Can I trust Zillow estimates?

Can I rely on a computer to appraise the market value of my home in Page County?

Zillow is a billion-dollar website that "gives" automated estimates which purport to figure the value of each and every residence in the United States. Zillow tries to achieve this this feat by using a fancy algorithm which crossreferences factors which affect property values, but here's a story I have heard from home sellers in Northern Virginia:

Is Zillow accurate?
Many consumers have serious doubts about the accuracy of Zillow home value estimates.

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 testimonials by angry homeowners and skeptical home shoppers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Page County report 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 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 buyers and sellers. Real estate sellers and property shoppers should understand that there is not a single community in Page County where either a bank or tax collector uses Zillow for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take estimates from any website with a grain of salt. Putting too much trust into a website can cause a great deal of unnecessary anxiety.

Call Nesbitt Realty today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's value. We promise that a computer won't set the sales value. Rather, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty expert will measure the many variables which make up your real estate's market value.

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7 Reasons Why Zillow Estimates Are Inaccurate

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