How accurate is the listing inventory?
Unlike wkre.com or Realtor.com, Zillow does not receive listings from every brokerage in our market, so many listings that are currently for sale do not appear on their website. In a recent inventory comparison between agent listed homes on Zillow compared to the MLS in Boulder County, Zillow had 29% less inventory than the MLS. This means that buyers searching for homes on Zillow were missing nearly 30% of the homes on the market.
Why does Zillow display homes as “Active” listings that are already under contract or sold?
Zillow pulls its listing inventory from many different data feeds which can cause it to be slow to update the status of the listings on their website. Therefore, it is very common to find homes listed as “for sale” that are actually under contract or sold. According to a recent study, up to 36% of Zillow’s inventory that is listed as “for sale” is already under contract or sold.
Are Zestimates accurate?
According to Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff they are "a good starting point" but that nationwide Zestimates have a "median error rate" of about 8%. On a $500,000 house, that would be a $40,000 disparity — which can potentially distort the perceived market value of a listing. According to Zillow’s own website: The Zestimate® home valuation is Zillow's estimated market value, computed using a proprietary formula. It is not an appraisal. It is a starting point in determining a home's value. The Zestimate is calculated from public and user submitted data; your real estate agent or appraiser physically inspects the home and takes special features, location, and market conditions into account. We encourage buyers, sellers, and homeowners to supplement Zillow's information by doing other research such as:
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Getting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent
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Getting an appraisal from a professional appraiser
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Visiting the house (whenever possible)
Does Zillow display inventory that is not in the MLS?
Yes, Zillow displays several types of listings that are not listed in the MLS including for sale by owner, pre-foreclosure, and coming soon properties. These properties are either posted by the homeowner or taken from public records. Pre-foreclosure properties in particular can be deceptive considering that they are properties in which a foreclosure has been filed against the borrower but the action is not resolved. It can take several months or even years before a home reaches foreclosure, so homes listed as “Pre-foreclosure” on Zillow may not be available for quite some time, if ever.