Can You Trust Zillow to Give You an Accurate Home Evaluation?

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Purchasing in the Indianapolis area? Click here for full MLS access

As real estate professionals, we're continually bombarded by the question,"Why does Zillow price my home differently?"

If we go on Zillow's website, this is how they explain it: The Zestimate is created by an automatic software process designed by statisticians, and there is no ability for humans to manually alter the Zestimate for a specific property.

To make that more clear, let's say a home is estimated to be worth $500,000. If the Zestimate is off by 10%, that's a difference of $50,000! If the home is under-priced, you're missing out on tens of thousands of dollars. If your home is overpriced by 10%, it will sit on the market for awhile, and you might have to drop the price, causing buyers to wonder what's wrong with the home.

It's been estimated that Zillow's home estimates are only right 7% of the time. That means that they are wrong 93% of the time! That's a terrible success rate.

Remember, Zillow can't take features or upgrades on your property and compare them to other recently closed homes in your area, even though doing so gives you a more updated value on your property. Zillow doesn't walk through your home, and that's where our team can come in and place an accurate value on your home.

Ultimately, if you want the most accurate price for your home, make an appointment with a real estate professional. We will go over your home and the local market data in order to give you the most accurate home value.

If you have any questions, or if you're interested in a home valuation, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Check Out Our Top 10 Relocation Tips

Selling in the Indianapolis area? Get a free home value report    
Purchasing in the Indianapolis area? Click here for full MLS access

Relocating to a new city -- or country -- can be especially overwhelming for home buyers. Today, we've compiled some of our top ten relocation tips just for you.

1. Figure out the criteria for your new home. What kind of neighborhood do you see yourself in? If you have kids, how close do you want to be to their new school? Do you want an older home or a newer home? These are all things you need to know in order to have a successful home search.
2. Do your research. The more you know, the better prepared and more comfortable you will be.
3. Start a packing timeline. Write down a plan of attack. The less stress you have trying to stay organized, the smoother the move will be.
4. Ditch the junk. As you pack, keep a "Toss" and "Donate" box nearby. You can also have a garage sale to get rid of unnecessary items. It may make more financial sense for you to pack light and buy new things in your new location than to pay movers to lug everything across the country.
5. Look at exchange rates. If you are relocating internationally, definitely look into exchange rates. Also, in order to manage your finances, look at the cost of living in your new area.
6. Pack an emotional first aid kit. Leaving your home can be difficult. Bring favorite photos of friends, family, places and pets, or bring along meditation tapes to ease anxiety.
7. If you can, visit the new location in person. If you're able to, looking at homes in person is a great way to get a feel for the area. If you cannot be there for the home search, but found a home through an agent, paying a visit to the neighborhood before moving can help get you excited for your move.
8. Arrange temporary accommodation before moving. If you need to be in the new location before you close on your new property, make sure you have some kind of temporary lodging set up.
9. Pack strategically. Label everything! If you have things that you won't need to use in the next six months, pack those first. Maybe put them in a storage unit. Not only will this save you stress down the road, but it will also make your current property seem more spacious, which can help it sell faster.
10. Hire the right real estate agent. This is the most important thing you can do. A good real estate agent should be able to help you with everything on this list, from recommending moving companies to making you feel welcome in your new home.

If you know someone looking to relocate anywhere in the U.S. or beyond, we can help them with making that move. We have connections in every major city in the U.S. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We would be happy to help you!

10 Tips for Throwing a Great Tailgate or Labor Day Party!

Selling in the Indianapolis area? Get a free home value report    
Purchasing in the Indianapolis area? Click here for full MLS access

Today, we're going to do something a little different. With football season just around the corner, we thought we'd share a video that I found on HGTV featuring 10 tips for throwing a great tailgate party!

1.    Be literal. If you or your friend has a truck, use a tailgate as the serving station.

2.    For lighting, use paper lanterns in team colors. It's easiest to hang them with zip ties. They are better than balloons, and they're reusable!

3.    Paint a plain cooler with your team colors. For best results, be sure to use spray paint designed for plastic.

4.    Use a silverware caddy. Use an easy-to-transport toolbox caddy for silverware and sauces.

5.    Make chip bag tacos. You want to have a simple menu, and walking tacos are delicious and easy to handle.

6.    Or, try chili and cornbread mason jars. These are a great alternative to the chip bag tacos!

7.    Don't forget the drinks! Bourbon-spiked hot chocolate is perfect for a cool fall day. Make sure you bring along unbreakable mugs.

8.    Serve a unique dessert. We recommend pennant cookies. Simply cut cookie bars into pennants.

9.    Create a hand washing station. Bring paper towels, soap, and water.

10.  Pre-game activities. Create a DIY ball toss using a drop cloth.

Even using just a few of these will make for a memorable tailgate party! We hope you found some of these ideas helpful. As always, if you have any questions about real estate, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!