Our home was recently appraised for 650K. Zillow estimates the value at 521K. The estimate makes us one of the lowest priced homes in the subdivision. We have all upgrades in our home and it is the largest of the homes that were originally built in this subdivision. It was appraised at 750K before 2009. Our home has a basement. Neighbors do not have basement on one side and you appraised higher. Really? -- James E. - Fort Hunt

If you search the web for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll discover countless complaints by upset property owners and leery real estate purchasers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Northern Virginia claim that Zillow's estimates have a margin of error of around 20%. Even if we assume the margin of error is only 10%, in Northern Virginia that means a "z-estimate" is only within $50,000 of the actual value. If the margin of error is an astounding 5% that means that a z-estimate is only within $25,000 of the asking price.

Yet Zillow (for now) remains popular with some real estate shoppers. Property owners and home purchasers should understand that there is not a single community in Northern Virginia where either a mortgage lender or tax collector uses Internet for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take "valuations" from any computer at arm’s length. Putting too much stock into a computer logarithm can cause a lot of unnecessary anxiety.

Connect with one of our local experts today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's market value. We promise that a website won't set the sales value. Rather, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate pro will take into account the many variables which make up your home's ideal price.