Zillow is a popular website that "gives" automated estimates that purport to calculate the sales value of each residence in the United States. Zillow tries to reach this goal this task by using a fancy logarithm which crossreferences factors which impact property values, but here's a typical story I have heard from real estate 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 web for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll discover many posts by angry homeowners and skeptical home purchasers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Burke_centre report 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 sales 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. Home sellers and real estate purchasers should know that there is not a single neighborhood in Burke_centre where either a mortgage lender or tax collector uses Zillow for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take estimates from any website at arm’s length. Putting too much stock into a computer logarithm can cause a lot of disappointment.

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