Zillow is a billion-dollar website that provides "z-estimates" that claim to calculate the value of each and every property in the United States. Zillow tries to achieve this this task by using a complicated logarithm that compares factors which impact real estate 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 research the web for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll discover many posts by angry homeowners and leery real estate buyers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in North Idylwood say 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 sales 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 buyers and sellers. Property owners and real estate buyers should know that there is not a single neighborhood in North Idylwood 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 at arm’s length. Putting too much trust into a computer logarithm can cause a great deal of confusion.

Talk 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 sales value. Rather, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate agent will account for the many variables which make up your property's ideal price.