Zillow is a popular website that "gives" computerized estimates that purport to calculate the ideal price of each property in the United States. Zillow tries to achieve this this feat by using a complicated program which crossreferences factors which impact real estate values, but here's a typical story I have heard from home sellers in Northern Virginia:

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 research 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 skeptical real estate buyers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Beverly_plaza 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 market value. If the margin of error is an unlikley 5% that means that a z-estimate is only within $25,000 of the asking price.

Yet Zillow (for now) remains popular with some buyers and sellers. Property owners and property shoppers should understand that there is not a single community in Beverly_plaza where either a bank or tax collector uses Internet for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take "valuations" from any website at arm’s length. Putting too much reliance into a computer logarithm can cause a lot of confusion.

Call one of our local experts 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 Realtor will account for the many variables which make up your property's market value.