Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 16:00     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
All the time! I'm so nosy about real estate.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 15:39     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:I look it up to see what they paid (incl. mortgage info which as folks have said is sometimes wrong but also often right) to get a relative sense of their housing cost.

Most of the time, it just validates I am not being crazy and they clearly have family money. It's not always that it's fully paid off, its just a huge down payment combined still with a huge monthly payment that implies they either have financial security from somewhere else (like an inheritance) or that they are living paycheck to paycheck to sustain their lifestyle.


I just looked up my 2 houses and the mortgage info is wrong on both. Our primary home has been paid off for some time, yet it shows we still have a small mortgage. Our second home has a pretty inflated value, by maybe $750k over market, and shows that we have a $650k mortgage when the actual remaining mortgage is $150k.

But yes, I do look up zillow estimates for other people. Never look at the mortgage info since I assume that isn't accurate.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 15:36     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:All the time.

I've looked up the ownership data of pretty much every house in my neighborhood too. How much they paid, who is actually the owner, if it's in a trust, etc, is very interesting to me. I'm super nosy.


How do you do this? Do you have to go to the courthouse?


For Arlignton
https://propertysearch.arlingtonva.us/Home/Search
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 15:35     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Yes. I’m nosy
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 15:32     Subject: Re:Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's one of the first things I do after finding out where someone lives. Sometimes I do things just to get the address. "Tell Sarah's mom we can bring her home from practice!"


Wow that’s… something. What do you use this information for? Do you try to build friendships with wealthier families?

Kind of the inverse. I try to avoid friendships with people without means. 1.1-1.2 million is a fine floor IMHO. Below that, things can get dicey and weird.


That’s funny. My house is worth less than that but I have means.

I always thought my inexpensive home was a good filtering system for people, and it turns out I’m right.





Same here. We know who our real friends are. We're millionaires many times over, but live in a tiny house and drive ancient Japanese cars. We've supported our friends through difficult times, cancer included, and they've supported us through our difficult times. I don't have room in my life for shallow people like OP.



Yawn. I do wonder about people with online lives they create.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 15:31     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:All the time.

I've looked up the ownership data of pretty much every house in my neighborhood too. How much they paid, who is actually the owner, if it's in a trust, etc, is very interesting to me. I'm super nosy.


How do you do this? Do you have to go to the courthouse?


No, it's just public information on your county's tax assessor's page. I'm not the same PP who said "Yes and I practically have the Fairfax co tax assessor website bookmarked," but yup, that's me too (just not Fairfax county).

The simple ownership info is usually on the gis map for your county too.


NP. But why do you do this? Why is this important to you?


They said they were super nosy!

Also, it's very useful.for those in the real estate business.


Nosy isn’t a reason. What do they gain from this, honestly? My mother’s neighbor is incredibly nosy and her life just seems so…small. Her entire life seems to revolve around her neighbors’ comings and goings.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 15:26     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:All the time.

I've looked up the ownership data of pretty much every house in my neighborhood too. How much they paid, who is actually the owner, if it's in a trust, etc, is very interesting to me. I'm super nosy.


How do you do this? Do you have to go to the courthouse?


No, it's just public information on your county's tax assessor's page. I'm not the same PP who said "Yes and I practically have the Fairfax co tax assessor website bookmarked," but yup, that's me too (just not Fairfax county).

The simple ownership info is usually on the gis map for your county too.


NP. But why do you do this? Why is this important to you?


They said they were super nosy!

Also, it's very useful.for those in the real estate business.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 15:24     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:All the time.

I've looked up the ownership data of pretty much every house in my neighborhood too. How much they paid, who is actually the owner, if it's in a trust, etc, is very interesting to me. I'm super nosy.


How do you do this? Do you have to go to the courthouse?


No, it's just public information on your county's tax assessor's page. I'm not the same PP who said "Yes and I practically have the Fairfax co tax assessor website bookmarked," but yup, that's me too (just not Fairfax county).

The simple ownership info is usually on the gis map for your county too.


NP. But why do you do this? Why is this important to you?
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 15:19     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:All the time.

I've looked up the ownership data of pretty much every house in my neighborhood too. How much they paid, who is actually the owner, if it's in a trust, etc, is very interesting to me. I'm super nosy.


How do you do this? Do you have to go to the courthouse?


No, it's just public information on your county's tax assessor's page. I'm not the same PP who said "Yes and I practically have the Fairfax co tax assessor website bookmarked," but yup, that's me too (just not Fairfax county).

The simple ownership info is usually on the gis map for your county too.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 12:07     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:No. It wouldn't necessarily tell me much about the resident. We're still in our starter home yet have 15+M in stocks.

You are a rare exception. That’s fine. No system works 100%. There are always exceptions.

Also, I bet that your starter home is worth at least 1M.

No reasonable family with assets over 15M in this area lives in a 500k house.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 11:35     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I've never done this. I've also never looked someone up on Linkedin to find out more info on them.


I’d never look someone up on LinkedIn because LinkedIn shows them that you looked.


Only if you have an account - right?


NP. If you set free LinkedIn so you can't see who viewed you, and you block your ID from showing, then they can't see you. Crudely. The rules have changed multiple times. Also you have to pay to see who has viewed you at a personal name level. If your employer is small and has a logo, that might give you away.

Internet archives mean older content and settings may impact your privacy for years. There are other websites and companies that scrape all LinkedIn info that's reachable.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 11:19     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I've never done this. I've also never looked someone up on Linkedin to find out more info on them.


I’d never look someone up on LinkedIn because LinkedIn shows them that you looked.


Only if you have an account - right?

Right, and even with an account only if you are signed in.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 11:18     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
I look it up to see what they paid (incl. mortgage info which as folks have said is sometimes wrong but also often right) to get a relative sense of their housing cost.

Most of the time, it just validates I am not being crazy and they clearly have family money. It's not always that it's fully paid off, its just a huge down payment combined still with a huge monthly payment that implies they either have financial security from somewhere else (like an inheritance) or that they are living paycheck to paycheck to sustain their lifestyle.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 11:14     Subject: Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I've never done this. I've also never looked someone up on Linkedin to find out more info on them.


I’d never look someone up on LinkedIn because LinkedIn shows them that you looked.


Only if you have an account - right?
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2025 11:14     Subject: Re:Do you look up the value of people's houses on Zillow?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It's one of the first things I do after finding out where someone lives. Sometimes I do things just to get the address. "Tell Sarah's mom we can bring her home from practice!"


Wow that’s… something. What do you use this information for? Do you try to build friendships with wealthier families?

Kind of the inverse. I try to avoid friendships with people without means. 1.1-1.2 million is a fine floor IMHO. Below that, things can get dicey and weird.


That’s funny. My house is worth less than that but I have means.

I always thought my inexpensive home was a good filtering system for people, and it turns out I’m right.





Same here. We know who our real friends are. We're millionaires many times over, but live in a tiny house and drive ancient Japanese cars. We've supported our friends through difficult times, cancer included, and they've supported us through our difficult times. I don't have room in my life for shallow people like OP.



This flex is getting so incredibly boring.