("Thanks for the lead!")

More HOME BUYER education - if you are searching for a Realtor or Mortgage Broker, there are better ways to meet them directly (see the last sentence of this article) than through the "Match.com" services provided by websites offering "Free Home Valuation" or "e-Loan" type services where you fill out an online "quote" form. Here are the reasons why -

(1) Teresa Boardman explains why Realtors are put off by Online Home Valuation Quotes and how Lead Generation companies step in between Realtor and Client. Click here.

(2) Ardell at RainCityGuide also expresses CLOSING problems exacerbated by "bottom feeder site" fees (apt expression, my ""). Ardell then directed me toward her original bottom feeder article (reads like a bedtime story).

(3) Another mortgage lead generation company Hello Lender describes the dangers of filling out an online mortgage quote form (although the company's explanation is slightly biased because they offer a way to quickly connect the potential borrower with a mortgage broker and still make a broker's referral fee for doing so).

(4) A primer on mortgage lead generation sites and how they work

(5) I was referred to Altos Research after my post about Zillow's new market analysis offering. Altos provides local real time market reports for individual cities that are more microscopic than Zillow's offerings. In that sense, their research may be better suited to the valuation strategy of home buyers/sellers and realtors. Here is an excerpt from their blog article "The Real Secret behind Zillow's Popularity" as it pertains to home valuation websites -

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"... the fundamental proposition, "how much is my home worth?" is an entirely pedestrian offering. Literally HUNDREDS of sites will give you the same number (realestateabc, HouseValues, Home Gain, Domania, not to mention any local agents). The feature is so common frankly because it's compelling and because it's easy to calculate. (input public records data and do a multivariate regression..."

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Doesn't this imply to the consumer that the value provided by home valuation websites is really about making the broker connection? There are a variety of free / inexpensive ways to meet and interview a lot of realtors and mortgage brokers (without their even knowing they are being interviewed) ... here are three ways: (1) , (2) , (3)