And this is why Zillow stinks...

I want to address something that I am often asked about, that something is Zillow. Actually, let me take that back, I am asked constantly about homes on Zillow. So, I figured I would put together a little email on Zillow and the dangers of taking too much stock in what Zillow has to say. This information goes for Trulia.com, Homes.com, Realtor.com, you name it... The only platform you can trust is the actual MLS through your RealComp Realtor. Every online platform is fed from the MLS feed (3rd party) and information gets caught up on the "interwebs" hence why info is often inaccurate. Take for example the screenshots below of actual emails I have received from Zillow in the past 4-6 weeks... They are for the Clarkston area and speak to the current market conditions. If you didn't know any better, you would think that sellers are really getting worked over and it is a great time to buy. If you have seen any of the market update videos we have made in the past year you know that this is the furthest thing from the truth. We have a massive inventory shortage at about a 25% decrease in inventory from this time last year. This is exactly why local real estate pros are SO IMPORTANT! It could mean the difference between thousands of dollars...

What is even more disturbing are the numbers below.... Look at the disparity, they actually tell you when you go to the "Zestimates" section how far off Zillow could be and most likely is from your actual home value:

Those are some drastic numbers when it comes to trying to sell your home and maximize your profit. If you are interested in checking your Zillow home value and trying to change it after you get an actual FREE home value from our team either email us back or go HERE then go below to change your home estimate on Zillow... How to change your "Zestimate"

Zillow hurts consumers because if gives people a sense of false belief. The other big waste of time consumers fall victim to are what I call Zillow "phantom listings." Zillow and all 3rd party sites are great at putting homes up active yet they are terrible at updating the listing after that. It leaves many people chasing after homes that are no longer on the market or never were. The last big secret about Zillow and its counterparts; it is not for the consumer, it is a lead generation platform for the real estate industry. This is why Zillow does not care about the accuracy of the information as a whole. The faces you see on the side of listings are the agents and lenders who all paid to be there and are trying to drum up business by hoping and praying that you call to "learn more information" and then you become their "lead" or "prospect." Zillow and the sites like it permeate this industry and always come up and if this can help you save some time and energy than this was time well spent! To your success! Brandon P.S. In case you are looking for an actual home search through the MLS go HERE