Zillow. Accuracy takes a back seat.

If you could harness the "Hype" or bottle the "Buzz" around the launch of Zillow.com and sell it, an instant rich man it could make.

Much like selling snake skin oil in the 1800's to unsuspecting consumers convinced the product could cure cancer, blindness or remove tobacco stains from a tightly woven woolen overcoat.

When it comes to real estate valuation, it's not "good enough" to be in the ball park. It's imperative to hit home runs.

Although well intended, Zillow takes physically viewable and recognizable numbers, figures along with technologically advance mapping features with Ariel photos, recorded tax information and displays it IN YOUR FACE. You get the impression they must know what they're doing, right! All the "publicity" at launch time was as if they were making the first attempt to step foot on the Moon. How can they possibly be wrong?

Without a full interior and exterior analysis of your home with the comparable properties, a foul ball is the most likely outcome of your 'at bat'. An error of just half a percent for a $450,000 house can cost you $2250. With all due respect to a well intended project, I've seen errors up to 10 and 15 percent on Zillow. I don't know about you but I wouldn't leave that kind of money on any table. Comparable properties should only include like kind homes...Meaning, split level to split level, rambler to rambler and two story to two story, I think you get the picture, yet even with very similar homes adjustments must be made.

Ah ha. Adjustments...Here's where the rubber meets the road. Adjustments for style, square footage, year, lot size, lot location, features and anenities ect, cannot be done by a computer generated program. It takes a skilled market expert to evaluate, adjust and calculate your specific properties features so you get top dollar, but by that time a prospective buyer may have falsely determined your property value with data that's just "in the ball park" ultimately resulting in a low offer or no offer at all. By the same token, a buyer could think they are hitting a home run by making the deal of the century when it's only a "foul ball"...