Zillow is a billion-dollar Internet marketer that "gives" computerized estimates that claim to calculate the ideal price of each residence in the United States. Zillow tries to accomplish this feat by using a complicated logarithm which compares factors which affect property values, but here's a typical story I have heard from property 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 Google the Internet for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll discover many testimonials by angry property owners and leery real estate buyers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in The_middleton say that Zillow's valuations 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 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 still remains popular with some real estate shoppers. Home sellers and real estate purchasers should understand that there is not a single community in The_middleton where either a bank or tax collector uses Zillow for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take "valuations" from any online site with a grain of salt. Putting too much stock into a computer logarithm can cause a lot of irration.

Call one of our agents today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's value. We promise that a computer won't set the ideal price. Rather, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate pro will account for the complicated variables which make up your real estate's ideal price.