Why You Can't Trust Zillow for Atlanta Home Valuations

Can you trust Zillow to provide an accurate estimation of your home's value? Sometimes yes, most times no. Here's why.

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With property values here in Atlanta going up, we've received a lot of questions about Zillow Zestimates lately. The Zestimate is a value estimation that Zillow comes up with for your property. The No. 1 question about them is whether they're accurate and trustworthy, and how they even come up with this value.

The Zestimate is a proprietary algorithm that uses things like public data and tax records to estimate your home's value, but there are many things that they can't consider with an algorithm.

For one, Zillow's algorithm can't take your area or neighborhood into consideration. If, for example, you're in a cookie-cutter new construction neighborhood with similar houses and a small handful of floor plans, it will actually be a little more accurate. However, if your property is unique or has been renovated or is just very different than the other properties around it, you need to be aware that Zestimates can't account for this. They also can't account for any upgrades you've done in your home, which can add significant value.

Zillow can't take your neighborhood into consideration.

Also, remember that Zillow has a margin of error of about 7%. Think about that in terms of a $300,000 house; that's a lot of money! That could cause the price to be overinflated by $20,000 or it could cause you to leave money on the table.

So be careful with Zillow Zestimates when you're thinking of selling your home as they can't account for some very important factors in your home. If you'd like a custom valuation of your home or you have any questions about the Atlanta real estate market, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email soon. I'd love to hear from you!