Zillow is a billion-dollar Internet marketer that provides "z-estimates" which purport to calculate the sales value of each and every residence in the United States. Zillow tries to reach this goal this feat by using a fancy logarithm which crossreferences factors which impact property values, but here's a 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 testimonials by upset property owners and leery home purchasers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Calvert_court say that Zillow's valuations have a margin of error of approximately 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 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 people. Home sellers and property shoppers should understand that there is not a single community in Calvert_court where either a mortgage lender or tax collector uses Zillow for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take "valuations" from any computer at arm’s length. Putting too much trust into a computer can cause a lot of disappointment.

Email one of our agents today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's worth. We promise that a computer won't set the value. Instead, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate pro will measure the many variables which make up your home's market value.