Zillow is a popular Internet marketer that "gives" "z-estimates" which claim to figure the value of each home in the United States. Zillow tries to achieve this this feat by using a complicated logarithm which crossreferences factors which impact property values, but here's a 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 find many posts by angry property owners and leery property buyers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Maple_view_park report 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 market 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 real estate shoppers. Real estate sellers and property shoppers should understand that there is not a single neighborhood in Maple_view_park 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 trust into a website can cause a lot of confusion.

Talk to Nesbitt Realty today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's value. We promise that a website won't set the sales value. Instead, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate pro will account for the unique variables which make up your real estate's market value.