Are you considering selling your house to Zillow? Many homeowners throughout San Diego, California are thinking the same thing. We all see countless ads for Zillow buying houses in Southern California. After seeing their name enough, it’s easy to think that selling your house to Zillow is worth it. Although they are a massive real estate company with impressive branding, there are cons to working with them. Typically, it is more expensive than homeowners usually think. Additionally, you’re not likely to get the offer you expect.
Here are several factors to consider when deciding if selling your house to Zillow is worth it in San Diego.
Your Home Is Not Worth What Zillow Says
Sadly, your home is not worth what Zillow says. Reading inaccurate Zestimates misleads countless homeowners into thinking that their property in San Diego is worth millions. Although California, especially San Diego, has high home values compared to other cities across the country, Zestimates are usually inaccurate.
Inaccurate Zillow “Zestimate”
Zillow has publicly stated that their Zestimate estimation tool can be off up to 6.9%. That is a huge chunk of change. If the average home value in San Diego, CA is around $900,000, that is a $62,100 error. How would you feel if you expected to get $62,100 more when initially talking to a real estate company and then not getting that? Zillow’s Zestimates continue to aggravate homeowners because of this massive error. Here are several reasons why Zillow’s Zestimate tool is so inaccurate:
- Zillow pulls comps from far away
- Zillow does not consider the interior condition of your home
If you have thought about selling your house to Zillow, take their home valuation amounts with a grain of salt. it’s highly likely that their Zestimate is inaccurate. The primary reason for their inaccuracy is because they do not enter your home before slapping a value on it. Your property could be in pristine condition on the inside Compared to your neighbor’s house which is completely gutted and uninhabitable. Zillow has no idea what the inside of your house is like. You don’t see Zillow employees walking through properties and creating formal real estate appraisals for homes in San Diego.
For houses in San Diego that have code violations tied to them, that likely means the inside of the property could be in bad shape. Zillow doesn’t have the ability to view the inside of a house and determine what its true value is. Certain homeowners may live out of state and are unsure of the real estate values in San Diego, CA. They resort to Zillow and get inaccurate information. This is common when someone inherited a property and needs to sell it. Zillow doesn’t know that the inherited property that hasn’t been updated in 20 years is in worse shape than the house that was recently updated next door.
Be cautious when evaluating your house in San Diego based on Zillow. Oftentimes, homeowners become frustrated and disappointed to learn that their house isn’t worth as much as Zillow states online. The same goes for other iBuyers and online real estate platforms, such as Redfin and Realtor.com. Avoid the stress of dealing with a $62,000 error and contact a local home buyer in San Diego instead. You will receive a much more accurate valuation for your home period from there, you can decide if it makes sense to sell it.
Zillow Charges 7.5% to Buy Your Home
Most homeowners in San Diego also are unaware of the charges Zillow employees to buy your home. They can charge upwards of 9%, but the average is 7.5%. unfortunately, people go into a transaction with Zillow assuming that there are zero charges. This company makes it appear like everything is free and easy. There is a cost that usually comes with Zillow purchasing your home in San Diego. Oftentimes, Zillow tries to connect you with a seller real estate agent. They also bring in a buyer’s agent when purchasing your home, which typically costs 3%.
If you’re curious about how to save money when selling a house without using Zillow, SD House Guys have created a full guide on this topic. Check out these helpful tips on how to sell a house without a realtor in San Diego. You can save upwards of 9% with this real estate strategy and work directly with a company that is local.
Zillow offers a feature called ‘make me move’. It works similarly to a For Sale By Owner (FSBO). initially, homeowners assume that this means there are no fees since they are selling their property by themselves but through Zillow’s platform. is anything ever free in life? Maybe a few things, but it is rare. They are usually fees associated with Zillow’s make me move feature. Although it will cost you money to sell your house to Zillow this way, there are a few perks. For example, Zillow handles the inbound seller leads that come in for you, making it more hands-off.
Sell Your House to Zillow (or not)
If you have thought about selling your house to Zillow in San Diego, consider the following factors when making your decision. It will likely cost you more money than you think. Additionally, their Zestimates are normally inaccurate. Because of this, expect less money from your house than you initially thought. for homeowners that still want to sell their house but not with Zillow, consider contacting a local home buyer. SD House Guys work directly with homeowners in San Diego to purchase their homes. We buy houses in San Diego CA from homeowners just like you. If you have thought that I need to sell my house fast in San Diego, contact us today to receive an offer.