a recipe for building wealth.

If you have any questions for me or you’re looking to get into real estate investing yourself, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to hear from you.

What Makes Zillow’s Estimates So Inaccurate?

Zestimates and other online home value calculators should be taken with a grain of salt. Here’s why.

Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home Search
Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation

When I go on listing presentations, home sellers always ask me about the disparity between Zestimates and what homes actually sell for. Zillow will give their home a certain value, but the National Association of Realtors states that homes sell for 5% more or less than their Zestimate more than 67% of the time.

There are a couple main reasons why this happens. The first thing you have to understand about a Zestimate is that it’s an algorithm, or a formula-based estimation. It only calculates general information like the square footage of the house and the previous sales in that house’s particular zip code. As we know, houses are imperfect. Zillow doesn’t take into account things like the wear and tear from your kids or your pets.

Details play a huge part in a home’s true value. For example, in Silicon Valley, schools are a big factor in determining home prices. Two identical houses in Cupertino that are right across the street from each other could be as much as $200,000 apart in value just because one house is assigned to Lynbrook High School and the other is assigned to Monte Vista High School.

Zestimates should only be used as a guiding tool for pricing your home.

With all this factored in, it’s really important that you use Zestimates and other online calculators as merely a guiding tool. If you want to know the exact value of your house, you should ask a professional real estate agent who knows your neighborhood well.

If you need an estimate of your home’s value or you’re looking to buy or sell, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’d be glad to help.