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Business & Tech

This Sunday's Open Houses

Looking for a dream house? Get started this Sunday afternoon between 1:00 - 4:00

Here are this weekend's open houses in the area. Not too many to choose from, but wait till next week.

$778,500, 3 bdrm, 2.5 bth 14565 McDonough Hghts, Healdsburg Wine Country Group

$839,000, 4 bdrm, 3.5 bth 584  Horsebarn Rd, Healdsburg, Keller Williams

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I was looking at Activerain this AM and the first thing that I saw was a post from a realtor that has the same pet peeve as I do: Out-of-area realtors who leverage the internet to gain clients from across the country, then refer them to a local agent. This is a huge business and leaves the clients exposed to a rickety transaction.

What is local? Well I think that it is dependent on what type of transaction that you are going to have. If it is residential then an agent that is more than an hour away that does not attend local MLS meetings can perform fairly well. It is when you get into ranches and vineyards that you better pick a realtor who lives right in the area. Local knowledge is key.

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When you shop local you can avoid a lot of the scams that are going on. We heard one the other day where a brokerage from San Diego had been party to a transaction where a person was trying to sell their home. The San Diego firm came in, paid cash, recorded the deed themselves with an online title company. Three months later after the seller had moved out she received a foreclosure notice from the bank.

The entire transaction was phony and she had no recourse.

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