Zillow

#1: Zillow customer service sucks. When you can't talk to a live person, you know there is a problem. You are not able to talk to a live person - and in my case, one of the owners of the listings is a criminal and trying to steal my credit (OR maybe it's ZILLOW? Ponder on that one).
#2: I submitted my information via Zillow so I could easily apply. Turns out, one of the scum bag owners used my the information on my credit report to try to steal my credit. F-that. DO NOT USE ZILLOWS CREDIT APP. Most of the owners/listing agents know Zillow's is BS and they will use their own credit/background check. If someone wants to steal your information based on your credit report, they can list a property for rent, wait for people to apply and they've got all your info!
#3: as a Renter, I am not able to see what properties I automatically applied to. DO NOT GIVE ZILLOW YOUR CREDIT/BACKGROUND info. The property owner/lister now has access to that and can see all your credit information.
#4: I've called Zillow 3 times - its an emergency to me, but not to them. They're to G-damn cheap to hire live support reps.

Zillow: the owners are a bunch of cheap M-Fer's - Zillow sucks.

I guess it is what it is, at the start the leads were a lot better but they have dropped off lately, still positive on ROI but could be better

July 28,2020

RE: Zillow Zestimate on ******* SW 11 Street Miami, FL *******

Dear Sir/Madam:

Why is it that you all of the sudden lower the price simply because I change broker company and agent?

This is not the first time you do this, I do not think your decision is fair.

I lowered the listing price from the original amount I had chosen of $575,000 to make it competitive since your Zillow Zestimate was at $567K and a few weeks ago over $621K

At this time the property reflected 4/4, it really has a 5/4 the fifth room was a PERMITTED GARAGE CONVERSION INTO A 5TH ROOM; therefore, the house does not have a 4/4 but instead a 5/4.

It sit on a premium Corner Lot with no front obstruction; there can not be any house built across there is a lake.

PLEASE make your adjustment to reflect the correct zillow zestimate it is not ethical that you are in the business of buying homes directly from the buyers like myself; therefore, your estimates are not always just or reliable.

Respectfully,

Maria T. Victorero
Property Owner
Real Estate Salesperson

When you consider that 17% of Zillows 100 million plus Zestimates are more than 25% inaccurate it is outrageous that they can peddle nonsense Zestimates the way they do. Think of the misery and potential financial damage that homeowners, suffering with an unwanted imposed erroneous Zestimate, and Zillow refuse all reasonable requests to correct or delete the nonsensical valuation that their flawed algorithm computes. When Zillow says that Zestimates are a "starting point" they are mis-leading as when Zillow refuse to correct Zestimates they become an "end point" too.

Even more interesting is that our elected representatives have failed to introduce any form of Regulation on Zillow and other AVM companies for the damage they cause to homeowners, as well as the chaos and confusion that incorrect Zestimates create in the home sales business. At the very minimum there should be a DoNotZestimate website that homeowners can opt out of Zillows nonsense in the same way as phone users can register with DoNotCall to opt out of spam phone calls.

Several lawsuits have been filed against zillow for their estimate of houses. I have been told by Zillow that they "go on algorithms" without even seeing a house. Many realtors and other businesses have fought this because zillow has many other problems by owning other websites that question antitrust laws. Zestimate is often wrong a lot of the time and interferes with home buyers and sellers alike. It seems this has influenced all of us when we look at this estimate of a house. Guilty.

After several emails and showing all the houses around us that are $60k over ours and we have more sq footage and updates- they shrug their shoulders and claim algorithms. The kicker is a house down the street purchased for minimum. It shows that you may have not anyone with a high IQ using zestimate but just making it up as you go along if your go too is claiming an algorithm that is anonymous. Obviously, with all the reviews there is an issue and there are more unreliable reviews that do not have a basis unless they disclose what these algorithms that are being used and why they are not consistent.

Zillow did throw me a bone after I politely emailed them several times and I believed to make me go away that they did offer $10k more. Now we have sold this house, it does seem underestimate, and did it influence the sale? WE can never really know but I have a feeling it has but good thing I believe in God, not Zillow. ;D LOL

UPDATE: 2021 It seems after several complaints Zillow has changed its ways and used comps to now compare house values which now is an improvement. Damage has been done for many of us but now the housing market I believe is used to ignoring these Zestimates when it comes to buying and fighting for a house now. :) My review still stands as what I went through with Zillow as what we experienced.

Chris has made 3 sales and 3 purchese for me and i highly recamend him to anyone looking to buy or sell

This is from them directed to me

Peter Kris
Peter Kristoffer (Zillow Help Center)

Mar 6,8:14 AM PST

Hello,

We do have limitations with the Zestimate and home upgrades or renovations. We don't visit the home or neighborhood and cannot account for these very important aspects as this data is not easily quantifiable and measurable. However, we are continuously working to improve the Zestimates as a whole, and I have passed your home information on to our data team for evaluation. While you will not see a direct impact on the Zestimate, please know that we take these examples seriously as part of our algorithm improvement process.
Thank you for using Zillow!

Peter Kristoffer
Zillow Consumer Care
https://zillow.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

Peter Kris
Peter Kristoffer (Zillow Help Center)

Mar 5,8:33 AM PST

Hello,

Most upgrade information is not in the public records and is not easily quantifiable. We do not know about home updates and remodels unless they have been reported to the local tax assessor, so those items are not used in Zestimate calculations. While we do utilize user-submitted data that is measurable, (e.g., additional bedroom count, bath count, and square footage) there is no way for us to systematically gather and verify the type of remodel or build information where the value is based on how the final product appeals to the buyer. Because of this, the algorithm can't use that information. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Thank you for using Zillow!

Peter Kristoffer
Zillow Consumer Care
Peter Kristoffer (Zillow Help Center)

Mar 2,8:59 AM PST

Hello,

The Zestimate is based purely on statistics like bedrooms, bathrooms, lot size, neighborhood sales, etc. First, ensure that the home details are current. Once this is updated, the Zestimate will update within a couple of weeks. If that did not affect the desired change then, I highly recommend that you utilize the Agent comment and include details like if there was an appraisal, remodeling and your expert opinion on what the Zestimate should be.
Thank you for using Zillow!

Peter Kristoffer
Zillow Consumer Care
https://zillow.zendesk.com/hc/en-us
https://zillow.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

When we were looking for a real estate agent, we wanted someone who was knowledgeable and resilient. We wanted our agent to be great at multi-tasking, have lots of resources, and work fast yet efficient. After speaking to a few other agents, we decided on Margaret Vorder Bruegge and her partner Sharon Kinney of Coldwell Banker
Although Sharon was great, I delt with Margi for the most part. Margi went above and beyond our expectations. Our property was a family owned house, with 5 owners, that involved the 100% agreement on all terms from my 4 other siblings. Multiple ownership with partners can be difficult in itself, but our family dynamics made it very stressful and confusing for all. The house was the home of our late parents who had lived there for over 30 years. The emotional aspect just added to the stress. A very difficult project for any agent. Margi was extraordinary and a true professional. Her valuable experience, patience, and insight was key in working with multiple owners. She stayed focused, and through many obstacles, she was able to handle the transaction promptly and with finesse! I really liked the "teamwork" concept that Margi and Sharon have clearly perfected. When one was unavailable, the other was on call. I think ALL realtors should team up, because it absolutely is a better real estate experience.
Margi informed us of the progress every step of the way and kept all of us informed on a regular basis. She is tenacious, and reliable, and she got the job done in a timely manner!
Margi and Sharon are outstanding agents, and I would recommend them to anyone I know, which includes family and friends.

My experience with Bibi Zanella and Beatrice Zanella Dusheiko was the most honest and remarkable pleasant, professional experience of my lifetime. She is skillful, compassionate, meticulous and dedicated beyond the realm of her responsibility as a short sale expert. She takes her commitment to a level that most could never comprehend. She does not give up and spends endless hours achieving success no matter how long it takes. She is genuinely captivating and inspired me when I felt hopeless. She gave me support and encouraged me to have faith and believe that no matter how horrible life may seem there is always a rainbow at the end of the tunnel. When you have Bibi Zanella and Beatrice Zanella Dusheiko on your team you can be assured your world will change. She is one in a million and takes her position to it highest level of victory. She is a masterpiece within her field and has an ingenious way of calming people when they are feeling lost and afraid. She comforted me and inspired me for many months and furnished far more than required. She is immensity intelligent and knows how to communicate in a gentle and effective way. I would recommend her to anyone searching for a woman with a phenomenal background in her field. With her years of dedication she is guaranteed to provide you and assist you with all your questions and have a positive outcome. More importunity she makes you feel " special " in a manner that no other is quit capable of doing. This is essential because she is magnificent at what she does which is helping people sell there homes regardless of the circumstances. She is non judgmental. She cares and is remarkably honest. I was honored to have her guidance and knowledge and she is admired magnanimously. She is truly a monumental individual and is bounteous as her position as an Agent at Florida Premiere Realty. I give her a score of one million percent considering she is extraordinary and idolized more than I can formulate into words that would adequately express my homage and compliments she so richly deserves. She is exceedingly reliable and pledges to complete each case with a favorable resolution.
Thank you! Marcie Lynne Silverstein

I am a Real Estate Broker in NY. I wanted to list a house for sale in ZILLOW's website. I was convinced from a salesman in ZILLOW to sign up a contract for 14 listings (even thought I only had one listing) and pay for a six month membership on monthly installments.
When I posted my listing, in December of 2014, I found out that ZILLOW's computer system had picked up a litigation that my client had back in July of 2014 with his Bank and the property appeared in their system as if it is "pending foreclosure". I asked them to remove this notification which was very damaging for my client / seller. In addition, even thought it was my listing (and I was paying for posting it in their website) ZILLOW was advertising "FORECLOSURE SPECIALISTS" to help the potential customers. My name as a Listing broker was not there!
The price for the property was not appearing on my listing and only ZILLOW'S estimate was shown which was $800,000 less than the listing price.!
When I asked to delete the listing completely from their system because it was damaging my client's as well as my interest (and reputation) I was told from the salesman (who was very nice until then) that I have to pay the entire contract even though I "used" their services for 5 weeks.
I am NOT saying that ZILLOW is a scam, but definitely until they fix all their issues... with their system and understanding a little better NY and other States, they should be flexible with their rigid contract policies.
Here I am... paying for a listing which damaging my client and NOT only I can NOT remove my listing from the system but I have to continue paying for a service which is harmful to my business.
I hope other brokers will read this and avoid costly mistakes. ZILLOW has very long way to become valuable... DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY

Kevin Akers Realtor for Charles Rutenberg Realty Inc. Is a outstanding worker. Kevin is very professional he does his job with confident and pride, when he say he's going to meet you somewhere to see a house he is there on time before you get there with the blinds open to sunshine, he can wheel and deal with negotiations to get the price right for you in any purchase that you are looking at. He would send you houses constantly that suit your financial needs. Kevin has lots of patience, when you get discouraged he encouraged. You can call him anytime and he's right there. The very first day Kevin put my house on the market 3 bedroom 2 bath with a two car garage and a sunroom we got a offer, we counter-offered and sold it by the second day. I was very nervous because I told Kevin I was going to be homeless he said don't worry we will find you a house and he did. He was very persistent we closed on my house March 23rd and two weeks late we landed on a good deal with another house and we was able to close on that. I say he's an outstanding guy because I had to work 5 days a week and I couldn't make it to the title companies. Kevin would take the check for me go out of his way over and above. He kept me in the loop by emails or phone calls. If the deal wasn't right in my favor he would tell me let's wait because he knows when to say yes or no at the right time.
Even two months later I've been in my house Kevin is still working deals to get me what I deserve. I had plumbing problems here at my new house and he got the seller to pay me money back that was needed to correct my plumbing which was $1,500 Wow what a blessing. Also Kevin would meet the inspectors, roofer, exterminator or anyone who had to come out to the house, which kept me from leaving my job. If you want a good realtor to stand with you and not behind you remember *******@gmail.com. Way to go Kevin!

Just went through the process of buying a house owned by Zillow. It was painful. They clearly were not prepared or researched when they got into this side of the business. 1) For accepting our offer, they took three days to respond to our offer but wanted 8 hours response time on the counter offer they sent. And they responded only after our realtor contacted them and said her buyers were going to rescind the offer. 2) Our realtor had to stay on top of them for every little thing - due diligence period was coming to a close and we had received no word on what we requested to be fixed (minor things that they did indeed refuse to fix). 3) They closed LATE. While we are preapproved, our lender was ready to close early and we were told we would be closing on the 16th. Evening of the 15th and we still didn't know when the notary would be coming or if we would even be closing. In fact, we didn't know until the morning the 16th when the notary called to confirm the appointment we didn't know existed. We signed everything. However, Zillow didn't close and escrow was not recorded for three days because they kept forgetting to sign documents, or had had us sign documents that were not updated and now we needed to redo that. We thought we were in the clear and had transferred the utilities on the day that we thought we had closed. Low and behold our surprise when our painters arrived today to an alarm blaring (and according to our neighbors, had all night) because ZILLOW had cancelled our electricity. Interestingly, our realtor had just contacted us this morning regarding another document Zillow wants us to sign - even though the file has been closed since the 19th. Zillow was unprofessional, it's staff was untrained, and while we don't fault the staff -the business itself was a nightmare to work with. I truthfully didn't really believe the house would ever be ours with all the confusion that was occurring. The house is beautiful, that is what the one star is for - they aren't responsible for that - but at least they put it on the market.

On November 25th 2014, I was contacted by a sales associate William Simmons. He has contacted me via text message regarding a Macomb Township zip code ******* and asked if I would be interested. He then mentioned that I would have 4,573 views a month for a fee of $615 per month. I told him that seemed steep for the price. He then asked to get a lender to split the cost. I hesitated for a bit and he sent another message stating that there were 51 people on the waiting list and it would be gone within the hour. When I asked how many agents are in rotation, Will stated "it depends on the zip, all you need to worry about is that I would be one of 3 agents featured, 4,573 times per month and that it's very exclusive". I was told I would get a ton of leads off this zip. I agreed based on those terms. Once signed, I requested some further information once I had a lender involved (around Christmas time). Will, stated on speaker phone with my lender in my office that there were about 6 agents featured. I asked what happened to 3? No response. He then stated that the way to get business was to have a ton of reviews on their site (never discussed before). After hanging up I sent an email to him stating my disappointment and that he lied to me. It had been a month without a single contact or lead from Zillow and the ******* zip I invested into. I even filled out a dissatisfaction survey. I was followed up by Michael Gunn who is apparently the Success Manager. Him and I spoke and I told him my side. He said that was disappointed on how things had happened and offered exposure in 5 other zip codes for a 99% discount. Obviously, I was disappointed in the fact that not only was I being screwed over by their sales practice, but also had to pay additional to help me get more possible business. I told him no. I would like to have nothing further to do with this and I would like reimbursement for what I have paid in. He said he would be in contact with Will's manager and get back to me (that was last week). I emailed Michael on Monday and asked when I can expect to hear back from him. Yesterday, Michael Gunn called and mentioned that it's only been a short time and I didn't give it much chance. He then started to mention that I would have to buy out the remainder of my contract. This is total garbage. People need to know of this practice. There are a ton of agents out there trying to capture new business. ZILLOW IS A SCAM FOR AGENTS!

They will KNOWINGLY, Rent you out a apartment with a roach problem and water leaks in the wall, The KNOWINGLY AGAIN, Participate In Enviornmental Racism, They leave the pool all dirty and green, Which attracts mosquitos, ON TOP OF SELLING YOUA ROACH INVESTED APARTMENT, They manipulate people with a food pantry acting like the truly care about the residents of their apartment's, They blacklist people after evicting them making it impossible to find a place to live and leaving people homeless, After this they have the NERVE to post straight up after this weeks later, Celebrating mental health day, Sick of this apartment trying to claim they care, While putting People of Color Live's and health at risk, Because of this stuff...!

ALSO, ON TOP OF ALL THIS, THEY NEVER EVER ANSWER THE PHONE, and the staff doesn't care to answer the phone, Very sketchy apartment who puts profits over lives, EVERYDAY, I'm going to continue to review this apartment on anysite that I see this apartment avertised on, Because they way I was treated felt like a Hate Crime, They kicked us out when covid was still going on, and Also, When we first moved in the mantence man was gaslighting me and my family claiming it was our fault for the water leaking downstairs when we had JUST MOVED IN when it was the Landlord's fault for KNOWINGLY renting out roach invested apartments with water leaks, There have been countless reviews OVER the years about the roach problem so they obviously know about the problems there even before we moved in there

Last week (8/28/18), Zillow's "Zestimate" of my home value was $562,147. I was getting ready to list my home, and I decided to give "Zillow Offer" a try. I completed the easy, online form that day, after which I received a phone call from one of their agents, Kate. Because I'd indicated on the application that I was working with a realtor, they needed to speak with my agent. I had my realtor call Kate at Zillow the next day to answer her questions. She was told that we would have a Zillow Offer by Friday, 9/1/18. I was out of town for the Labor Day weekend, but upon my return I found that Zillow had offered me $461,843 over $100,000 less than their "Zestimate". I checked Zillow again on 9/3/18 to find that Zillow had dropped their Zestimate of my home to $508,362; a $53,785 drop in value over the course of a few days!

I tried to call Kate at Zillow on 9/3/18 (which was Labor Day), and left a voice message asking for an explanation of this "suspicious" activity. I've watched Zillow for months and months now, and a fluctuation of a few hundred dollars over a week's time is not unusual, but we were talking about a 10% decrease! I did not hear from Kate as of Tuesday morning (9/4/18), so I called and left her another voice mail. After watching the value drop even further (now to $507,686) I tried to call again in the afternoon.

An agent named Cindy answered. She saw I had been working with Kate and asked if I wanted her to have Kate call me. She confirmed that Kate was working that day, but said they had been "busy." I told her no, that I'd already left two messages for her, and that I wanted to speak with someone who could actually help explain the situation, which I knew Kate could not do (she'd already informed me that she was not involved in the pricing/valuations). Cindy tried to assure me that the valuations were based on "an algorithm," and that the zestimates are constantly changing. I told her that I understood this, but that I know my home's area and I also had the comps for my home. I assured her that we did not have any recent closings that would cause my home to lose 10% of its value in a matter of days. Cindy said she would have a manager call me back.

Today is 9/5/18. Kate has not returned my calls. No manager has returned my calls. No one at Zillow has reached out to me. In the meantime, today Zillow's Zestimate shows that my home's value has dropped 10.2% in the past 30 days. The house next door to mine (which is my identical floor plan) has experienced a +0.6% increase in value over 30 days (and is valued at more than $50,000 over the current "value" of my home). Another home a few doors down (again, identical floor plan) has experienced a -0.5% decrease in value over 30 days, although it is valued at nearly $90,000 more than my home. If this is an algorithm at work, Zillow had better audit their software engineer's work! If a class-action suit is organized, sign me up.