It’s easy and maybe even fun to enter your address on a website and instantly receive a home value estimate of what your property is worth. But, just how accurate and reliable is data you’re receiving?
NOT AT ALL, say the major real estate websites. And the vast majority will highly recommend talking with a real estate professional.
zillow.com
“The Zestimate is not an appraisal and you won’t be able to use it in place of an appraisal, though you can certainly share it with real estate professionals. It is a computer-generated estimate of the worth of a house today, given the available data. Zillow does not offer the Zestimate as the basis of any specific real-estate-related financial transaction. Our data sources may be incomplete or incorrect; also, we have not physically inspected a specific home. Remember, the Zestimate is a starting point and does not consider all the market intricacies that can determine the actual price a house will sell for.”
“Is a Zestimate an appraisal?” at zillow.com/zestimate
trulia.com
“If you’re looking for a precise value for your home, or if you’re thinking of selling your home, we recommend you talk to a real estate professional. After all, our algorithms are smart, but we can’t know everything about your home’s features and location. Connect with real estate experts in your area.”
trulia.com/trulia_estimates
homes.com
“We’re not suggesting that you use our home value estimate in lieu of an appraisal from a trained professional when selling, purchasing or refinancing, but it’s the perfect source when you just need a reasonable estimate and you don’t want to wait.”
homes.com/home-prices
chase.com
“The data and valuations are provided as is without warranty or guarantee of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability of fitness for a particular purpose. The existence of the subject property and the accuracy of the valuations are estimated based on available data and do not constitute an appraisal of the subject property and should not be relied upon in lieu of underwriting or an appraisal.”
chase.com/mortgage/mortgage-resources/home-value-estimator
USE A HOUSTON REALTOR®
For help with price, negotiations and other parts of your real estate transaction, a Houston REALTOR® is your best resource.
Disclaimers accurate as of June 20, 2016
