Did you know that the Middle Tennessee MLS (the local database for homes for sale) decided to limit the information that it sends to Zillow? According to Inman reports, the information which Zillow displays will be reduced to a four-photo limit; the elimination of several data fields; listing descriptions will be restricted to 150 characters; and public portals will be required to include a link to the listing detail page on the listing broker’s website. If you’ve noticed a lot of ‘for sale by owner’ homes when you do a Zillow search, this is why! Individuals can opt to display more about their home for sale on a one-off basis.
In part, this decision was made because Zillow doesn’t actually help sell or buy homes…. beyond letting house-hunters view prospective properties, that is!
Zillow simply provides data, and then collects visitor information when they register to look at homes or see what their own home might be worth if they sell. Then Zillow charges local agents a fee to receive this contact information.
Want to learn more about Zillow problems in Nashville? Read the Tennesseean’s report and this amazing LA Times article about issues with Zillow data, prices, and more.
Please note, should you use Zillow’s service, that the Zillow Zestimate tool has a median error range of 9% of a home price in Tennessee, so that whenever you see a ‘Zestimate’, 50% of the time that Zestimate will be either 9% too high… or 9% too low! And the other 50% of the time, it’s even more incorrect than that. You can read Zillow’s published information on this median cost issue in their fine print disclaimer, here. Simply click on ‘States/Counties’ and scroll down.
Instead, Use Websites Which Show You All the Data!
The real estate websites of local real estate agents will show you ALL the data, which is typically more accurate! You can even search from this page!
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