REALTORS®, STOP WHINING ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU DON’T LIKE ZILLOW. HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE A SERVICE THAT BRINGS YOU LEADS? SURE, ZILLOW MAKES MONEY FROM ADVERTISING, BUT THEY ALSO SHOWCASE YOUR PROPERTY AND FEATURE YOU, THE LISTING AGENT, IN THE NUMBER ONE SLOT, WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE ENHANCED YOUR PROFILE.
If you despise Zillow, use caution before you complain to your clients and customers. In all likelihood, they have already spent far more time looking at Zillow Group sites before they met you. Some may actually love the platform, and you can cause far more damage to yourself when you complain to your clients and customers about a product or service that they like. Without realizing it, you are potentially costing yourself business.
Consider it from the perspective of the consumer. Use a different browser and search yourself and your listings on Zillow. You will be amazed at the inaccuracy of the data, and you should take steps to correct the information. Laziness and automation are some of the biggest factors for inaccurate information on real estate listings. Oftentimes the wrong info on Zillow is directly related to the person that made a mistake, was careless while inputting the listing, or relied too much on the tax data. Take advantage of letting Zillow display you like the professional you are (or aspire to be) for free. Believe it or not, Zillow can be an extremely valuable marketing tool!
COUNTERING THE “ZESTIMATE”
How many times has a client come to you assuming that they know the correct price for their home because “Zillow says so?” It’s a common occurrence these days. Below is a script that can help you explain to your clients and customers how Zestimates differ from actual value.
CLIENT: “The Zestimate said my home is worth $300,000!”
YOU: “Do you know what that means about the REAL value of your home?”
CLIENT: “No…”
YOU: “In our area, the average median error rate is six percent, which would mean your home’s value might be worth between $282,000 and $318,000. Would you like to find out a closer range than that?”
CLIENT: “How?”
YOU: “There are two options ... one that is free and one that costs a few hundred dollars. An appraiser will cost you about $400. But, as a professional REALTOR®, I can do it for free. What time Friday would work best for you?”
DETERMINING THE VALUE RANGE
The Value Range, which is related to the Zestimate,
shows the high and low estimated values of a home (e.g., the Zestimate may be $260,503, while the Value Range is $226,638 to $307,394).
www.garealtor.com GEORGIA REALTOR® I 21
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