It sometimes feels like a game to make your way over to Zillow, punch in your address, and see their estimate (Zestimate®) for how much your home is worth. Maybe you make it a yearly, monthly, or even weekly occurrence to track the ups and downs in value, especially when you’re considering selling and looking for the optimal time to hit the market. So, are you armed with all the knowledge you need to get a clear and accurate idea for what your home is worth? Probably not!
Funny story: Zillow’s CEO, Spencer Rascoff, sold his home for 40% less than its Zestimate just a few years ago! A full page on their site (a little hard to find!) works as a disclaimer for just how inaccurate the numbers can be, and that they should only be used as a loose starting point rather than the gospel truth for your home’s worth.
Zestimate Stats on Sonoma County
Definitions are found here: https://www.zillow.com/zestimate/#acc
- So the Zestimate, and all algorithm-based estimating tools, are a great place to get a ballpark view of what your home is worth, but “ballpark” isn’t good enough when it comes to pricing your home right.
So what do you do?
Local and engaged Realtors have their finger on the pulse of the market and have a much deeper understanding of when and why homes sell for the prices they do. Get a living, breathing expert on your side that will not only help you price your home, but strategize and inform you on how to get the most out of your home’s sale. In the end, you’ll come out ahead with more money, more time saved, and truly be a happy home seller.