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 complaints by upset property owners and leery property purchasers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Oak Hill say that Zillow's estimates 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 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 still remains popular with some real estate shoppers. Home sellers and home shoppers should understand that there is not a single community in Oak Hill where either a mortgage lender or tax collector uses Internet for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take "valuations" from any website at arm’s length. Putting too much trust into a website can cause a lot of confusion.

Talk to one of our agents today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's value. We promise that a computer won't set the market value. Instead, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty Realtor will measure the complicated variables which make up your property's market value.