09/04/2026
🚨🏡 A REALTOR’S RESPONSE TO THIS VIRAL POST 🏡🚨
First, I cannot verify that Donald Trump actually posted this screenshot. But whoever wrote it clearly does not understand how Zillow—or residential real estate—actually works. 🤦♀️
📱 **ZILLOW IS A MARKETING PLATFORM**
Zillow is not your:
❌ Realtor
❌ Appraiser
❌ Inspector
❌ Negotiator
❌ Local market expert
Even Zillow admits that a Zestimate is **NOT an appraisal** and cannot replace one.
📊 **ZESTIMATES CAN BE UNREALISTIC**
I have personally seen Zestimates miss a property’s realistic market value by tens of thousands of dollars—and sometimes by 30% or more. Right now, Zillow is displaying incorrect prices on two of my own listings! 😳
An algorithm cannot walk through your home or accurately evaluate:
🔨 Renovations and upgrades
🏚️ Actual property condition
🌳 Acreage and land value
✨ Custom features
🏘️ Neighborhood differences
📈 Rapid market changes
📍 Truly comparable local sales
🤠 **TEXAS IS A NONDISCLOSURE STATE**
Texas residential sales prices generally are not publicly available through county records. Zillow may receive some information from MLS feeds, brokerages, users and other sources, but it does not have the same complete, verified local market data available to Texas real estate professionals through the MLS.
💰 **HERE IS THE PART CONSUMERS MAY NOT KNOW**
Zillow displays listings provided largely through MLS and brokerage feeds, attracts consumers using those listings, and then monetizes many of those connections through participating agents.
Zillow’s own published pricing currently states that seller-originated connections can carry a **40% success fee**, while buyer-related fees vary by market and transaction. In my professional opinion, using agents’ listings to attract consumers and then charging participating agents a substantial percentage of their commission is deeply troubling.
⚠️ **THE BOTTOM LINE**
**A Zestimate is a starting point—not your home’s “true value.”**
Your home’s value depends on its condition, location, upgrades, comparable sales, competition, financing and what qualified buyers will actually pay.
✅ Browse Zillow for ideas.
❌ Do not base a major financial decision on it.
Before buying or selling, speak with a knowledgeable **LOCAL real estate professional** who can examine the home, research verified MLS data and explain what is actually happening in your market.
🏡 **Convenient information is not always complete—or accurate—information.**
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