Zillow is a billion-dollar Internet marketer that provides automated estimates which purport to figure the ideal price of each property in the United States. Zillow tries to accomplish this feat by using a fancy algorithm which crossreferences factors which alter property values, but here's a 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 Internet for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll discover countless complaints by upset property owners and leery home buyers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Rockingham County claim that Zillow's estimates 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 impressive 5% that means that a z-estimate is only within $25,000 of the asking price.

Yet Zillow still remains popular with some people. Home sellers and real estate purchasers should understand that there is not a single community in Rockingham County where either a mortgage lender or tax collector uses Internet for tax assessment or appraisals. Our professional advice is to take estimates from any website at arm’s length. Putting too much stock into a computer logarithm can cause a great deal of unnecessary anxiety.

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 sales value. Rather, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate pro will account for the many variables which make up your real estate's sales value.