Online estimates miss by $30–80k on a typical Whatcom home.
Zillow itself reports a median error of about 7% for homes that aren't listed yet. On a $700k Bellingham house, that's ±$49k — and the algorithm has never seen your kitchen, your view, or the road noise. It also doesn't know that Sudden Valley HOA dues or a Chuckanut slope report change what buyers will pay.
- ✕Algorithms use tax records and ZIP-code averages
- ✕Can't see condition, upgrades, layout, or lot
- ✕Lag the market by 30–60 days
- ✓Irena uses last-90-day sales from your street, adjusted for your home
Four steps, one written report.
This is a Comparative Market Analysis prepared by a local broker — an opinion of market value, not an appraisal.
The wizard gives me the basics. For a listing-ready number I'll walk the home — condition and layout move value more than any spreadsheet.
Closed sales within a half mile in the last 90 days, matched on size, age, and style — then adjusted for what makes yours different.
What's active and pending right now sets the ceiling. I check every competing listing a buyer would see next to yours.
You get a defensible range, the comps behind it, and the price I'd list at — plus a net sheet showing what you'd keep.
Value is one number. What you keep is another.
Your report includes this sheet with your real numbers. Play with a hypothetical sale price now to see how Washington excise tax, commissions, title, and your payoff shape the bottom line.
Most sellers are surprised by the excise tax line — Washington charges 1.1–1.28% at typical Whatcom prices, plus 0.5% local. I'd rather you see it now than at the closing table.
No. No obligation and no automated follow-up sequence. If you decide to list with me later, great; if not, you still have a real number and a net sheet.
The wizard gets me within a reasonable range. For a listing-ready price I'll want to see the home — condition, layout, and view move value more than any data.
No. Your details go to Irena's phone and nowhere else. I don't sell leads, and I won't add you to a drip campaign.
An appraisal is a lender's opinion of value for a loan, ordered after you're under contract, and costs $600–900. A CMA is what a listing agent uses to price a home before it hits the market. Done well, they land close to what the home actually sells for.
Absolutely. Knowing your equity helps with refinancing, HELOCs, estate planning, and simply deciding when to move. About a third of the valuations I do are for people 1–3 years out.
Yes — condos, townhomes, acreage, duplexes, and small multi-family across Whatcom County. Just note the type in the wizard.