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 web for the phrase "Can I trust Zillow?" or "Can I trust Z-Estimates" you'll discover countless posts by angry homeowners and leery home buyers who have discovered the hard way just out inaccurate Zillow's pricing can be. Many people in Timberville 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 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. Property owners and real estate buyers should know that there is not a single community in Timberville where either a bank or tax collector uses Internet for tax assessment or appraisals. Our expert advice is to take "valuations" from any computer at arm’s length. Putting too much trust into a website can cause a great deal of disappointment.

Reach out to one of our agents today for a free comparative market analysis of your property's worth. We promise that a website won't set the ideal price. Instead, your friendly neighborhood Nesbitt Realty expert will measure the many variables which make up your real estate's ideal price.