Homeowners Can Now Make Instant Updates to Zestimates

You’re in a listing presentation, and being the astute professional that you are, you’ve looked up the property on various websites to see how it’s displayed — after all, it’s a prime opportunity to share your expertise and knowledge.

You: “Mr. and Ms. Seller, let’s take a look at how your home is currently shown on Zillow.”

Seller: “Um, this home has three bedrooms, not the two it says here. What’s up with that?”

There’s your lead in, your opportunity to be of assistance. You know how things work — strut your stuff!

You: “Lots of the information on properties gets pulled from public records. Sometimes they are incorrect or outdated. But we can fix that in just a few minutes!”

Seller: “Will making those changes affect the Zestimate?”

You: “Maybe. In the very recent past, it took a while for Zillow to churn through the data and apply any changes to the Zestimate. But that’s no longer the case, and now the Zestimate will be updated instantly.”

Of course, not every change will be significant enough to impact the Zestimate® home value, so it’s a good idea to set realistic expectations for your client. If the square footage in public records is off by just a few square feet, for example, don’t expect a change. If they’ve added a room, however, that’s a different story.

The Zestimate is a starting point in determining a home’s value. Homeowners have the ability to claim their home on Zillow and make sure their home facts are correct. And instead of waiting to see whether the updates are significant enough to impact the Zestimate, they’ll know right away. Sharing this information with your prospective client is just one more way to show a homeowner that you are knowledgeable and helpful — two key factors when buyers and sellers are selecting an agent.

It’s simple to edit home facts and see the impact on the Zestimate, instantly. The homeowner needs to do this, but you can help guide them through the process right on their mobile platform or desktop.

Important note: Home fact changes need to be made before the home is listed for sale on Zillow. The listing presentation is a great time to do this. Even if you don’t get the listing, people will remember the agent who helped them fix their data on Zillow, so add it to your pre-listings checklist: “Meet with homeowners to verify / update home facts on Zillow.”

Here’s how to do it in five easy steps:

1. Find your home on Zillow.

2. Touch the “edit” button next to your home facts.

3. Verify you are the owner of your home.

4. Select your home type and edit the facts.

Select the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, then add the finished square feet, lot size, year built and structural remodel year¹ (if applicable). Scroll to the bottom of the page to save your changes.

5. View your Zestimate instantly!

When the homeowner successfully claims their home, they will receive a home report email to keep them up-to-date on their home’s Zestimate. As the listing agent, you can tell your sellers this is a great way to review the value of their home, and to contact you if they have any questions. The Zestimate is intended to be used in conjunction with other data points like the Zestimate Value Range and the local Zillow Home Value Index, and, most importantly, the assistance of you — the local real estate professional.

Learn more about Zestimates here.

¹A structural remodel is a modification to the home that is significant enough to change your home facts, such as adding a bedroom or bathroom, and increases the home’s square footage by at least 10 percent.