Oh, You Trust Zillow’s Zestimate? That’s Adorable.

Don't get lazy with your research

Let’s talk about Zillow’s Zestimate, the magical number that makes homeowners feel rich and buyers feel broke.

You pulled up your address, saw that juicy six-figure number, and thought, I should raise the price. Clearly, I live in a palace.

Wrong.

The Zestimate is a cute little guess made by an algorithm that has never been within 300 miles of your property. It doesn’t know you renovated the kitchen with real marble. It also doesn’t know your neighbor has a collection of taxidermized raccoons watching the front yard like a horror movie.

It’s like asking WebMD about your headache—suddenly, you’ve got a brain tumor. Or a rare Amazonian parasite. It’s nonsense, but it feels legit.

🚫 Why You Shouldn’t Use the Zestimate as Your Pricing Gospel:

• It’s Based on Public Data

  Which is a nice way of saying: “We took your square footage, mashed it together with your neighbor’s, and spat out a number while blindfolded.”

• It Doesn’t Account for Condition

  Your home might be a designer dream. Or it might smell like mildew and sadness. Either way, the Zestimate doesn’t know.

• The Market is a Savage Beast

  It changes weekly. Pricing needs real-time comps, not algorithmic assumptions from a spreadsheet in Seattle.

  ✅ Do This Instead:

  1. Check Real Comps (Not Just “Vibes”)

• Look up recent sales of similar homes in your area. And no, your 4-bed house with a pool isn’t “the same” as the 2-bed foreclosure next door.

  2. Get a Pre-Appraisal

• Hire a professional appraiser if you’re serious. It costs a few hundred bucks and can save you thousands in regret.

  3. Be Ruthless About Objectivity

• Pretend it’s not your home. Pretend it’s your annoying cousin’s house. Be cold. Be logical. Be someone who doesn’t care that the dining room chandelier came from Italy. Take care of all those pesky little items that have been on your "honey-do list" for years. This will save you from having them pointed out on the home inspection report.

  4. Watch the Market Like a Day Trader

• Track what’s selling, how fast, and for how much. If everything’s flying off the shelf at asking or higher—great. If not? Adjust.

  5. Price to Create FOMO

• Want multiple offers? Price a little under the market. Want to sit on the market for 98 days? Overprice it because “you’re just not in a rush.”

  That’s it for today. Your Zestimate has been roasted, and your ego has hopefully been checked.

  
  

  Tomorrow, we’ll tackle how to price your home without crying into a spreadsheet.

  Spoiler: It involves spreadsheets. And maybe a little crying.