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 find countless testimonials by angry property owners and skeptical home purchasers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Great Falls claim 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 ideal price. 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 (for now) remains popular with some people. Property owners and property buyers should know that there is not a single neighborhood in Great Falls where either a bank or tax collector uses Internet for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take "valuations" from any computer with a grain of salt. Putting too much reliance into a computer logarithm can cause a lot of unnecessary anxiety.

Get in touch with 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 sales value. Rather, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty expert will account for the unique variables which make up your property's ideal price.