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 search the web for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll find countless posts by upset homeowners and leery real estate purchasers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Centreville report 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 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 people. Property owners and real estate buyers should know that there is not a single neighborhood in Centreville where either a bank or tax collector uses Zillow for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take estimates from any online site with a grain of salt. Putting too much reliance into a computer logarithm can cause a great deal of unnecessary anxiety.

Get in touch with one of our local experts today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's value. We promise that a computer won't set the market value. Rather, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate agent will measure the many variables which make up your real estate's market value.