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 Google the Internet for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll discover many complaints by angry property owners and leery property shoppers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Quicksburg claim 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 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. Home sellers and real estate buyers should know that there is not a single community in Quicksburg where either a bank or tax collector uses Zillow for tax assessment or appraisals. Our professional advice is to take estimates from any computer at arm’s length. Putting too much reliance into a computer logarithm can cause a great deal of confusion.

Connect with one of our agents today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's market value. We promise that a website won't set the value. Instead, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty real estate pro will account for the complicated variables which make up your property's value.