What's the difference between a Zestimate and an appraisal?

A Zestimate is an automated online estimate. An appraisal is done by a licensed appraiser who usually visits the home, and it's ordered by the buyer's lender after the home is under contract. Zillow says the Zestimate isn't an appraisal and can't be used to make a loan decision.

Can I change my Zestimate?

You can claim your home on Zillow and correct its facts, like beds, baths, square footage and updates. That can change the Zestimate, but it's still an estimate rather than a true market value.

Nicole McGowanREALTOR®, MRP, SRS

Home Value Myths

How Accurate Is Zillow's Zestimate?

Q: How accurate is Zillow's Zestimate?

By Zillow's own published figures, the Zestimate usually lands within about 2% of the sale price for homes listed for sale, and within about 7% for homes that aren't. Those are medians, so half of homes miss by more. Accuracy varies by area.

Q: How does Zillow calculate a Zestimate?

It's a computer model built from your home's past sale price, tax assessments and other public records, nearby sales, MLS listing data, facts homeowners add on Zillow and market trends. No one visits the home, so unreported remodels, condition, views and upgrades may not be reflected.

It Hasn't Seen Your Kitchen: What Online Values Miss Around Fort Walton Beach

By Nicole McGowan, REALTOR® · Published October 21, 2026

Fort Walton Beach

Navarre
Crestview
Niceville
Shalimar
Mary Esther
Destin
Freeport

You look up your house, and there it is: a number, to the dollar. It's tempting to treat it like a price tag. But the Zestimate has never walked through your front door, opened your kitchen cabinets or looked at your roof. Here's how close it really gets, and what it can't see.

How close it getsWhat it can't seeZestimate vs. appraisal

The Short Answer

A Good Start, Not a Price Tag

By Zillow's own published numbers, the Zestimate usually lands within about 2% for homes listed for sale, and about 7% for homes that aren't. That's a median, so half of homes miss by more. Open the cards below for the details.

The Short Answer, ExplainedHow close it gets, in real dollars

About 2% for listed homes

Once a home is listed, the Zestimate can see the list price, photos and listing details, so it gets much closer.

About 7% for everyone else

For homes that aren't for sale, it's working mostly from public records and nearby sales.

Half miss by more

Those numbers are medians. Half of homes land closer, and half land farther off.

On a $400,000 home

A 7% miss is about $28,000, too high or too low. That's a big swing when you're planning a move.

How Does Zillow Calculate a Zestimate?What goes into the number

The last time it sold

Your home's past sale price is a big starting point. If it last sold years ago, before any updates, the Zestimate is leaning on old news.

Tax records

Tax assessments and other public records the county keeps on your home.

Your home's facts

Square footage, beds, baths and location, as the records show them.

Nearby sales

What similar homes around you have sold for.

Listing details

For listed homes: the list price, description and days on market.

Owner updates

Facts homeowners add or fix on Zillow, like a remodel or an extra bath.

Market trends

What prices are doing in your area, including seasonal ups and downs. It updates several times a week.

No one visits

It's all data and math. No one from Zillow walks through the home.

Behind the Front Door

What It Hasn't Seen

Your kitchen and baths

New counters, cabinets and a redone primary bath can change what buyers will pay. To the Zestimate, an updated kitchen and an original one can look exactly the same.

Your roof and AC

In Florida, roof age matters to buyers and their insurance. A newer roof or AC system is a big selling point that public records may not show.

Your lot and view

Backing up to water or woods, a big corner lot, or a spot near a busy road all change value. A computer model has a hard time pricing what you see out the back window.

Work that isn't on record

Zillow says unreported additions, updates and remodels aren't reflected in the Zestimate. If it never made it into the records, the Zestimate doesn't know.

The condition inside

Fresh paint and new floors, or repairs that have been put off: buyers notice both right away. The Zestimate can't.

Zestimates, Appraisals & Redfin

The questions that usually come right after "how accurate is it?"

Zestimate vs. AppraisalTwo very different numbers

Who makes it

A Zestimate comes from a computer model. An appraisal comes from a licensed appraiser.

Does anyone visit?

No one visits for a Zestimate. An appraiser usually walks through the home and measures it.

Can a lender use it?

No. Zillow says the Zestimate isn't an appraisal and can't be used to make a loan decision.

When it happens

The appraisal usually comes after you're under contract, ordered by the buyer's lender.

Is Redfin's Estimate More Accurate?Same idea, different math

Same kind of tool

Redfin's Estimate is also a computer model built from records, sales and listing data.

A similar range

Redfin's published numbers are in the same range: closer on listed homes, farther off on homes that aren't.

Different numbers

It's common for Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com to show three different values for the same house.

Use them as a range

Together they give you a rough ballpark, not an answer.

Why Is My Zestimate So Low?And can you change it?

Missing upgrades

Your remodel or new roof may not be in the records it uses.

Wrong home facts

A missing bedroom or bath, or the wrong square footage, pulls the number off.

Odd nearby sales

If the homes that sold near you are smaller or older than yours, your number can drag down with them.

Can you change it?

You can claim your home on Zillow and fix its facts. That can move the number, but it's still an estimate.

Good to Know

A Zestimate that's too high can hurt as much as one that's too low. Price a home off an online number that's high, and it can sit while buyers scroll right past it.

Sources: Zillow's Zestimate page, The Close (Zillow's March 2025 accuracy figures) and Redfin. Accuracy varies by area and changes over time.

The Takeaway

Your Home Deserves a Real Look

Online values are a fine place to start. But the things that make your home yours, like the kitchen you redid or the roof you replaced, are exactly what a computer can't see. A real value comes from someone who looks.

Insider Tip

Before you trust any online number, check the facts it's using: beds, baths, square footage and year built. If one of those is wrong, the estimate is too.

Curious what your home is really worth?Enter your address below, and I'll look at what makes your home different, not just what the records say.

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