Three Things Zillow Won’t Tell You
When you decide to start looking for a new home, the process becomes all-consuming.
One minute you’re just casually searching. Next thing you know, you’ve downloaded too many apps, spent too much time scrolling, and signed up for waaaaaay too many emails.
If you’ve ever had 4,000 tabs open—all hoping that Zillow or Trulia has your next big thing waiting for you—this post is def for you.
The Problem with Zillow and Friends
Here’s the unfortunate truth: Real estate apps and websites are fun… but they’re not actually useful.
#1 Their search functionality is limited.
At first glance, it seems like these sites cover all the bases: price, beds and baths, lot size, year built, and more. But when you get down to the nitty gritty, you can’t search for exactly what you’re hoping for. This leaves you wasting tons of time browsing almost-but-not-quite-right properties.
#2 Their listings are wildly out of date, and price estimates are inaccurate.
This falls under a broader category called, “Zillow says what?!”
It happens all the time: Someone finds The One on Zillow, they’re pleasantly surprised to see it’s not already sold, and then they get their heart broken when an agent tells them the place has been pending for weeks.
Here’s what you need to know: There’s at least a 24-hour lag time between the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and Zillow. And in this market, every hour counts! So if you’re trying to DIY your home search, you’ll always be behind the ball.
And then there’s pricing. Repeat after us: Zestimates cannot be trusted.
Zillow likely doesn’t know if a basement’s finished. It doesn’t know if a neighborhood’s particularly hot. It has no earthly idea if June in the county assessor’s office fat-fingered the square footage on the tax records.
Can you get a general idea of a property’s value from a Zestimate? Sure. Just be aware the margin of error is in the tens of thousands of dollars.
#3 They’re spammy.
You’ve likely already discovered this. If you give your information to a real estate app, you’re met with tons of high-pressure texts, calls, and emails. Gross.
And it’s not the agents’ fault! Often, the “listing agent” on a home is actually attached to a paying client of the website. That client then sends your info to hundreds of agents who pay for your data. Suddenly the house you were only curious about is the hottest topic of conversation. For months.
Zillow isn’t a real estate company; they’re a data company. They’re not concerned with accuracy (read: they don’t care about you or your dream home). They only want your information so they can fulfill their contracts—a certain number of names for a fee each month. Double gross.
Where Can I Look Instead?
You don’t have to waste your time feeling frustrated, heartbroken, or like a pawn in some giant marketing scheme. Instead, use the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)!
The MLS is a database where real estate agents can advertise their listings. It’s only available through real estate agents, and even includes upcoming listings that Zillow and the like only wish they had access to.
And it’s super localized. Each geographical area has their own MLS service, operating independently from other services across the country. This means national agencies can’t collect (and sell) your data or information for their benefit!
Here’s how it works:
We will use our Realtor superpowers to give you direct access to the MLS. Together with our friends at Realscout, we’ve teamed up to allow you to search for homes with access to real-time information. Click here to begin.
Not into DIY searching? No problem! Click here to answer a few questions. We narrow down the search criteria to find homes that are just right for you.
Browse away knowing you’re ahead of the pack! And when you’re ready for help, we’re a phone call away.
TLDR: Sign up here and we’ll set you up with a real-deal search. Once your account is established, you can come back time and time again to further customize your search and zero-in on properties you can’t wait to see in person.
Even if you’re just curious, we’re happy to set you up with Denver’s MLS. No pressure, ever.
Can’t Find What You’re Looking For?
TBH, the best way to find your new place is to have an actual conversation with a living, breathing real estate agent. We know, we know: Talking to humans is scary. But we promise we’re normal. If you’re ready to fast-track your search, book a Discovery Meeting today!
