What’s YOUR Zestimate?

I’m going to keep this one short. (hey, I heard that)

I’ve always loved Zillow, even before I was a real estate agent. You could look at pictures of houses you couldn’t afford without having to travel to them, and like a big sporting event, the best seat is usually at home in front of a screen.

What I found out AFTER I became an agent, is that most realtors don’t like Zillow much. Some remember the world before Zillow nostalgically, but no matter how they might feel.

It can’t be that Zillow doesn’t help potential buyers see their listings, because Zillow gets 227 million unique users every month. (credit Chat GPT).

It can’t be because Zillow only gets a small percentage of overall traffic, because Zillow handles 50 percent, fully half of all real estate portal requests. (credit Chat GPT again!).

By now you’ve probably guessed… IT’S THE ZESTIMATE!!!!

Alas, that alluring, and agitative algorithm. If I had a dollar every time one of my seller clients complained that their ZESTIMATE was too low, or a buyer complained it was too high, well, I’d have enough to buy fast food for a family of five.

You want the truth? Nobody knows how Zillow figures that darn number out. You’d have better luck trying to get the nuclear launch codes. What we do know, is that buyers and sellers LOOK REAL HARD at them, sometimes too hard.

That said, they are the big feature, and they are a key driver of Zillow’s popularity.

Me, I love ’em. They make more people see my client’s listing.

It’s up to me to explain why their Zestimate and my estimate might not be, shall we say, sympatico. There’s usually a real good reason. Sometimes the property’s finishes are way above, or way below “average”. Sometimes it’s the house next door that was wrecked in the hurricane and not rebuilt yet. Maybe, everyone except Zillow, knows about that 400 unit multi-family development being built across the street. Anyway, if I can’t explain it, I just blame that stupid algorithm. That usually does it.

Told you I was keeping it short!

Thinking about a move this fall? — or just want a fresh set of eyes and ideas on what you could do to make your home even more appealing

Better Call Sal then.

Have a great week,

Sal Busacca
Realtor® and Team Leader
Dunrovin Properties SC
Keller Williams Greenville Central
Mail: BetterCallSal@kw.com
Phone: 864-952-7251

Price Just reduced today to $750K

213 Harts Lane, Simpsonville
…at the intersection of nature and modern living
3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths and 3271 SF of Country Living
2.77 acres and no HOA!

Listing Courtesy Of: Keller Williams Greenville Central, Sal Busacca, Listing Agent

Call or email Sal
864 952-7251
bettercallsal@kw.com
or Mike 732 865-5036
for more info or a private showing