BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ZESTIMATE?! 

Here’s what Zillow says about their Zestimate: 

“We use proprietary automated valuation models that apply advanced algorithms to analyze our data to identify relationships within a specific geographic area between this home-related data and actual sales prices. Specifically, some of the data we use in this algorithm include: 

Physical Attributes: Locations, lot size, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and many other details. 

Tax Assessments: Property tax information, actual property taxes paid, exceptions to tax assessments and other information provided in the tax assessors record. 

Prior and Current Transactions: Actual sale prices over time of the home itself and comparable recent sales of nearby homes. 

Here’s what Zestimate can’t factor: 

• Sales in your specific neighborhood (Zillow pulls by zip code)
• The condition of your home
• The condition of homes in your neighborhood
• Any local factors affecting the value of your home: i.e. crime, commercial construction, city zoning modifications or flood zones