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 Internet for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll find countless complaints by upset property owners and leery real estate buyers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Bristow report that Zillow's valuations 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 astounding 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. Property owners and real estate shoppers should know that there is not a single community in Bristow where either a bank or tax collector uses Internet for tax assessment or appraisals. Our professional advice is to take "valuations" from any website with a grain of salt. Putting too much trust into a computer logarithm can cause a great deal of confusion.

Get in touch with one of our local experts today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's worth. We promise that a computer won't set the ideal price. Rather, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty Realtor will account for the complicated variables which make up your home's sales value.