Zillow Zestimates…grrrrr

Script for Zillow Zestimates

OK, so I was just offered to download a script from Zillow so I would know what to say to clients when they ask about zestimates. Really? Why do I need a script?

Seriously, I have never used a script in my life.

I speak spontaneously and simply tell it like it really is: which is different from Zillow Zestimates.

Zillow is misleading

No, not intentionally.

Zillow Zestimates is simply data collected from various sources and run through a series of computer processes…angorithm. The Zestimate model gets most home information from public data, which can be limited, outdated or simply wrong.

When there are no recent transactions in the immediate area, the information pulled may be second rate and irrelevant.

Zestimate is not an appraisal

Zillow Zestimates is just a starting place to browse. The property of interest needs to be seen and evaluated by you and your trusted buyers agent, and of course a licensed appraiser. Comparing homes is not easy and takes skills. I have taken appraisal classes and they are more detailed than you can imagine.

Two homes two blocks apart may be totally different. One may be on the beach and one may be next to a gas station. The Zillow Zestimate does not evaluate that. It does not consider upgrades, floor plans, quality of structure, school districts or if a power plant is a block away.

It takes a human being to walk through the property, sift through the sales information and give you a property value based on data, plus curb appeal and home improvements and everything else.

If Zillow Zestimates were accurate, every bank would be using Zillow Zestimates instead of paying for a BPO (Broker Price Opinion) or getting a more costly bank appraisal…

There is a big reason they do not call Zestimates an appraisal. Home buyers need to not take Zillows Zestimates seriously.

If you are serious about buying a home, we can give you some serious help. Call Buyers Broker of Florida 407-539-1053.