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 find many complaints by upset property owners and skeptical property purchasers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Rockingham 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 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 property shoppers should know that there is not a single community in Rockingham where either a bank or tax collector uses Zillow for tax assessment or appraisals. Our professional advice is to take "valuations" from any online site at arm’s length. Putting too much trust into a computer logarithm can cause a great deal of confusion.

Phone us today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's market value. We promise that a website won't set the sales value. Instead, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate agent will take into account the complicated variables which make up your property's ideal price.