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 Internet for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll discover countless complaints by upset property owners and leery home shoppers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Arlandria claim that Zillow's estimates have a margin of error of about 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 sales value. If the margin of error is an impressive 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. Home sellers and property buyers should know that there is not a single community in Arlandria where either a bank or tax collector uses Zillow for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take estimates from any website with a grain of salt. Putting too much reliance into a computer logarithm can cause a great deal of confusion.

Get in touch with us today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's worth. We promise that a computer won't set the sales value. Instead, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate agent will account for the many variables which make up your home's market value.