A recurring discussion in my line of work - with both clients, friends, and other agents - is Zillow and the infamous "Zestimate" that they have marketed so brilliantly to the public. There was a great article written recently about just this, which delves into what this and other public real estate sites can offer you. I can't begin to tell you how many times a client has emailed me about a home they saw for sale on one of the public sites, only to find out when I look in our MLS that it sold weeks ago. Or even more common - the Zestimate they see online is a widely inaccurate estimate of their home's value.
Don't get me wrong - the public sites are a good tool for many things. They are a quick way for a consumer to find out what a home last sold for as well as community information regarding demographics, schools, and crime rates. However, they are not particularly great at doing what they claim they are made for, namely helping the public to search for a new home. That's what a Realtor is for!
A good Realtor can quickly set you up with a custom search site that pulls directly from the MLS and therefore is both accurate and up-to-date. Likwise, the only way to get an accurate idea of the value of your home is to have an experienced and knowledgeable agent create a Comparative Market Analysis for you, which is specific to your unique property. Plus we can also provide everything the public sites are decent at with regards to community info, sales history, and market trends.
So all of this is to say: if you would like information about your home's value or you are just interested in what your neighbor's home sold for, contact a Realtor! We are more than happy to help - it's our job, after all!
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