BuyingThe Real Estate Business August 23, 2016

Zillow: The Good The Bad And … The Good

Zillow is a great consumer tool when you are investigating moving to a new city, state, or country. It allows you to get to know the area, the type of homes for sale, a general price of what homes are selling for, and is an excellent online tool to get familiar with homes in general.

For homeowners who are selling their homes it can be a frustration. Why? Because Zillow pulls their information from the Realtor database and there is no quality control for the data that is input. The computer directly gathers information from the generating source. In Central Indiana, MIBOR is the database where all Realtors enter their listing information for the homes they have been hired to sell. MIBOR has correct information. Zillow then pulls most of that information onto their site.

Zillow also will have homes that are listed that are not currently for sale, sold 2 years ago, and even have million dollar homes with an erroneous sale price of $200,000.  How does this happen? I don’t really know. I can only guess that some computer algorithm is pulling inaccurate information.

Am I a fan of Zillow? Absolutely! I think it is an excellent tool to market homes. As a Realtor I regularly advertise on Zillow because it is the online website where most consumers begin their search.

If you are a consumer looking for a home or a homeowner and your home is listed on Zillow, just know that not all information is accurate. Contact a Realtor for accurate information.

If you are in Central Indiana and would like accurate information on homes for sale. We are here to help! If you are outside of Indiana we are part of a relocation team and can refer you to an agent anywhere… even globally. We have helped relocate families from South Korea, Brazil, Germany, England, etc. to Indiana and can provide those who are located outside Indiana with good Realtors who can help.

Here’s to a happy experience as you sell your house and buy your next home!

Century 21 Agent Elisabeth Lugar works as a part of the Lugar Team at Century 21 Scheetz providing local expertise to help people buy, build, sell, and relocate in the Greater Indianapolis Area. Her team has been voted a Pinnacle Quality Service Team by her clients and is a Master Team at Century 21 Scheetz.

Elisabeth Lugar, Broker-REALTOR / Relocation Specialist, Lugar Team at Century 21 Scheetz, 4929 E. 96th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240, 317-995-1128 cellular; 317-572-5033 office