Zillow.com For Fun ONLY!
October 13, 2006
Post Tags: Comparative-Market-Analysis , zillow
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We received this in an email this morning “I was able to get some comps on the property from zillow.com, so I have a rough idea what properties like mine are selling for.”
I would never consider consulting a fortune teller to make business decisions. I would never consult a Quji board period. I would never, ever, ever consult zillow.com in making a decision on pricing my home or for a basis of making an offer on a home and niether should you.
Here is part of a post at the Bloodhound Blog with just a couple of examples of why zillow.com should never be used for more than an evening of fun with friends.
“Now, to this point, you could say that this is all so much sour grapes. Zillow.com doesn’t like our listings. Boo hoo! I invite you to pay close attention to the next house, which is not currently for sale:
925 West Willetta StreetThe brown stuff you see where the roof should be is planking. The gray stuff showing through the planking is sky. The roof has been off of this house for a long time. Until this spring, there was a tarp over the planking in back. That failed in a storm, and I can’t imagine how much water was dumped into the house. It rained hard last night, too, so, whatever the home was worth yesterday, it’s worth less today. But don’t think for a minute that it’s worthless: It’s Zestimated value is $337,725, more than 922 and 1110 West Culver Street.
But here is my favorite:
1142 West Culver StreetThe bamboo fencing is so demure, providing that added little bit of privacy. Can you see through it? Let’s take a closer look:
1142 West Culver Street — close-upWhen we pull away the veil, we reveal… Nothing. The house burned down about 18 months ago. Our friend Jerry Kadansky was the demolition contractor, but the neighbors pitched in by hauling away much of the undamaged material, including every last piece of what was once a very impressive slate roof. But where you see a vacant lot, Zillow.com sees the house it has absolutely no way of knowing is no longer there. Zestimated value: $325,787, again beating out 922 and 1110 West Culver Street.
This is shooting fish in a barrel, but that’s not the point. The point is that, whatever it is that Zillow.com might be doing, what it is not doing — what it cannot be doing — is evaluating houses. This simply cannot be done by the methodology Zillow.com has employed. … Zillow.com does not tell lies. It simply does not tell the truth. By the nature of its methods, flowing without opposition from its underlying epistemology, Zillow.com cannot possibly, cannot ever, cannot under any circumstances tell the truth.”
I could provide you with examples of our own from the Tucson area, and they would show exactly the same results as above. Zillow.com is not a good resource for making decisions other than an evening of fun with family and friends.
Please, if you want a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) on your property, contact us we will gladly provide you with a CMA of your property in the Tucson area with no obligation meaning, “we won’t bug the hell out of you” and try and list your home.
