Zillow is a popular website that "gives" automated estimates that claim to figure the market value of every residence in the United States. Zillow tries to achieve this this feat by using a fancy program which crossreferences factors which impact home values, but here's a typical story I have heard from real estate 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 Internet for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll discover many testimonials by upset property owners and leery real estate shoppers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in 1800_wilson_boulevard 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 sales value. If the margin of error is an improbable 5% that means that a z-estimate is only within $25,000 of the asking price.

Yet Zillow (for now) remains popular with some people. Real estate sellers and home purchasers should understand that there is not a single community in 1800_wilson_boulevard where either a bank or tax collector uses Zillow for tax assessment or appraisals. Our professional advice is to take estimates from any website with a grain of salt. Putting too much trust into a computer can cause a great deal of unnecessary anxiety.

Reach out to one of our agents today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's worth. We promise that a website won't set the ideal price. Rather, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate pro will measure the unique variables which make up your property's sales value.